Champagne & Fries Day with Schramsberg
Champagne and Fries Day?! Yes, it’s a real wine holiday! January 10 also happens to be the birthday of the creator, Anna Maria of Unraveling Wine who created the day to memorialize the celebration of her two favorite things.
Schramsberg Vineyards
While not Champagne, California’s Schramsberg Vineyards makes traditional method sparkling wines in the same style and with the same love and dedication as any Champagne house. Dating back to the 19th century, when German immigrant Jacob Schram first opened his winery, Schramsberg moved into the hands of Jack and Jamie Davies since 1965 when they bought and began to lovingly restore the old property. “They set out to produce sparkling wine – specifically, ‘America’s most prestigious, select and admired sparkling wine; chosen for special guests, special gifts, pampering one’s self and expressing one’s taste in unique products’.”
From the beginning, they decided that they would not sacrifice good practices for the sake of easier wine production. Of the original estate, the Davies retained 155 acres of forested land while using only 43 acres for vineyards. Soon after acquiring the estate, in 1967 Jack Davies served as chairman of a citizen committee formed to support the creation of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. To carry on his legacy, the Davies family established the Jack L. Davies Fund to advance his work. The fund underwrites research and education towards the preservation and sustainability of agricultural lands for years to come. 
Closer to home, Hugh Davies, now in charge of the winery, has taken Jack and Jamie’s goal further with practices and policies that ensures conservation and stewardship of the land set forth by the Napa Green Certified Winery and Land programs:
- Installation of two solar arrays, producing 601 kilowatts combined. The arrays consist of 2,537 panels, and produce enough energy to eliminate the emission of 372,712 pounds of CO2 annually, offsetting the amount of CO2 absorbed by 207 acres of trees or produced by powering 4,800 100-watt incandescent light bulbs.
- Napa Green Certified Winery
- Fish Friendly Farming
- Vineyards owned and under contract include nine that are full organic operations, three are biodynamic, seven are Fish Friendly Farming certified, four are California Sustainable Alliance certified, and six are Sonoma Sustainable certified.
- Since 2005, Juster Vineyard in Anderson Valley is operating under full organic operations
- Voluntary adoption of no-till farming practices since 1993
- Strict adherence to Napa Co. hillside ordinances
- Incorporation of Sustainable Ag and Integrated Pest Management techniques
- Utilization of only organic or naturally derived fertilizers
- Composted grape material is used as fertilizer to increase water efficiency and help build soil structure
- Maximum efficiency of water applications and utilization of techniques to minimize water waste
- Commitment to the preservation of the 155 acres of forest surrounding the Diamond Mountain Estate
- The Schramsberg team was on the initial advisory board/panel to implement the Napa Green Winery Certification Program
- Eliminated the use of bleach and related chlorine compounds throughout the winery
- In early 1980, established a strict recycling program concerning glass, metals, plastic, cardboard, paper, wooden pallets and other material generated throughout the production process
- To conserve energy, they have incorporated efficient lighting in all winery work spaces and store a majority of our wine in underground caves instead of temperature controlled warehouse buildings.
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut, 2018
Schramsberg crafts its blanc de blancs brut from 100% Chardonnay (so, shouldn’t that just be blanc de blanc – singular? this always confuses me) around the North Coast AVA from plots in Napa, Sonoma, and Marin. Partially barrel fermented the cuvee, only part of which underwent malolactic fermentation, underwent a second fermentation in bottle (as per traditional method), after which the wine aged on its yeast lees for about two years prior to disgorgement.
The pale gold wine slipped from the bottle and hit the glass with an excited explosion of bubbles. Which I mean kind of literally. It was like I had the Rice Krispies of sparkling wines with the snap, crackle, and popping of bubbles in the glass! The audio concert aside, there was so much going on in this wine. Splashes of rangpur lime on golden pineapple and crisp red apple wrapped in warm, flaky pastry and decorated with lime zest and lightly toasted hazelnuts. Fulsome mousse with lean, racy acidity with the barest amount (0.8 gr/100 mL) of residual sugar.
Wow.
And of course I must mention the french fries! Sparkling wine is known for being pretty ridiculously easy to pair…but also for pairing well with pretty ridiculous foods. Fried foods being at the top. I lucked out with an order of beautifully made fries (you never know what you’re going to get when you order). The crispiness and salty tang played so well with the wine’s rich flavors and acidity.
Happy birthday Anna Maria! And Happy Champagne & Fries Day to everyone!