Everybody loves Champagne. It’s a treat that is generally poured in small fluted glasses and raised during toasts at special occasions. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that they are not drinking Champagne. Read more Champagne Champagne...
It’s true that Champagne is a sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. Only sparkling wine produced in the small French region of Champagne may legally be labeled ‘Champagne.’ And because of this region’s northern location and cool...
Ultraviolet Sparkling Rosé ($24.99)  This Ultraviolet sparkling rosé is from Poe Wines, in Napa, which was founded by Samantha Sheehan in 2009 after being inspired by the wines she tasted ...
Rosés from Mack & Schuhle Wines Spring is here and warmer days are ahead! Here are some delicious and refreshing Pink wines and a Pink Sparkler. These wines are imported by Mack & Schuhle, a Miami-based national importer (founded in 2012) ...
Decanting red wines is somewhat common. Decanting a white wine is less common. But, decanting a sparkling wine? Really? The answer is again, Yes! Decanting a sparkling wine may seem a bit unorthodox and even counter-intuitive, but a sparkling wine ...
Ca di Prata Prosecco DOC Brut ($15.99) and Acquesi Asti Spumante ($16.99) Sparkling wines are perfect at most any time and with most any foods. All too often, though, they get reserved for just one major holiday each year. And who doesn’t enjoy po...
Venturini Baldini Lambrusco Sparkling Wines Venturini Baldini is a 130 acre estate from the 17th century, situated in the hills between Reggio Emilia and Parma. They have been producing organic Lambrusco and sparkling wines since 1976. Since the ...
Lambrusco** **is both a brightly colored grape variety and a sparkling red wine produced in Italy. In the past, Lambrusco has been known as a cheap, bright and fizzy wine often served with ice cubes (remember the old ‘Riunite on ice’ commercials?) ...
J Vineyards California Cuvée ($18) I recent had an opportunity to share in a celebration and wanted a nice sparkling wine for the occasion. Seeing this bottle of J Vineyards California Cuvée already chilled at the store made my decision an easy on...
There are a lot of terms used that make wines confusing. And, for American consumers, it seems to get even more confusing with French and Italian wines. The Italian term “Frizzante” is one of these seemingly confusing terms. Simply put, Frizzante me...
For a lot of people, half the fun of opening a bottle of sparkling wine is popping the cork such that it flies across the room. Or an even more dramatic way is using a saber to knock the top off the bottle. And, the big spray that goes flying out of ...
Here are some fun facts about Champagne as we head towards New Year’s Eve: Champagne is not made from Champagne grapes Champagne is typically produced from three grapes — Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (Yes! A red wine grape!) and Pinot Meunier (another re...
2013 Left Coast Estate Blanc de Noir ($55) Here’s just the bubbly for the holidays. This Left Coast Estate Blanc de Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir (one of the components of French Champagne). It is fermented in 100% Stainless Steel to preserv...
Vilarnau Brut Reserva & Brut Reserva Rosé Cava ($14.99 each) Cava is the sparkling wine of Spain and perfect for the holidays! The Vilarnau Brut Reserva is made from the three base wines used to make Cava - Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada. Th...
Nino Franco Prosecco Rustico Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG ($19) This Prosecco from Nino Franco was named #1 by Wine Enthusiast in their 2019 Enthusiast 100. And it’s $19. Need I say more! This Enthusiast 100 is the best-of-the-best list. Accordi...
2017 Left Coast Queen Bee Bubbly ($36) This bubbly from Left Coast Estate winery is 100% Pinot Noir but it gets its name from the fact that it uses their own estate honey to feed on the encapsulated yeast at the bottom of each bottle. Thus, produ...
As we continue through the holiday season, the question of ‘which wine to buy?’ is constantly on our minds. And, the answer in any situation can always be ‘Sparkling wine!” Yes, sparking wines are maybe the most versatile wines out there. For brunch...
The wine world is confusing enough. Then, you find yourself standing on the wine aisle trying to figure out what the different styles of Champagne and sparkling wine mean. And, it’s not straight forward. Champagne and most sparkling wines will have...
While recently reviewing a sparkling Rosé Brut from Chile, the tech notes mentioned the addition of ‘Expedition Liqueur” after fermentation. It might come as a surprise to some that ‘liqueur’ is added to sparkling wine. But, it’s actually a common pr...
Looking for a good, affordable bottle of bubbly for the holidays? Consider Cava. Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain with a lot of similarity to French Champagne. In fact, the Spanish bubbly was called Champaña in Spain until the 1970s when French r...
Have you heard of “Pét-Nat?” Well, it’s actually* pétillant-naturel* but it seems to be more affectionately known as “pét-nat.” Pét-Nat is a natural sparkling wine made using the ancestral method. Whereas the Champagne method involves a secondar...
Everybody loves sparkling wine. It’s festive. And this is the time of the year that a lot of sparking wine is served. Sparkling wine consumption in the U.S. surges during the holiday season. It is estimated that more than 40% of sparkling wine purch...
Champagne is a great drink. It’s most often consumed in times of celebration. Champagne and joy naturally go together. But “Champagne” is often misunderstood. And splurging on a $100 bottle may result in disappointment. First, let’s take a step back...
When pairing wines with food, the general goal is to make sure that the flavors of the food don’t overwhelm the wine and cover up all of the wine’s wonderful flavors. And the basic rule of wine pairing says that you should have a red wine with beef a...
In past entries we’ve explored fortified wines that are just one major category of dessert wines. While the list of dessert wines is too expansive to cover in one posting, we’ll touch briefly on the categories of sparkling wines and the various types...
It should be no surprise that the great wine producing states in the U.S. also produce great sparkling wines. And while French Sparkling wine from the Champagne region still sets the standard, many U.S. sparkling wines are on-par with their French co...
France has its Champagne. Spain has Cava. In Italy, Prosecco and Asti are its two most popular sparkling wines. Prosecco is primarily from the Veneto region of Italy and made from the Glera grape. Like Champagne, Prosecco must be produced in desi...
In the 1800s, Spain began producing sparkling wines to mimic their French neighbor’s Champagne and they called it Champaña. But in the 1970s, French regulations were put into place such that only sparkling wine produce in the Champagne region of Fra...
Last time, the topic of sparkling wine was introduced. And Champagne is the first thing that comes to most people’s mind when ordering or purchasing a sparkling wine. It is synonymous with celebrations and splurges. As mentioned last time, only s...
Everybody loves Champagne. It’s a treat that is generally poured in small fluted glasses and raised during toasts at special occasions. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that they are not drinking Champagne. Champagne is a sparkling wine th...