July 4th is the official kick-off to summer—Fireworks on the beach, BBQs, and a red, white and blue wardrobe for the upcoming weekend! Let’s celebrate Independence Day right with some fun, flavorful sparkling wines that are delicious, yet affordable. Below is a roundup of sparkling wine suggestions:
· Bouvet-Ladubay: Excellence Brut Rosé, NV– $16.99 – available nationwide
o Bouvet-Ladubay is one of France’s greatest producers of méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine. The winery sources its fruit from more than 100 plots in the Loire Valley, obtaining the best quality at every harvest through its long-standing relationships with winegrowers.
o The Brut Rosé is a fruity, raspberry-flavored wine that is crisp and soft. It is deliciously full of both fruit and fresh acidity. An attractive tang of orange zest marks the end.
o It is an excellent aperitif to kick off the celebration and can be paired with many traditional BBQ recipes: grilled fish, chicken, pork or enjoy with fresh berries during dessert.
· Poema: Cava Brut, NV– $12.99 – available nationwide
o Poema is a small-production, quality-oriented Spanish wine producer crafting top value Cavas and luscious, fruit-forward red and white blends. The winery creates their cavas using the same traditional method used in Champagne. Grapes are grown in the limestone hills surrounding Barcelona on vines that are a minimum of 20 years old.
o Poema Cava Brut has vibrant aromas of ripe peaches, pears and toasted bread with a hint of spice fill the nose. The palate is dry with a rich, creamy texture and elegant finish.
o Splendid as an aperitif, this sparkler is also a good match with light tapas, oysters and seafood.
· Caposaldo: The Sweet Red Sparkling, NV– $15.99 – available nationwide
o Caposaldo produces handcrafted wines with true Italian authenticity. The winery’s sweet sparkling wine collection is food-friendly with appealing flavors priced at a great value. The grapes are grown on the cool hilltops of northern Italy’s Lombardy region, where the northern-lying Alps shield the low-yielding hillside vineyards from harsh weather and the 20-year-old Guyot-trained vines benefit from a superb blend of white marl and chalky soils.
o This lightly sweet red wine delivers intense floral and red berry aromas and flavors, and fresh, vivacious bubbles.
o It is versatile at both the beginning and the end of a meal: first with antipasti such as salami and prosciutto, later with berry desserts such as tarts and pies.
· Michele Chiarlo: Nivole Moscato d’Asti DOCG, 2014– $15.99 – available nationwide
o Michele Chiarlo’s extensive vineyards stretch over more than 272 acres of Piedmont, including the hills surrounding Canelli, which offer an ideal microclimate for growing Moscato. Grapes are hand harvested from select vineyards with southern exposure and placed in pneumatic presses, followed by a slow fermentation using natural yeasts to a low level of alcohol.
o This sweet, fragrant, lightly sparkling wine has vivid aromas and flavors of peach, apricot, grapefruit and sage on a light body with a delicate finish typical of Moscato d’Asti.
o An excellent companion to fresh pastries and fruit such as strawberries and peaches
