It is almost New Year’s Eve and champagne (or other sparkling wine) will be on the menu. Why not learn a bit more about this bubbly concoction and increase your enjoyment of it?
Today, in honor of this amazing beverage, I present Champagne Info!
(Photo of my hard cider making operation from a few years ago)
#10 Make your own champagne!?!?
What?!? Make your own champagne?!?! Crazy you say? Well, it only takes a quick Internet search to get lots of info on making your own champagne (or more appropriately, sparkling wine). There are a lot of recipes using the traditional grapes, but also one on making elderflower sparkling wine and many more. Making wine, or beer, isn’t really that difficult. The equipment is fairly cheap and easily available at your local brewing supply shop. Most every city of even medium size has a least one such store, or you can order you equipment and supplies online.
Of course, making any carbonated beverage comes with the risk of an exploded bottle or two, but if you closely follow the directions, and store the fermenting bottles in a place where they can do little damage, you should be fine. I am thinking of using my ginger beer recipe (taken from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall linked below) and making some sparkling fruit juice/cider in plastic bottles. Might be interesting and it wouldn’t have as much sugar as the ginger beer does.
- Make your own champagne in 5 easy steps from Glittering Shards
- Elderflower Champagne Recipe By Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from River Cottage Spring
Previously in Champagne Info:
- #1 What is Champagne? from Wikipedia
- #2 Recipe: for Champagne Sorbet
- #3 Methode Champenoise
- #4 Sparkling Wine vs. Champagne
- #5 Prosecco – an Italian Sparkling Wine
- #6 Nutella Champagne Shooter recipe
- #7 Cava – A Spanish Sparkling Wine
- #8 Champagne-Liqueur Cocktails
- #9 Sabrage (opening champagne bottle with saber)