Top Ten Sparkling Wines - 2016
I tend to taste and drink a lot of wine over the course of a year. I am in a few tasting groups, sometimes the wines are consumed at various local wine store tastings and a number drunk with friends and family.
Wine To Go Buy This Week – New Year’s Edition -Domaine Carneros 2008 Le Reve Blanc de Blancs – 90 Points
France’s Champagne Taittinger started its U.S label with the opening of Domaine Carneros in 1987 and has gone on to create world-class sparkling wines in America, of which their flagship Le Reve has always been a consistent standout. This Blanc de Blanc is comprised of five Chardonnay clones from the Domaine’s Carneros estate fruit.
Wine Tasting Videos: Sparkling Wines
In these episodes of IntoWineTV, host Lisa Kolenda and wine experts Edward Ruiz, Cezar Kusik, and Bartholomew Broadbent convene at one of San Francisco's finest restaurants, Incanto, to taste and discuss Sparkling Wines. Subscribe to the IntoWineTV Podcast on iTunes
MacRostie 2020 Sparkling Wine Blanc de Blancs
Vintage:
2020
Score:
93
Grade:
A
Current Price:
$52.00USD
This is the first Chardonnay-centric sparkler MacRostie has ever made and, as an inaugural effort, they nailed it, creating a lovely wine that is complex and just plain enjoyable to drink. This is a soft, velvety sparkler that drinks incredibly smoothly. The carbonation is fairly mild, a plus in that we get more of the aromas and flavors of the wine than it being obstructed by bubbles. Soft baked bread, light lemon-lime, whispers of resin, grapefruit, white peach and Asian pear fill the palate.
Almare Spritz, Pompelo Rosa
Vintage:
2023
Score:
91
Grade:
A
Current Price:
$15.00USD
The origins of the Italian Spritz date back to the late 1800s when German soldiers found the local Italian wines too strong. The soldiers added a “spritz” of water to the wine to create a lighter beverage. Using 100% Glera grapes then infused with botanicals, bitter herbs, and flowers, the addition of pink grapefruit and a little carbonation creates a delightful sparkling beverage low in alcohol just in time for the summer months. Slightly sweet with light grapefruit, there is just a hint of bitterness on the finish.
Goldeneye 2019 Brut Rosé
Vintage:
2019
Score:
91
Grade:
A
Current Price:
$70.00USD
Goldeneye has been making wine in the Anderson Valley for 30 years. This current release is comprised of 63% Pinot Noir and 37% Chardonnay. There is a lovely softness to the carbonation and viscosity of the wine itself. Pleasant notes of fresh, baked bread, golden delicious apple, apricot jam, blood orange and a slight honeydew melon fill the palate. Unlike many sparklers, this doesn’t lean towards sour apple, nor sweet, it straddles a middle ground of pleasant, soft notes, making this a delightful sipping wine with enough acidity for food.
Banshee Ten of Cups NV Sparkler
Vintage:
2022
Score:
91
Grade:
A
Current Price:
$30.00USD
Though Banshee is probably better known for their still wines, they also produce a non vintage sparkler. Comprised of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier this delightful sparkling wine offers light notes of lemon lime, citrus zest, Asian pear, white peach, red delicious apple, and honeysuckle. It has a solid acidity and mild carbonation to make this fun and interesting. It was aged on the less for 24 months, and consistent to Banshee’s original mission statement, this wine definitely over delivers for the price.
Sonoma's Must Try Sparkling Wines - 2015 Best of Sonoma
For the 2015 Best of Sonoma Lists we surveyed hundreds of local vintners asking for their inside perspective of the best wines, tasting rooms, and restaurants in Sonoma. Sonoma offers some of the country’s finest sparkling wines—but we wanted to find the best of the best. So, we surveyed over a hundred area vintners for their professional picks on sparkling wines that no self-respecting wine enthusiast should leave Sonoma without tasting.
Champagne, Prosecco and Cava Recommendations for Your Holiday Celebration
There's nothing more festive than a glass of Champagne or sparkling wine. We toast the old and new years with glasses of bubbly, send brides and grooms into their new lives with raised glasses and kick off holiday celebrations with that well-known popping cork sound. While Champagne holds pride of place in the lexicon of sparkling wines, there are several affordable alternatives available, including Prosecco from Italy and Cava from Spain. Let's take a closer look at Champagne, Prosecco and Cava.
Champagne: Producers and Labels, Vintage Storage, and How to Shop for a High Quality Bottle - Part Two
Champagne is a sparkling wine made in the Champagne (AOC) region of France. Some of the most famous wineries in the world are located there. They deserve their fame for consistently producing some of the most ethereal wines anywhere. These wines can be expensive so it is important to have a strategy in mind when making purchases. To learn the history of Champagne, the region and the developments in Champagne, please see Part One of this series. One issue with buying Champagne is storage. Champagne is delicate and improper storage can easily hurt the wine. When a consumer sees a bottle either in a store or on a restaurant’s list, how do they know what condition the bottle is in. Of course, in a restaurant setting, the patron, if they have enough confidence, can send the bottle back, although that is not always easy to do.
