I have shared so many delicious sparkling wines with you over the course of 2015. Now more than ever if you don’t have any sparkling wines you must RUSH to the store and buy some today. Whether you are throwing a big party, attending a party, having a quiet dinner with friends, having a romantic evening with your significant other or watching the ball drop with your kids, sparkling wine is a must to ring in the New Year!
Here is a round-up of all the outstanding sparkling wines I shared with you:
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne: This wine poured a soft gold into the glass and opened with an inviting aroma of minerals, orchard fruit, brioche and floral notes. On the palate this Champagne delivered clean flavors of honey suckle, marzipan, crumbled tart filled w with apples, pears and peaches all layed on top of bright minerality. It had great structure with round acidity that lingered on the palate, leaving the mouth-watering. This Cuvee was crafted from grapes from 50 to 60 different crus, growing areas, and was comprised of 50-55% Pinot Noir to ensure quality house structure, 15 to 20% Pinot Meunier for structure and 28 to 33% Chardonnay to complete its elegance and sophistication for perfect balance. This Champagne is widely distributed and has an average SRP of $40. Ratings: 92 pts Wine Spectator, 90 pts Wine Enthusiast.
Anna de Codorníu Brut NV: This wine was produced in the D.O. Cava region of Penedès and was crafted from 70% Chardonnay and 30% Parellada. This wine poured a soft gold into the glass and opened with soft aromas of citrus, tropical fruit, and orchard fruit with buttered toast. On the palate this lovely Cava delivered dazzling flavors of grapefruit, Granny Smith apples, lime zest and brioche. It offered a round acidity and clean finish with a smooth mouth-feel. SRP $14.99.
Anna de Codorníu BrutRosé NV: This wine was produced in the D.O. Cava region of Penedès and was crafted from 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. It poured a vibrant watermelon pink into the glass and opened with inviting aromas of red berries, savory herbs and a touch of yeast. On the palate this crisp and tart sparkler delivered flavors of tart cherries, strawberries, brioche and a touch of fresh cut grass. It was very acidic with a smooth texture and loads of effervescence. This wine was light and crisp, perfect for summer sipping and definitely turning any occasion into something worth celebrating! SRP $14.99.
Bisol Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze D.O.C.G. Spumante Dry 2013: This wine was crafted of 100% Glera. It poured a soft golden yellow with delicate and fine effervescence into the glass, and opened with inviting aromas of orchard fruit, stone fruit, jasmine and marzipan. On the palate this wine delivered pleasing flavors of Honeycrisp apples, pears, white peaches, and jasmine. It offered a restrained sweetness that was well-balanced with the acidity. It was creamy and soft on the palate with a rich mouth-feel and a delicate finish. It contained 23 grams/liter of sugar and 11.5% alcohol. A truly magnificent sparkling wine!
Bisol “Crede” Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Spumante Brut 2014: This wine poured a soft gold with a beautiful perlage of persistent bubbles into the glass and opened with an inviting bouquet of orchard fruit, soft floral notes and a nice minerality. On the palate it delivered fresh flavors of apples, pears, citrus zest, buttered brioche and mineral notes wrapped in a lush mouth-feel with round acidity and a lingering dry finish. It felt like a delicate mousse with persistent bubbles in a beautifully structured, harmonious symphony of flavors and texture. This wine was crafted of 85% Glera, 10% Pinot Bianco and 5% Verdiso and contained 11.5% alcohol. I simply adored it!
Jeio Prosecco DOC Spumante Brut: This wine was crafted of 100% Glera obtained from grapes grown on the hills of Conggeliano and Valdobbiadene. It poured soft golden yellow into the glass with a light, mousse mouthfeel. Fresh and clean, consisting of fresh green apples, citrus, fresh cut herbs, a touch of honeysuckle and very soft white floral notes. This sparkler was crisp, light and dazzling on the palate. It was energetic and harmonious, a wonderful Prosecco filled with Bisol family love. This Prosecco pairs beautifully with pasta, cheese and charcuterie.
Jeio Cuvée Rosé Spumante Brut: This wine was crafted of Merlot and Pinot Nero. It poured a vibrant soft pink with salmon highlights into the glass with fine, persistent bubbles. It offered a fresh bushel of fruit: strawberries, stone fruit, and citrus, with cherry blossoms and fresh cut herbs. It was deliciously balanced with round, mouth-watering acidity and an elegant, prolonged finish. It was thoroughly enjoyable on every level! A perfect Prosecco to sip and enjoy or as an aperitif.
Ferrari Brut NV: Crafted of 100% Chardonnay; poured a vibrant golden yellow into the glass; fresh fruit basket aromas of green apples, pears, and citrus are met with a touch of honeysuckle, along with mouth-watering buttery almond croissant; these aromas blend as harmonious flavors on the palate with rigorous acidity that is crisp and vibrant with a clean and effervescent mouth-feel. A perfect wine to pair with oysters, popcorn and fried chicken or just sip and enjoy! SRP $25.
