Sparkling - Old World

Asti, Piedmont, Italy

$18-21 for 375ml

With the holidays, it’s bubble, bubble, bubble all the time.  I’ve had Sekt, Cava, Champagne, Sparkling Icewine and BC bubble – all in the past week alone!  I was going to write about a fine French Champagne for revelers to ring in 2010, but when I ran across this bottle in my cellar, I decided to write about a brunch bubble instead.  

Why?  For one, most partiers have no idea what they’re drinking by the time the clock strikes midnight, so why waste a good bottle of champers?  And two – this wine is absolutely delicious!  No, really – this is oceans away from the fizzy-fruit loop Asti Spumante of your youth.  While both are crafted from the same grape variety (Muscat Blanc á Petits Grains), Moscato d’Asti is produced in much smaller quantities and with much higher regulations.  

The result is a mid-sweet, slightly fizzy wine (frizzante) with orange blossom and ripe peach aromas and refreshing mandarin, peaches-and-cream and citrus notes on the palate.  And thanks to its low alcohol content (5.5%), Moscato d’Asti can easily be enjoyed early in the day. Enjoy with your New Year’s Day brunch – or perhaps as your Hair of the Dog remedy.

*** and a half

**Trivia to impress your brunch mates: Frizzante [freet-TSAHN-teh] is an Italian term meaning "lightly sparkling", and describes wines with light effervescence. Frizzante wines are made with less pressure than those labeled spumante.  Frizzante wines are equivalent to pétillant in France and spritzig in Germany.

By Treve Ring – online web editor

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

*          Basic drinkable, uncomplicated plonk

**       Good example of varietal type.  

***     Very good quality, represents the regional style/terroir, worth seeking out. Recommended

****   Exceptional, above average, top of class. Highly Recommended

***** Among the top wines in the world. Worth traveling for. What are you waiting for? Buy it right now!

$4.25 – $4.75 for 200ml

Sure to be a hit at holiday parties, these cutie little single serving (who are they kidding?  Pass me a case!) sparklers come in a 200ml aluminum bottle-can. Optimal for chilling quickly, packing in a purse, and of course, recycling, these distinctively packaged wines are designed for the ice bucket at your next soiree.  The 100% Riesling, slightly effervescent sipper has fresh, large bubbles and flavours of crisp green apple and sweet candied peach.  It finishes off-dry – and quickly – and is just plain fun to drink, especially when wearing a holiday sweater and munching on roasted nuts.  Nothing serious here – but who wants a serious party anyway? **

By Treve Ring – EAT online wine editor

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

*          Basic drinkable, uncomplicated plonk

**       Good example of varietal type.  

***     Very good quality, represents the regional style/terroir, worth seeking out. Recommended

****   Exceptional, above average, top of class. Highly Recommended

***** Among the top wines in the world. Worth traveling for. What are you waiting for? Buy it right now!

Thanksgiving weekend.  The turkey is ordered, the shopping is done, the inlaws are en route – you’re going to need wine.  And with so many other decisions to ponder this weekend (sausage vs wild rice stuffing, ham vs. turkey, pumpkin vs. pecan pie), let me make your wine choice easy for you.  Bubbly.  Pink bubbly at that.

Versatile enough to service turkey, ham or vegetarian (sorry Tofurky lovers – I don’t think anything can help you), plus the cornucopia of side dishes that this holiday brings.  This Rosado (rosé) is fruitier and creamier than the standard Segura Viudas Brut (one of the top cava on this market).  Pale salmon in hue, this Trepat-Monastrell-Garnacha blend has fresh, minerally raspberry aromas and a palate of nuts, citrus, bright cherry, pomegranate and wild strawberry.  Nice fruit sweetness makes this appealing to a wide audience, and sparkling always makes an occasion more festive  – stock up. ***

* Trepat is a rarely seen black grape variety, used primarily for rosé cava and grown in the Tarragona and Penedès area of Catalonia, in North East Spain.

- Reviewed by Treve Ring

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

*          Basic drinkable, uncomplicated plonk

**       Good example of varietal type.  

***     Very good quality, represents the regional style/terroir, worth seeking out. Recommended

****   Exceptional, above average, top of class. Highly Recommended

***** Among the top wines in the world. Worth traveling for. What are you waiting for? Buy it right now!