It’s official, as of last Wednesday, summer has started. You know what that means- shorts, flip-flops, sunglasses, and sand in your nether places. Time to swing open those doors, let your hair down, and embrace the sun. To do that properly, you need the right kind of drink. Lucky for you, Domaine Chandon has the perfect answer to get that party started. Let me introduce you to a ‘Champagne Cocktail’ called Chandon Garden Spritz.

One of the oldest mixed drinks, dating back at least to the mid-1800s, the Champagne Cocktail consists of a sugar cube combined with aromatic bitters dropped into the base of a glass, over which a standard pour of Champagne or other dry, sparkling wine is added. Champagne is the basis of many historical cocktails; the Black Velvet, supposedly created in 1861 to mark the death of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, mingled Champagne and Guinness beer. Other champagne delights include Mimosa and all its variations, Kir Royale, Atomic Cocktail, Bellini, and Aperol Spritz, to name a few. As any good mixologist will tell you, the quality of the mixed drink relies on top-quality ingredients. I realized this when I was introduced to Domaine Chandon’s Garden Spritz.

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” Mark Twain

Moet & Chandon created Chandon to craft exceptional sparkling wines at six wineries worldwide: Argentina in 1959, then California and Brazil in 1973, Australia in 1986, China in 2013, and India in 2014. With a worldwide total of 4,000 acres of vineyards, 16 winemakers of seven different nationalities oversee the largest sparkling-wine estate in the world. Chandon Argentina was born in 1959 in the Andean foothills. At 3,000 feet above sea level using runoff water from the Andean Mountains, the wines have absolute, untainted purity of expression. It was here that Ana Paula Bartolucci, Chandon’s winemaker, created Garden Spritz, which has become a global sensation.

The primary ingredient in Chandon Garden Spritz is Chandon Brut sparkling wine produced by a team of winemakers and growers in Mendoza in the Andean foothills. The wine is made with high-altitude Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Semillon grapes. The terroir and climate create the freshness, ripeness, and acidity of this exceptional sparkling wine.

Winemaker Ana Paula Bartolucci, a native of Mendoza in Argentina born near the Chandon winery, talks about the creative process. The inspiration for the Garden Spritz was Bartolucci’s grandmother’s Orangecello recipe. “We studied and processed the oranges as if they were grapes. Our main challenge was to choose the orange variety and the best time to harvest them at their best level of ripeness and sweetness. We spent years testing different blends and recipes. Finally, the 64th proposal proved to be the one. For Chandon Garden Spritz, I made it stronger to get more intense aromas; I really wanted enough bitterness.”

The zesty bitterness is obtained through a natural maceration of orange rinds and fresh aromatic herbs and spices. The secret is the Valencia oranges variety selected for their unique balance of acidity and sweetness. It is grown and hand-picked on a pesticide-free family farm in the Entre Rios province, in the NE of Argentina. Pesticide free is crucial because only the rinds are used from the orange. The herbs and spices are slow-macerated for six weeks and six months, depending on the type. The bitter orange notes are joined by aromatic notes from Argentinian and Brazilian herbs, as well as the warm and woody notes of spices from India, Central America, and Madagascar. At least six months of maturation before the wine is blended with the macerated liqueur. The final product is certified without artificial colors or artificial flavors and made from 100% pesticide-free oranges.

Chandon Garden Spritz was inspired by the well-known Argentine penchant for moreish bitter flavors such as yerba mate and Fernet –aromas that tantalize the palate. Add in the exceptional quality of the local Valencia oranges, and you have the perfect authentic summer service. It is the perfect balance between sweetness and bitterness.

The NV Garden Spritz is orange bitters mixed with sparkling wine, invented in Argentina and now marketed all over the world. It combines an infusion of bitter orange and herbs with wine-based bubbly, and the result is quite attractive as an aperitif. Coppery garnet pink, with a nose of orange zest, cinnamon, and star anise, and touches of pastry. Sweet in the mouth, in line with the underlying concept, and the bubbles are fine to the touch. Vinous 90 pts

Chandon Garden Spritz

Tasting the Chandon Gardem Spritz was an epiphany. Full disclosure, I’m a purist. I don’t like flavored coffee, fruit-flavored beer, or foreign essences in my bourbon. I had low expectations when I was dragged kicking and screaming by my salesman to taste Chandon Garden Spritz. Boy, was I proven wrong. This stuff was great! As instructed, we tasted it over ice, and the heavens opened up; doves and balloons filled the air, and all was good. A delicate balance of bitter dried orange peel, “Champagne” like flavors, some spice, and delicate bubbles. It had sweetness yet bitterness balanced by acid. The flavors were exceptionally pure/clean, and it drank too quickly. Comments around me were on how this is a must for upcoming vacations, easier than mixing Aperol spritzes, where is another bottle, now we’re in trouble. Next to sunglasses, this is a must-have for summer. It is suggested to be garnished by a slice of clementine orange and a sprig of rosemary, but call me a purist; we drank it straight.

Regular Price: $19.98

*Sale Price is on 6 or more bottle purchase

Wine is packed in a 6-bottle case

*Wine pricing for these wine promotions are held for two weeks after the email offer.

We can hold wines in unpaid reserves for two weeks to allow you time to pick up your wine. If it takes you longer than that to pick up your wines, give us a call, and we can process your wine and move it to paid reserves.

The term ‘cocktail’ is a word we often use, so I decided to find its Etymology. Some origins are more fun than others.



· A popular story comes from New Orleans, where an apothecary by the name of Peychaud (of Peychaud bitters fame) served a mixed brandy drink in a French eggcup. Eventually, Peychaud named the drink a coquetier, the French term for an eggcup. Peychaud’s guests shortened the name to “cocktay,” eventually becoming “cocktail.”

· The story I always used was that of Betsy Flanagan, the enterprising (but fictional) colonial tavern keeper who garnished her drinks with feathers; thus, she was known for her cocktails.

· During the Colonial period, tavern keepers stored their spirits in casks. When the casks got near empty, the dregs, or tailings, would be mixed together into one barrel and sold at a reduced price. The keepers then poured these mixtures from the spigot (known in colonial times as the cock). Patrons wanting this cheaper alcohol would ask for “cock tailings.”

· In a Mexican tavern, English sailors noticed that mixed drinks were stirred with the root of a plant known as cola de gallo, or in English’ cock’s tail’: the sailors brought the name to England and thence to the US. Coquetel was a term for a mixed drink in Bordeaux, which rapidly became a ‘cocktail’ in America.

· Ayto (“Diner's Dictionary") derives it from cocktail "horse with a docked tail" (one cut short, which makes it stand up somewhat like a cock's comb) because such a method of dressing the tail was given to ordinary horses, the word came to be extended to "horse of mixed pedigree" (not a thoroughbred) by 1800, and this, it is surmised, was extended to the drink on the notion of "adulteration, mixture." (That's the clean version, ask me for the R rated version).

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Cheers!

John Hannum,

Fine & Rare Wine Specialist

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