Love For All Things Bubbles
Every day and every season are perfect for sparkling wine. Take a look at some of our recent favorites.
It might have been 92 degrees last Wednesday but since then fall has settled in, seemingly for good. However, one of the wine drinking constants from season to season are sparkling wines. They hold up against the sunniest of day drinking endeavors and against hearty foods, if you know which ones to buy.
Outside of Champagne and other AOC requirements, there really are no rules as well. Any grapes can go. They can be single vintage or a blend of years. Round and chalky, lithe and acidic, or fun and fruity. They also happen to be fun. Who can resist the corking popping sound that gets a dinner party started?
For this week’s wine tasting, we’ve set our sights on France and Spain, two of the obvious powerhouse regions for all things bubbly. The results did not disappoint, as we were able to drink something wickedly savory, strikingly fresh and tropical, and left-of-field resembling a wheat beer. We hope there’s something anyone can enjoy for your upcoming dinners or seasonal soirees.
Bodegas Cueva, Brutal Ancestral, 2018
Our first sparkling wine takes us to the Valencia, Spain region, which is situated in a coastal region in the southern half of the country. The winemakers have entered our radar in recent years and we were especially excited to see a sparkling wine under the Brutal moniker featuring Moscatel and Macabeo.
When you open the bottle, you notice a strikingly fresh and powerful wine, with notes of elderflower, melon and pineapple on the nose, with a hint of candied sweetness. The palette is notably fruity, with these tropical fruit notes settling in. A honeyed citrus quality is one of the most delightful aspects of this wine, bringing a counterbalance between the more driving acidity and the juice from the fruit.
This is the embodiment of a Sunday Funday wine and we’d recommend buying multiple bottles because it’s going to go fast.
Chateau Barouillet, Splash, 2018
For our second sparkler, we head to France, just outside of Bergerac in the southwest portion of the country. The label is obviously a draw for this wine: a pop art scene sets a tone for a uniquely beer-like wine that follows upon tasting.
We don’t quite understand it but we recognize that not everyone enjoys wine. The world of beer can be a draw for those not privy to all things grape. Splash, however, manages to balance the greater complexities of wine with the crushable, wheat friendly beer characteristics. Made from 100% Semillon, it smells decidedly like lemon and apple with rich wheat notes that are balanced by fresh acidity and mineral structure. It is slyly sophisticated, striking such a nuanced balance between textured and effervescent.
La Combe Aux Reves, La Flûte Agitée Blanc, 2016
For our final wine, we head further east in France to Revermont, which is located near the France-Switzerland border. This one, the most aged of the bunch, is also the most savory as well. It possesses a broad and rich weight that others lack. It might be for everyone but those that can find solace in savory characteristics will love this bottle.
The nose smells like dried hazelnuts and the lightly nutty qualities carry into the palette. It’s not flat, of course, as an energetic acidity builds as the wine opens up. This is further developed by an encompassing mineral structure that provides a grip outside of typical tannic structure. There is not a lot of fruit in this wine, though this isn’t a bad thing. In contrast, the savory qualities seem to dominate, playing for sensations in all parts of the mouth.
This is the most “fall” of all sparkling wines and best suited for those with more adventurous palette.
