champagne in a beer-budget world

JEAN-FRANÇOIS MERIEAU BULLES ($24) FRANCE>

The Champagne and sparkling wine business and that’s not good news as we approach the most time of year. Sales, thanks to the recession, are down, so bad for the French (who produce the only sparkling that is allowed to be called Champagne) that they’re cally cutting production in an attempt to keep prices

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 c milk

1 c water

1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 egg

1. In a large bowl, mix yeast, 1 1/4 cups flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and soda. Heat milk, water, semi-sweet chocolate chips and butter, stirring until chocolate is melted. Add to dry ingredients. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer for two minutes. Add 1/2 cup more flour. Beat at high speed for two minutes. Add egg. Stir in enough flour to make a firm dough.

2. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic. Put in oiled bowl, turning to oil top. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place for 1 hour or until doubled.

3. Punch dough down. Shape into two loaves. Put in greased 8x4 loaf pans. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped with finger. Remove to wire racks to cool.

ask the WINE GUY?

A: All wines have acidity, and is a crucial part of well-made wine. It’s there to balance the other components, like sweetness and fruitiness — like lemonade. It’s a crucial part of sparkling wine, in particular. —JEFF

SIEGEL

Throw in the weak dollar, which has raised the imported wine as much as 20 percent over the last and it’s difficult to find a bargain even among sparkling wines that have always been a bargain. it’s even more difficult to find interesting sparkling wines that are a bargain.

Nevertheless, there are still some out there, and these three are interesting and reasonably affordable:

This French wine not made in the Champagne region is a nice alternative to inexpensive Spanish sparklers like Cristalino. It has lots of chardonnay fruit and good acidity.

This is another French wine, from the Loire, that offers value and something other than the ordinary sparkling wine. It’s made mostly of chenin blanc, as opposed to chardonnay, which means it’s dry and not quite as apple-y. This is one of the most interesting sparkling wines I tasted this year.

This California wine has a touch of caramel, good, dark pinot fruit and lively acid. I was a little surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

—JEFF SIEGEL

JEFFSIEGEL’S WEEKLY WINE REVIEWS appear every Wednesday on the Advocate Back Talk blog, advocatemag.com/lake-highlands/blog.