Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010

Choosing the right New Year’s bubbly

As sounds of corks popping and glasses clink this weekend, remember the differences between sparkling wines and Champagnes. Sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region of France can legally be called Champagne; everything else is called sparkling wine.

And two words of caution: Never aim the bottle at anyone as you are opening it. But the most important thing is make sure there is a designated driver for the evening. Don’t start off the new year with a DUI or by ruining another person’s or family’s year or life.

Woodbridge Brut $15 from California is delivering terrific medium dry flavors with a nice crispness and complexity. Woodbridge has been delivering terrific value priced wines for as long as I can remember and this is a perfect match to its lineup. Barefoot sparkling wines $12 have also been a real crowd pleaser, with excellent flavor profiles. Barefoot is now introducing new ones for people who like a lighter sparkling wine such a pinot grigio. If you are looking for a sweet sparkling wine than Verdi Spumante $6 has fresh fruit flavors and true fruit sweetness. And you cannot forget the black bottle Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava, Spain $10. It is nice and dry with pear and golden delicious apple notes, with a nice creaminess on the finish.

At a medium price, Piper Sonoma Brut $20, California delivers classic sparkling wine flavors with a delicious balance of yellow apples, bread crust and creaminess for just the right price. Mumm Napa Brut Prestige $24, California is a signature blend of more than 50 parcels of vineyards chosen each year to create a house style. The flavor is elegant and sleek, with notes of vanilla beans, yeastiness, and cantaloupe – a very crisp and refreshing tasting experience.

If you are in the mood to splurge, then the Taittinger Comtes De Champagne Blanc De Blancs $275, France is a true classic, with layers of candied citrus zest, honey, yeast, vanilla bean, and ripe pears form perfectly with a delicate acidity to make this a tasting pleasure that you not forget. It always rates in the upper 90s in many wine magazines, and has been a favorite of mine since my children were born and we enjoyed a bottle. It is true decadence in a bottle.

Paul Roger Brut Vintage $140, France is another true classic. A different style than the Taittinger, it has a more bread crust flavors and yellow apple note with a drier finish. Both of these are truly delicious but have different styles, if you need more than one bottle and can afford to grab a bottle of each and do a taste test in and price range and let all your friends know what you favorite is. Happy New Year!

For a list of upcoming wines to be reviewed, e-mail advance@winetalk.org.

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