Whether you choose White, Rosè, or Red, Dry or Sweet, Spumante or Champagne, sparkling wine adds a festive note to every holiday get together. Here are some that you might enjoy.
Conegliano Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Ogliano Brut Natural 2022 BiancaVigna made from 100% Glera from vineyards at 150 to 180 meters. The soil is clayey, limestone and rocky clay. Estate-owned vineyards are located in Ogliano. Named after the “Riva di Ogliano,” the steep hill where the grapes used to make this wine grow. Harvest is in the middle of September. Prise de mousse (sparkling process): the second fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks (cuvée close) at controlled temperatures with indigenous selected yeasts and lasts 150 days. Tartaric stabilization at low temperature. Bottle refinement for three months before release. This is a complex wine with hints of green apple, pear, peach, stone fruits and floral notes. Alcohol: 11.5. Residual Sugar 1.5 g/l. $23
Caprettone Spumante Method Classico 100% Caprettone CasaSetaro Production zone Alto Tirone, Vesuvius National Park in the region of Campania. The age of the vineyards is 18 to 25 years. They are at 350 meters and the training system is espalier, guyot trained with a few buds per plant. Vinification: maceration at 4C in steel tanks, fermentation for 18 to 24 days, the second fermentation takes place after about six months. The wine remains on the lees for 30 months and remains in bottle for about 12 months before release. The Caprettone grape is excellent for making Spumante method classico because it has very good body and produces a round and elegant wine.$25
Ferrari Brut NV Methodo Classico 100% Chardonnay. Trento DOC. The grapes are picked by hand at the end of August and beginning of September. They come from various communes in the Val d’Adige, Val di Cembra and Valle dei Laghi. The vineyards are between 300 and 600 meters above sea level, with southeast or southwest exposure. The wine is aged for at least 24 months on the lees. Selected yeast from Ferrari’s own cultures are used. The wine has hints of apples, wildflowers and a delicate touch of brioche and undertones of ripe citrus fruit. $30
Durello 36 Riserva Extra Brut Metodo Classico DOC made from 85% Lessini Durello and 15% Pinot Noir Sandro Bruno. The soil is volcanic with basaltic rocks. The vineyard is 4 hectares with a southern exposure at 500 meters. The vines are 35 years old. The vineyards are cultivated without the use of pesticides. Manual harvest takes place the 3rd week of September. There is a selection of grapes followed by a soft pressing in a nitrogen saturation at a low temperature. Fermentation is in steel tanks for both grapes. After fermentation the lees are preserved by performing weekly batonnage for 8 months. Sugars 1g/l. The wine remains on its own yeast for 36 months. It ages in bottle for 6 more months before release. This is an intense wine with mineral aromas. The wine has hints of white flowers, pear, almonds and a note of lemon. $28
Franciacorta DOCG Extra Brut 2018 Vintage Collection Ca’ del Bosco (Lombardia) made from 65% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Bianco and 30% Pinot Nero from 27 certified organic vineyards. Grapes are hand harvested and each individual bunch is washed and dried. Fermentation takes place for 5 months in oak barrels. The wine remains on the yeasts for an average of 48 months. This is an elegant wine with hints of citrus fruit, apple and pear lemon and a touch of pineapple. One of my favorites. $66
Champagne Boizel Ultime Zero made from 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Meunier and 30% is reserve wines. Produced only from grapes selected for their high level of maturity. Dosage Zero No dosage is used to give the wine greater roundness at the end of the crafting process and all the attention is focused on obtaining a very pure and subtle harmony. The wine is aged on the lees for 5 years. It is a complex Champagne fully developed with hints of peaches, white flowers, gingerbread, lightly toasted almonds and good acidity. $49
Champagne Ruinart Brut Rosé NV made from 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. About 18% of the Pinot Noir added is still wine. It has red fruit aromas and flavors with hints of raspberries and strawberries. $119
Otto Uve, Gragnano della Penisola Sorrentina DOC Made from 60% Piedirosso, Aglianico, and Sciascinoso, and 40% Suppezza, Castagnara, Serbegna, Olivella and Sauca. The eight grape varieties in the blend give this wine its name. It is a tribute to the lesser known grapes of the area. The training system is espalier. The vineyard is at 300 meters. Harvest began on September 24th and ended on October 8th. The grapes were hand harvested into boxes of 20 kg. After destemming and crushing, maceration with the skins lasted for 5 days, soft pressing of the grapes in a pneumatic press and fermentation in temperature controlled tanks at about 20C. The wine was bottled in the beginning of December. It should be served chilled and drunk within two years after bottling. It is a slightly frizzante red wine $18
Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce IGP ‘RossoViola’ (ruby red in color) 2020 Luciano Saetti made from 100% Salamino di Santa Croce. The vines are 40 years old and the training system is guyot and spalliera. Soil is deep grey clay, sand and silt. Harvest is manual. Grapes are crushed and the resulting spontaneous fermented must goes into steel tanks at a controlled temperature. The alcoholic fermentation process is concluded without the grapes being pressed. The sediment falls spontaneously to the bottom of the tank, avoiding any micro-filtering. The spring after a second fermentation takes place in the bottle initiated by the addition of grape must at a controlled pressure and temperature. It is fermented to dryness. After refinement that takes at least four months, the bottles are hand riddled and disgorged. The date of this operation is shown on the back label (complete with day, month and year). The wine has hints of violets and red berries with sweet spice notes and a touch of plums. Organic certified. No sulfur is added to the wines. $21
Moscato d’ Asti DOCG Tre Secoli made from 100% Moscato. There is a soft pressing of the grapes followed by a fermentation in temperature controlled autoclaves. Sugar level is 120 G/L and the alcohol is 5%. The wine has hints of fresh fruit, white peach, apricot and ginger. $12
Asti DOCG Millesimato Cuvage Dolce 2018 made from 100% Moscato. The vineyards are at 250 to 400 meters. Grapes are harvested the first week of September. After pressing the clusters and cold static decantation, inoculation of the selected yeasts takes place with fermentation up to 5.5 degrees alcohol. Maturation of the Cuvèe is for several months in stainless steel on its own yeasts. Maturation on the lees for a minimum of 18 months and 6 months in the bottle before release. Undosed: 100g/l this sugar is the result of the natural sweetness of the must, nothing has been added. The wine has hints of brioche, freshly baked bread, white flowers, and acacia with a hint of vanilla and a touch of pepper. $19. A few months ago I went to a tasting of Asti Spumante at a Japanese restaurant and it worked with the sushi.
