Category Archives: Sparkling Wine
Freixenet, Cordon Negro, Cava, Método Tradicional, Spain, 12% abv, C$15
It’s Mother’s Day and I’m happy to sit down after a day at the winery to dinner made for me, cookies, roses – the works! Top it off with some Cava, a bubbly for my possibly-broken-but-can’t-be-sure-about-it toe. I saved the life … Continue reading
Segura Viudas Brut Vintage Cava, Metode Tradicional, 2008, 12%abv, $28
So what do you do when someone you love is really sad and all you want to do is cheer her up? Moi? I treat first with food and then with alcohol. If neither of those help, we move quickly … Continue reading
Petalo Il Vino Dell’Amore, Moscato, Bottega, Dolce, Veneto, Italy, NV, 6.5% abv.
Made in the charmat method (first fermentation in steel tanks and the second in sealed tanks and under pressure for 30 days), this moscato was perfect for our spring brunch with fresh fruit salad, pancakes with maple syrup and artisanal … Continue reading
L’Ermitage, Roederer, Brut 2003, Anderson Valley, Sonoma, California, 12% abv US$47 (+C$17 tax at border)
Oh to be back on holiday in the Anderson Valley. How I miss it so. With good friends over tonight it was a reasonable enough excuse to pull out my special bottle of L’Ermitage, Roederer Brut 2003 from said valley … Continue reading
Monmousseau Cuvée JM, Brut 2007, Blanc des Blancs, Touraine AC, France, 12% abv, C$19.99
With the WSET Sparkling Wines of the World Diploma exam on the horizon, this bottle was sacrificed for a study session. A tradition in the Loire Valley since 1886, this sparkling wine is 100% Chenin Blanc and produced in the traditional … Continue reading
Iron Horse Ranch and Vineyards, Sebastopol, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California
The Russian River Valley is stunning. There, I’m done. What more is there to say? Its soft green, undulating hills, covered by gentle creeping mists of fog and the rippling river itself hide one of the best kept secrets about … Continue reading
WSET Diploma Unit 5 – Sparkling Wines of the World – Tasting
Tasting notes from a study group for the WSET Diploma, Unit 5, Sparkling Wines of the World course … Wine #1 Cava, Parés Baltà, Brut, Penedès, Spain, 11.5% abv, C$22.99 Clear and bright, pale gold, bubbles noted. Clean, light intensity aromas of … Continue reading
Bernard Brémont, Millésime, Brut, Grand Cru, Ambonnay, Champagne, France, 12% abv, 2002, C$68
Our Boxing Day post-Christmas lunchtime spread called for a bubbly. Out came this delicious Bernard Brémont. A grower champagne made in the traditional method in the Marne’s Ambonnay at the Champagne house of Bernard Brémont, this champagne is made from … Continue reading
Road 13, Chenin Blanc, Home Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, BC, 2009, 12.4% abv.
This was devoured quickly during a family get together in Whistler. Clean and clear with an aggressive mousse that was still going strong well into our celebratory drink, this Chenin Blanc sparkling wine is pale gold with aromas of Granny Smith … Continue reading
Blue Mountain, Brut, Methode Traditionnelle, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, NV, C$24
What better way to toast three sisters being back together after two years apart than to start with some Canadian sparkling wine. From the Okanagan Falls area located south of Penticton and north of Oliver in the Okanagan Valley, this sparkler … Continue reading
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