remi cohen

The modern California sparkling wine industry is very young. Jack and Jamie Davies were among the pioneers when they founded Schramsberg in Napa Valley in 1965. In 1973, Moët & Chandon founded Domaine Chandon in Napa and it was such a big deal that we had a sparkling-only dinner at its onsite restaurant in Yountville on our honeymoon in 1979. Chandon led a surge of interest among foreign companies to make bubbly in the U.S. Considering that sparkling wine has been made in Champagne for hundreds of years, the development of Méthode Champenoise wines in the U.S. has happened in the blink of an eye.

With the pandemic receding in many parts of the U.S., your thoughts may be returning to a long-delayed visit to California’s Wine Country. If so, you should be aware of this: The tasting experience has changed and those changes, in many cases, will be permanent.