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OLLY SMITH: Put the fizz into Valentine's day

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Sainsbury's NV Rose Champagne (France) is pale and delicate

In these gloomy economic times, you might be surprised to learn that bottles priced over £7 are increasing their market share, and that fizz in particular is set for a surge this year.  

Pink fizz is a popular Valentine’s Day choice.

Laurent-Perrier rosé is hugely popular for its freshness and verve and Bollinger Grande Année Rosé 2004 is a wonder.

Berry Bros & Rudd (bbr.com) is offering Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne for £60 – buy two and get a half-bottle free (worth £32) at the London and Basingstoke stores until February 14.

For a statement of sheer celebration, the latest Dom Pérignon Rosé 2002 is a gem and comes in at a mere £340 in Selfridges!

Or for a more wallet-friendly fizz, Oeil de Perdrix Rosé NV is £18 in Majestic, Lindauer Rosé fizz from New Zealand is a good bet at around £10, or nab Codorniu Vintage Cava Rosé for £6.99 in Tesco.

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Champagne is made from the Traditional Method, also known as the Méthode Champenoise. This involves secondary fermentation in individual bottles, which forms the fine bubbles. 

Crémant is French fizz from outside the Champagne region. It can offer good value from places like Jura and Limoux.

Ask Olly...Julie and Dave ask where they can buy a good-value Tempranillo.

Sainsbury’s has Castillo del Andaluz Tempranillo- Shiraz 2011 (Spain) for £5.99, which is an absolute cracker: juicy, fragrant and good value for money. Dive in!

Or look for the sparkling wines of Saumur – a splendid bottle of the Wine Society’s Saumur Rosé Brut (£9.75, thewinesociety.com) for example, or Bouvet Ladubay Saumur NV France (£9.99 at Majestic) – creamy, crisp and fun.

English sparkling wine has some amazing examples of Traditional Method fine fizz  – I’ve recently been wowed by Henners and Ridgeview (both Sussex), Gusbourne (Kent), Camel Valley (Cornwall) and Coates & Seely (Hampshire).

Wiston Estate Cuvée Brut 2008 is superb (£32.95, Corney & Barrow). Or have a crack at Nyetimber Rosé 2008, £34.99 from sparklingenglishwine.com.

Wine Rules: No.35Serve your best wines earlier in the evening while palates are still fresh.

The temptation after a few glasses is to crack open the best, but by then your senses may be impaired and it’s best to honour your finest wines with a pristine palate and proper appreciation

Try Camel Valley Rose or Chapel Down Classic Cuvée English Sparkling Wine 2008, £21.99 in 50 Tesco stores – it’s  worth calling to check stock before setting out.

Cava is another good bet from Spain, which uses the Traditional Method often with local Spanish grape varieties such as Parellada, Xarel-lo and Macabeo, which can give the wine a savoury as well as lemony strata – great to pair with green olives and light bites.

Another way to make fizz is the Tank Method, also known as the Charmat Method, which produces sparkling wine with bubbles that perhaps lacks the finesse of the Traditional Method but offers great value and preserves fruity flavours.

    More from Olly Smith...   OLLY SMITH: A grill's best friend: It's barbecue time... and these sizzlers will go with a banger! 29/05/13   OLLY SMITH: The name’s Blanc... Sauvignon Blanc: Bond star Roger finds it very Moore-ish. Here's why 22/05/13   OLLY SMITH: Try a suaver Italian... by sampling Italy's unusual suspects - and a smoother Soave 15/05/13   OLLY SMITH: My crafty pint cost £5,000 01/05/13   OLLY SMITH: Iconic, ever-changing, maturing gracefully - Riesling is the 'gloriously naked' Madonna of wines 24/04/13   OLLY SMITH: The surge in brilliant Bordeaux under £20 to cheer me up 17/04/13   OLLY SMITH: The Pink Floyd of pinot costs £1,800 a bottle, but I've found something else with two noughts knocked off 12/04/13   OLLY SMITH: Perfect pizza partners: How to make the right choice of wine 05/04/13   OLLY SMITH: Try some new wild flavours in the wine aisles this Spring 27/03/13   VIEW FULL ARCHIVE  

Prosecco from Italy is hugely popular thanks to its easy-going charm.

If you’re being picky you might notice the bubbles tend to be a bit bigger than Traditional Method fizz but nothing beats Prosecco for creating fun fruity cocktails from cordials and fruit purées.  

San Leo Prosecco is decent in Waitrose for under £10, and if you see it on offer for anything less, seize it.

For more exotic fizz, Moscato is ace (Italy and Australia both produce stonkers) and I was recently smitten during dinner at Maze by Poiré Granit Bordelet Château de Hauteville Poire Granite 2011 (£12.75, slurp.co.uk) – pear fizz made by a former sommelier with delightful freshness and low alcohol.

And if you really want some Valentine’s romance, Peller Ice Cuvée from Canada (£24.50 greatwesternwine.co.uk) is the ultimate way to Romance Central – traditional method fizz imbued with jot of Ice Wine to intensify the fruity and mellow character.

It’s love in a glass.

Wine news

Great news! I’m delighted to confirm my second Glass House wine bar is launching on board P&O Cruises ship Ventura next month. All wines will be available by the glass – and I’ll be travelling on board to guide passengers through the glories on offer! Vino ahoy!






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