Purdue News Tips

December 27, 1999 This is a story idea from the Purdue News Service. To arrange interviews or campus visits, call Jesica Webb at (765) 494-2079 or e-mail her at jesica_webb@purdue.edu A champagne shortage for New Year's 2000? Planning on popping the bubbly at the stroke of midnight to ring in the new year? Even last-minute champagne shoppers should have plenty of choices, according to Richard Vine, Purdue enologist who is the wine consultant for American Airlines. "From what I see, hear and read, the threat of a massive champagne shortage was considerably overestimated," he says. "There may be a few of the higher profile champagnes that have a reduced supply, and there may be a few still selling at inflated prices, but there is plenty of very good champagne and sparkling wine available, including some delicious Indiana sparklers." The debate -- champagne or sparkling wine? Only a very small area in Europe is defined as the "Champagne" region. Europeans refer to any other effervescent wine made from grapes grown outside of this region as sparkling wine . In the United States, we use the words interchangeably. But whether you call it sparkling wine or champagne, the question remains: Where can I get some for New Year's Eve? Right here in Indiana we have six to eight wineries that are making their own champagnes, and many are offering custom-designed bottles to mark the new millennium. Sally Peart, marketing specialist with the Indiana Wine Grape Council based at Purdue, offers Hoosier consumers this advice: "When looking for your millennium sparkling wine, I recommend looking at the Indiana products. Approximately half of Indiana's 19 wineries are offering a special sparkling wine for the New Year's celebration." For more information about wine or where to find a vintner in your area, contact Peart at (765) 463-5206. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page