Do You Love Bubbles?

I had one of the most eye opening learning experiences earlier today while being part of a research project at Plumpton Wine Center College.
Told time and time again by seasoned wine judges galore - judging sparkling wine is bloody difficult! It's funny or even ironic since most of the wine appreciating world thoroughly enjoy the celebratory bubbly tipple.
By celebratory I mean  - whenever it is you may fancy affording it!

So why is judging quality in sparkling wine so tremendously difficult?
Well in the words of Richard Marchal, a Champagne Professor of Reims University, representing a somewhat too good to be true expertise on the subject: "Sparkling wine judging is like a punishment to many wine judges. The problem with judging bubbly wines are - the bubbles!

You gotta have an almost completely different approach approaching this subject. The tasting technique is based around having two glasses in front of you of the same wine. One that you nose, smell and taste beside one that is purposefully designed to show of and keep the mainstream of bubbles and foam for a maximum period of time. One glass you observe and one you taste.
Another important aspect is that you gotta start assessing the wine poured. Yes, the pouring time and effect in the glass is of tremendous importance judging the quality of the CO2 foam. It is the aspect and journey of the foam that determines any sparkling wine:

- First of all the shape of the glass makes a difference. Every glass actually has on a micro level a cracked base. What you want is a wide shape in the bottom to enable more cracks that becomes gas pockets. While the wine is poured these gas pockets form the basis of the effervescence we all desire in sparkling wine to develope. The triangle shapes of some wine flutes serve as an almost non existence base therefor deemed useless.
 Apparently the pouring technique is directly related to how long the foam will last. It's important to judge the first expression. Meaning both the foam in the glass and the initial foam/explosion in the mouth. Then you smell quickly without swirling. The first sip should be quite shallow in judgment. Focusing on foam explosion, texture of bubbles and balance between acidity and sugar. The next step is to watch the settlement of foam displaying and unravelling the showcase of crown and disc for a few minutes. Then you smell and might even swirl to evoke the "wine" in the wine. Taste again. Most probably you'll experience less foam and more aromatics. Look at mouthfeel quickly then spit. This is the important part in regards to intensity, length - even bitterness as that only shows at the end. Richard put weight on informing us acidity masks bittereness. The way that sugar masks acidity and vice versa.
The last thing you should do is to smother the inside of the glass with the last drop of wine. Heat and time should thoroughly and truthfully display the essence and quality of the base wine behind the bubbles.

Do you see the importance, complexity and difficulty of judging this type of wine?

x Charlotte