53 posts
Alta Vista Brut Rosé ($18.99) Alta Vista was founded by Count Patrick d’Aulan, heir of more than 250 years of winemaking tradition. With an enterprising spirit, he arrived in Argentina in the 1990s looking for the best regions of Los Andes. The win...
Bouvet Excellence Brut Rosé NV ($19.99) Since 1851, Bouvet Ladubay, in the Loire Valley, has been one of France’s greatest producers of méthode traditionnelle (naturally fermented in the bottle) sparkling wine. Founded in 1851 by Etienne Bouvet an...
Sparkling wines really do shine during the holidays—both literally and figuratively. Here’s a few tips on the various types of sparkling wines to enjoying them to the fullest. Champagne Champagne is a sparkling wine that is produced in the relative...
Sparkling wines always seem to be special. And plenty of corks get popped each year. It’s estimated that in 2024, the global consumption of sparkling wine was about 5.4 billion liters or 7.2 billion bottles! In 2024, the Prosecco DOC denomination of...
The Virginia Wine Governor’s Cup® Winning Red Wines As noted in a previous blog, a qualified team of judges sampled over 620 of the best Virginia wines, ciders and meads from across the Virginia Commonwealth. The Virginia Governor’s Cup Competitio...
Marqués de Cáceres Cava ($12.99) Marqués de Cáceres (Mar-kez Day Kass-er-rus) winery is located in Rioja Alta, Spain. It was founded in 1970 by the Forner family, an enterprising family that has been in the wine trade for five generations. The brand...
Sparkling wines are perfect for the holidays. Here’s a few types to consider enjoying: Champagne Champagne is a sparkling wine that is produced in the relatively small region of Champagne in France. Only those sparkling wines produced in this regio...
Have you ever taken a sip of red wine and noticed that your mouth feels dry or dusty? Almost that ‘cotton-mouth’ feel? Well, that is a sensation that is generally associated with red wines. The dry sensation is due to the wine being astringent and ...
Domaine Bousquet Sparkling Rosé ($13) Domaine Bousquet was founded on virgin land in 1997 in the Gualtallary sub-zone of Tupungato in Mendoza’s Uco Valley in Argentina. Today, the estate, run by daughter Anne Bousquet and husband Labid al Ameri, i...
Sparkling rosé is a wonderful treat that is especially enjoyed during warm summer months. Sparking rosé is versatile, aesthetic appealing, sophisticated, light and balanced in flavor, and suitable for various social settings and occasions. These f...
Summer is a great time to enjoy light, refreshing wines. Light wines are versatile and can be enjoyed on their own as a refreshing drink or paired with a wide range of summer dishes, from salads and grilled vegetables to seafood and lighter meats a...
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time for sparkling wine. And, Cava is great choice. These two wonderful Cavas are from Vilarnau in Barcelona Spain. The name comes from the old Vilarnau castle which can be found on the banks of the river Anoia and wh...
2020 Briedé Family Vineyards Brut Sparkling Winchester ($53) From the Shenandoah Valley AVA, here is a wonderful sparkling wine! Briedé Family Vineyards was established in 2013 in the Shenandoah Valley AVA in Winchester Virginia (just west of the B...
In 1831, Bernard Bichot founded a wine trading business in his name in Monthélie, France. His son, Hippolyte, succeeded him and bought the first grape vines in Volnay, France. His son, Albert Bichot, the first to bear the name, gave the family busine...
An up-coming Behind the Cork™ will feature a sparkling wine that is labeled as “Crémant de Bourgogne.” One might assume that this title indicates a style of sparkling wine. But, actually, no. Crémant de Bourgogne is actually the appellation for spar...
Domaine Bousquet is located in the Gualtallary Valley, a scenic, remote, arid terrain high in the Tupungato district of the Uco Valley in Argentina’s Mendoza region, close to the border with Chile. With altitudes ranging up to 5,249 feet, Gualtallary...
Domaine Bousquet Sparkling Rosé ($13) Domaine Bousquet was founded on virgin land in 1997 in the Gualtallary sub-zone of Tupungato in Mendoza’s Uco Valley. Today, the estate, run by daughter Anne Bousquet and husband Labid al Ameri, is Argentina’s l...
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 i...
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 in Burgundy and Champagne. Their goal “is not to replicate Bur...
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) wh...
When it comes to the best-selling Argentine bubbly in the U.S., Domaine Bousquet leads the way. Their #1 status is no accident - in just a few years, Argentina’s foremost producer and exporter of certified organic wines has built up a legion of fans ...
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 popp...
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 ea...
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?) But,...
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 one....
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 ...
Terre di San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco Superiore (~$20) Prosecco is a semi-fragrant sparkling wine variety produced in Italy and made from the Glera grape. Glera has very delicate fruity and floral fragrances. Terre di San Venanzio takes g...
Behind the Cork™ - Terre di San Venanzio Here are a couple more wonderful Proseccos from Terre di San Venanzio in Italy. The Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry (shown on the right) hails from 100% Glera from the best D.O.C.G. hills of Vald...
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 preserve ...
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. Thes...
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. According...
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, produci...
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...
Vilarnau Brut Reserva Rosé Cava ($16) Vilarnau is a small artisanal handcrafted Cava house located just outside Barcelona Spain. This Cava is made from Trepat, a red-wine grape variety indigenous to northeastern Spain, and Pinot Noir. It is a dry C...
I recently received a gift that came in at small flat box. Knowing that good things come in small packages, I lifted the box only to find it to be very heavy. Odd. But, what was even more odd was once I opened the box and removed its contents, I st...
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...
Valdivieso Sparkling Rosé Brut ($13) Viña Valdivieso dates back to 1879 when Alberto Valdivieso founded Champagne Valdivieso, the first company in Chile and South America to make sparkling wine. Today they continue making sparkling wines and still w...
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 actuallypétillant-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 secondary fer...
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 design...
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...