Ordinarily, the Wine Curmudgeon does not participate in the festivities surrounding The Holiday that Must not be Named. But this year, given the rough winter that so many of us are having, I figured, why not? Plus, it gives me a chance to write about champagne and sparkling wine, which was the blog's New Year's resolution. (If you really don't want to do bubbly, this Chalk Hill is quite nice.)
Bubbly fits Valentine’s Day like a red paper heart (and yes, you can even drink it with chocolate). The sparkling wine glossary explains all, and the 2009 New Year's post explained the difference between the world's various sparkling wines.
So if you’re wondering where to go with Valentine’s Day wine, here are three sparkling suggestions:
• Freixenet Cordon Rosado Brut ($11, sample). Spanish bubbly is called cava, and this one is more fruity (some citrus) than similarly-priced cavas. Plus, it's pink, so you're getting with the holiday theme.
• Simonnet-Febvre Cremant Brut ($20, purchased). Bubbly from the Chablis region of France, which means the grapes approach champagne quality at less than half the price.
• Pol Roger White Foil Brut ($45, sample). The real stuff, with champagne’s classic green apple flavor and great bubbles that stream to the top of the glass.
Domaine Ste Michelle Brut is also a great bargain.
Posted by: Ben | February 11, 2011 at 09:17 AM
Also, thank you for the $10 wine list which is fantastic -- especially the Casamatta Toscano red -- but here's another question:
Which locally available wine would you recommend as the absolute cheapest option that isn't disappointing?
One candidate might be the Vieux Papes red available for $6 at whole foods ($5.40 with case discount), supposedly the most popular wine in France.
Posted by: Ben | February 11, 2011 at 09:19 AM
Thanks, Ben.. Have had the Domaine Ste. Michelle listed a couple of times over the years.. never a bad idea to mention it.
And by locally available you mean Dallas?
Posted by: Jeff Siegel | February 11, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Jeff, thanks for the response -- yes, by locally I meant Dallas, sorry, should have specified.
Posted by: Ben | February 19, 2011 at 09:18 PM
Ben, I don't think you can ever go wrong with any of the Bogles, which can cost as little as $8. One of our regular visitors is a big fan of the La Vieille Ferme red, white and rose, which are around $7. I can speak to the the white and rose; I'll review the red next week.
Posted by: Jeff Siegel | February 24, 2011 at 06:12 AM
Thanks, Jeff... Duly noted and ready to check it out!
Posted by: Ben | March 05, 2011 at 01:29 PM