Not Prosecco

I spotted a bottle of voile blanche brut sparkling verdicchio in the store the other day. Somewhat unusual, so I had to try it. I liked it more than my husband did, he found it too acidic for his taste. It is a wine with bubbles (and decent bubbles!) rather than a champagne or a Prosecco. It had good orchard fruit flavor, with lots of crisp, juicy pear. This was complemented by a bit of mint, not too strong. It lacked finish, just disappearing fizzily from the mouth. It was a good accompaniment to some fresh apple crisp, with the sweetness of the dessert balancing the acidity of the wine. I don't know that I would buy it again, but it was interesting to try once.

Lovely Cava

My cousin very kindly treated me to take-out sushi for dinner, so I pulled a bottle of cava from the fridge to drink with it. This was Naveran Dama Vintage 2009, a pricey bottle for a cava, at $25, but totally worth it. Surprisingly for a cava, this is predominantly chardonnay mixed with a little bit of parellada grapes. You can taste this in the flavor - this wine reminded me much more of a champagne than any other cava I've ever had. It was crisp and apple-y, with tiny bubbles and a very clean but fruity finish. It had great balance, very little sweetness, and no sour or tart notes. The bubbles of this wine weren't bad, either, a steady stream that was just starting to disappear at the end of my glass. This was very good with our sushi, and would be equally good on its own as an aperitif. I liked this a lot, it is my new favourite cava.

A Good Week

I had a good week last week...two new sparklers to report, and one was really good.

The first was Scharffenberger Brut Excellence, a Californian sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. This had a nice start, with a bit of lemon meringue pie and yeast flavor and good bubbles. But it had a sweet finish, too sweet for my taste. A bit disappointing.

The second was a champagne, Bernard Tornay Brut Millesime 2002. This had the most wonderful ripe apple flavor with just the right amount of tartness at the finish. It was a fantastic match to the apple crumble with almonds that I made, the rich crispness of the champagne complimenting the oaty, nutty, sweetness of the dessert perfectly. This wine had good bubbles, too, so it was definitely a do-over. One to try if you haven't already.

For the American Palate

I have to stop buying sparkling wines that I don't know in America. They're just too sweet, no matter where they're made, it seems like the shopkeepers know which ones are going to appeal to the sugar-rush of the American palate. Sadly, the Cote Mas Cremant de Limoux Brut was no exception. In its favor was lots of citrus fruit flavor and surprisingly good bubbles for a cremant wine. But the finish...sadly the finish was an explosion of sugar in my mouth. It could have been a nice wine but for that sweetness.

Lovely Loosen

I took a chance...I bought a bottle of Dr L Sparkling Riesling, a German wine from Loosen Bros. It was a very nice surprise. It tasted of honeyed apples and quince, but with a very dry finish. It had lots of bubbles at the start, settling into a lasting fizz. It was refreshing and fun, not at all sweet or overpowering. I liked it a lot, would definitely drink it again. It's not at all like a champagne, but a very tasty wine with bubbles, good as an aperitif, or perhaps with some cheese and nuts.

A Typical Prosecco

I was in the mood for some bubbles this week, and stopped by my local to see what they had. I brought home a bottle of Jeio Brut, which cost around £10. My husband said it was a typical prosecco, with a not-too-sweet pear and mint flavour. It had lots of fizz rather than bubbles, which was still OK. It also went really well with the blueberry pancakes we ate for dinner. It did a good job of filling my craving for something sparkling without breaking the bank.

New Old Billecart-Salmon

We drink a lot of Billecart-Salmon champagne. They are without a doubt my favourite champagne maker, and I feel fortunate to be in a position to purchase their champagnes. I stopped reporting on 'repeat' bottles, because I really don't like to rub it in when I'm drinking it and you might not be. But we recently had two new bottles of older vintages that I should report.

The first was the 2000 vintage Cuvee Nicholas Francois Billecart. This champagne had a wonderfully big flavour, lots of rich, ripe apple, with some carmelised nuts at the finish. While we enjoyed first glasses on their own, this champagne stood up to our dinner, too.

The second was the 1999 vintage of the Brut Blanc de Blancs. I have always thought that the Brut Reserve was my favourite Billecart-Salmon offering. I'm not so sure anymore. Firstly, I couldn't believe the bubbles in this champagne, especially considering its age. They were amazing, the best bubbles I've had in a long time. The flavour was also fantastic, lemony-goodness, with just a touch of chalky dryness. The finish lasted forever. While you could probably serve this with food, I just wanted to savor it on its own, it was THAT good. I love it when a maker can surprise me with something even better than I was already expecting!!