With New Year’s Eve right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about the bubbly you’ll bring to the party or enjoy at home while watching Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper get tipsy in Times Square.
Whatever your party plans, I have some great recommendations for American sparkling wines – thanks to a recent tasting with The Drunken Cyclist, aka Jeff Kralik, and his Houston wino pals Sandra Crittenden, wine columnist for Galveston Monthly, and My Vino Rules, aka Becca Castillo. (Follow them for great wine info!)
We spent a recent Saturday afternoon blind tasting (sippin’ and spittin’) 49 blanc and rosé bubbles from around the country. Blind tastings are always eye-opening because they remove preconceptions and keep you focused on the merits of the wine in your glass.
I have to admit I was a bit giddy (and surprised!) by some of the wines that made my top 10 – wines that were delish, easily found at your local retail shops, and offered at affordable prices. And why not ring in the new year with some American bubbly!
Here are my top 10 favorites from the blind tasting:
Gloria Ferrer 2012 Carneros Cuvee ($88)
Gloria Ferrer got two bubblies on my list! This luscious sparkling has floral, lemon meringue, toasted almond and crème brûlée notes with a saline, chalky minerality.
Domain Carneros Late Disgorged Brut 2016 ($58)
Late disgorged means this bottle spent six years on the lees (residual yeast from fermentation), which provides a richer, complex sparkling wine with fabulous tangerine and orange citrus, almond, honey and toast notes.
Brooks Extended Tirage Brut Riesling, Willamette Valley 2016 ($50)
Love getting petrol on the nose – a dead giveaway for Riesling. The Brooks bubbly, which enjoyed more than 3 years on the lees, is dry with tart apple, pineapple and honey notes. Fine bubbles play on the tongue.
Flaunt Brut Sparkling, Russian River Valley 2017 ($48)
Made by woman winemaker Diana Novy, these bubbles also spent some three years on the lees, delivering toasty brioche, green apple, almond and honey notes. The fine bubbles dance in your mouth!
Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée, Oregon 2019 ($32)
The label showcases Sokol Blosser’s long-time support of the Prescott Western Bluebird Recovery Project, with 15 bird houses on its organically farmed vineyard. This sparkling cuvée is bright and crisp, with notes of lemon pith, meringue and tart green apple and pear.
Roederer Estate Brut NV, Anderson Valley ($30)
The California property of Champagne Louis Rodeder builds upon centuries of sparkling winemaking, delivering a lively wine with lemon, apple and raspberry fruit and toasty biscuit notes.
Scharffenberger Brut Excellence NV, Mendocino County ($23)
Spending about 2 years on the lees, these bubbles have notes of freshly baked bread, peach and apple with a hint of caramel and honey.
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut NV ($20)
This affordable Gloria Ferrer bottle has a lot going on – notes of apple, lemon zest, pear, biscuit and a hint of honeycomb with delicate bubbles.
Boundary Breaks 365 Sparkling Riesling, Finger Lakes 2020 ($20)
As noted above with the Brooks Riesling, the smell of petrol gets me every time and this bubbly Riesling is racy with notes of apple, lemon and honey, with a kiss of sweetness to offset the acidity.
Korbel Blanc de Noirs – Methode Champenoise NV, California ($13)
Slight rose gold in color, this Korbel was a bit of a surprise to me offering raspberry and strawberry notes, with an orange-peach creamsicle on the finish.
Happy new year everyone! See you in 2023 with a glass in hand.
Denise Clarke is an avid wine enthusiast who loves sharing and teaching people about wine. She is a Certified Wine Educator, Certified Sommelier, WSET Advanced graduate and an expert on Texas wine. Owner of Denise Clarke PR, she currently represents Texas Fine Wine and the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Wine Marketing Program. She has lived in Austin for more than 30 years and when she is not swirling and sipping wine, she can be found on her bike, climbing every hill she can find.
Follow Denise on IG at @deniseclarkeTX for more wine recommendations.