Ferrari Brut Rosé: This wine was crafted of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay; delicate salmon color in the glass with tiny, persistent perlage, layers of aromas cascade from the glass including wild strawberries, rhubarb, red currants, dried rose petal, candied violets, and orange zest, dancing on a bed of crisp minerality provided by the high altitude and the mountain terroir, a real sense of time and place; with a persistent acidity that pleases the palate and begs for food; mouse like texture that provides a slight creamy quality and a long, pleasing finish. SRP $36.
Ferrari Perlè 2007: The elegant wine poured a delicate gold into the glass. It was quite effervescent with bright aromas of orchard fruit, citrus and a touch of brioche. On the palate the elegant wine offered flavors of crisp apples and pears with lemon custard and mascarpone along with a touch a honey and crème brulee. It was expressively light and refreshing with round acidity that lingered on the palate, begging for another sip. The Ferrari Perlé was crafted of 100% hand selected Chardonnay grapes; 12.5% alcohol. SRP $38.
Ferrari Giulio Riserva del Fondatore 2001: This wine was crafted of 100% Chardonnay from grapes grown in Maso Pianizza, single vineyard at 500m, homage to founder Giulio Ferrari. All Ferrari vintages spend at least 5 years on the lees; Giulio spends at least 10! It poured a penetrating golden yellow in the glass. Crisp apples, anjou pears, lemon zest, nutmeg, praline and a touch of honey rest peacefully on top a slice of crisp, lightly buttered toast with a creamy, velvety persistence that feels like a soft mousse on the palate; elegantly fine perlage; with round acidity leaving a long, mouth-watering finish. It is like drinking a delicious slice of panettone! Ferrari described it as a wine that exhibited “broad and lively mouth-filling texture;” I completely agree! A truly sublime sparkling wine that exhibited the juxtaposition of power and elegance with a youthful playfulness that pleased from first smell to the end of the bottle. 12.5% alcohol. SRP $120
Louis Roederer Brut Nature 2006 Champagne: This wine was crafted of 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay cultivated from the heart of the historic Champagne hillside of the Louis Roederer estate vineyards Cumières, Hautvillers, and Vertus. It poured a glistening gold into the glass and met nose initially with an intense minerality that gave way to tart Granny Smith apples, green pears, lemon zest, marzipan, a touch of baking spice, roasted hazelnuts and crisp buttered toast. The delicate perlage created a mouse like texture on the palate that was complex and energetic with layers of flavors and bone-dry acidity; focused yet dynamic. It was a dazzling Champagne that delighted the senses with a refined elegance. This Champagne was awarded 93+ points from the wine world’s top reviewers. I will definitely buy it again! SRP $89.
Glenora Wine Cellars 2006 Brut: This wine was crafted of 68% Pinot Noir and 32% Chardonnay from grapes cultivated from vineyards on the west and east side of Seneca Lake. It poured a delicate yellow into the glass; soft aroma of orchard fruit, citrus zest touch of marzipan; crisp and clean on the palate with fine perlage and round acidityThis multi-award winning sparkling wine was crafted in the méthode traditionelle with moderate dosage to add creaminess. 12% alcohol. SRP $29.99 Order direct from Glenora Wine Cellars.
Damiani Bollicini 2013: This Prosecco style sparkling wine was crafted of 47% Cayuga, 35% Damiani Sparkling Wine, 16% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Meunier from grapes cultivated in vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake. This wine poured a pink so soft and delicate it is almost translucent; playful aroma of strawberry, tropical fruit, gardenia petals and a touch of citrus zest; lively bubbles on the palate with a delicate touch of sweetness that is quickly replaced by a vivid acidity that coats the mouth in a lingering finish. Order direct from Damiani Wine Cellars.
Brut La Gaudrelle (NV), Crémant de Loire: The question was asked when is the best time for Crémant de Loire? Overwhelming answer: anytime! This wine was crafted of 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Chenin Blanc and poured a soft golden yellow into the glass; and aromatic blend of crème brulee, citrus tart and apple crisp beckon for a sip; soft effervescence, crisp and clean on the palate with round acidity, tart and ripe with mouth-coating goodness and a lingering finish.
Stella Rosa Imperial Prosecco DOC Extra Dry: This wine is produced from grapes harvested from the Treviso countryside. It poured a delicate golden yellow with frothy persistent perlage that sparkled like stars; crisp fruit flavors of Bosc pears, Granny Smith apples and lemon/lime zest intrigue the nose; rich round and dry on the palate a touch of marzipan penetrates the fruit, not a complex Prosecco but sure to be a crowd pleaser; perfect to toast in the new year.
Diama Sparkle Rose′ Italia Extra Dry: This wine poured a soft pink into the glass with round bubbles; a very soft nose of strawberry, cranberry and savory herbal notes followed by tart cherry on the palate; crisp and very dry with persistent acidity; simple yet pleasing; nice to pair with cheese platter.
In addition to New Year’s Eve these sparkling wines will take you through 2016. So let your new year sparkle with outstanding Cava, Champagne, Prosecco and sparkling wines!
My Song Selection: Last month Karie Engles shared this fantastic video on her blog Your Home with Karie Engles. I knew then it would be the perfect song pairing for this Bubble round up! It’s a great video, please watch!
Get your own bottle of high quality sparkling wine and let me know what song you pair with it. Cheers!
