Why You Should Drink Champagne All Summer

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As a freelance wine writer, I’m typically hired to write about rosé in spring and summer. And that’s wonderful. I love rosé. It’s made from red wine grapes removed from the skin so that the resulting wine is generally light and crisp–perfect for summer. So why should you drink Champagne in summer when the rosé is plentiful?

Because Champagne possesses many of the qualities that make rosé such an ideal summer drink. Champagne is generally crisp and refreshing and, in my humble opinion, sparkling wine is the most fun wine style around. And don’t you want to have some fun this summer?

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Some great reasons (excuses) to drink Champagne in summer

If you’re thinking that you can’t drink Champagne unless it’s a special occasion, think again. In fact, I challenge you to stop right now and go chill a bottle to drink today.

Pairing Champagne with barbecue?

Champagnes tend to be food-friendly wines. What do you pair with Champagne? I will happily enjoy Champagne with everything from popcorn to Thai food to barbecue. That’s right, Champagne is a great wine choice for a summer barbecue. It tends to have great acidity, part of what makes it refreshing.

More reasons to make Champagne your summer wine

Another reason to drink Champagne in summer is that it’s lower in alcohol than many wines made today, which is great if you want to have a glass and accomplish anything afterward. (This is part of the reason Champagne is such a popular choice for brunch.) And don’t forget, Champagne is a powerful aphrodisiac!

Now, I should clarify that when I suggest that Champagne is perfect for summer, I include other sparkling wines like Cremant, Cava and American sparkling wine.

But it happens that I’ve been doing a lot of Champagne tasting of late, so those are the wines I’m featuring in this month’s recommendation.

My summer Champagne recommendations

These wines are all a little bit off the beaten path. But I think that all three are wines worth seeking out to make this summer a memorable one. (Incidentally, the wines I’m recommending in this month’s column were ones I discovered at Effervescence LA, Los Angeles first Champagne festival – and an even worth adding to your calendar for next year.)

NV Agrapart & Fils Terroirs Extra Brut

A small, environmentally conscious winery, Agrapart favors traditional techniques and old vines. The Terroirs Extra Brut is unquestionably the most interesting bottle of bubbly I’ve tried in years.

A funky wine with a lot of personality, it’s a bright, almost energizing drink. It offers crisp apple flavors and a hint of salinity that makes the mouth water for more.

NV Andre Clouet Brut Nature Silver

Another small, family-run Champagne house, Andre Couet is as much remembered for its labels as for the wine. To say that their labels are spectacular simply doesn’t do them justice. But that’s not to say that the wine isn’t something worth talking about as well.

The Brut Nature Silver makes an incredible impression on the tongue with its soft, almost oily caress. In contrast, it offers sharp lemon acidity and a finish that goes on and on.

NV Soutiran Signature Brut Grand Cru

Soutiran is a family-owned Champagne house in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay. The Signature Brut is, well, their signature wine. It offers beautiful brioche dough aromas. And although it is amply fruity, there’s a crispness on the palate that makes it remarkably refreshing. A lovely wine made in a drier style, it offers apple and pear fruit with orange zest on the finish.

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Amy Reiley

Eat Something Sexy's Creator & Editor-in-Chief Amy Reiley is the award-winning author of five aphrodisiac cookbooks. She has her Master of Arts in Gastronomy, awarded by Le Cordon Bleu and The University of Adelaide. She is also a Certified Nutrition Coach awarded by the International Sports Sciences Association and she is a California Certified Massage Therapist.

Amy is considered a leading authority on aphrodisiacs. Her work in aphrodisiacs is quoted in publications including National Geographic, The New York Times, Epicurious, Wine Enthusiast, Health and Playboy magazines. She speaks internationally on aphrodisiac foods and has brought her knowledge of aphrodisiac history and science to national television shows including The Today Show and CBS Early Show. She is a frequent guest on relationship and lifestyle radio and podcast shows and has been interviewed by BBC and NPR radio, Cosmopolitan radio and popular podcasts including My Dad Wrote a Porno.

Amy is also a freelance food, wine and health researcher and writer as well as a wine competition judge. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Variety to The Daily Meal. She is an MSN content provider. And she is also a former wine editor for Gayot.com and wine & spirits editor of Las Vegas magazine.

Fun fact: Amy was the creator of the first ever comprehensive food and wine apps, Amy Reiley's Pocket Gourmet and Amy Reiley's Pocket Vineyard for Palm.