The Barefoot Bubbly Moscato Spumante is a non-vintage Sparkling wine sourced from several California grape growing AVA’s. Spumante is the general Italian term for Sparkling wine. The Barefoot Bubbly is made with the Charmat Method, which is where the second fermentation takes place in large vats (in Champagne the 2nd fermentation take place in each individual bottle) which make for softer, less intense bubbles. The alcohol content is a gentle 10%.
The color is a pale, almost clear lemon yellow, the bubbles are numerous and strong, but fade quickly. The nose is candied orange slices, peach, fresh squeezed lemon and a pear coated in sugar. Light and crisp on the palate and surprisingly not too sweet. Tight, tart bubbles bring orange, pear and lime to your taste buds, then quickly disappear. There is a pretty decent balance between the fruit flavors, the sweetness and the acidity. The mid-palate bring some delicate peach, pineapple and pink grapefruit. This is not a wine that will astound you with its finish, it fades quickly.
$8 Bubbly used to taste like vinegar, the Barefoot Bubbly Moscato tastes good, real good, sure it leans a bit to the sweet side, but it does not go overboard. They even finally took the word Champagne off the label, they didn’t need it, inexpensive and a whole lot of fun is something Champagne never is. Drink it at Brunch or pour it at parties where you want the bubbles to loosen up the tongues, but you don’t want the alcohol to loosen them up too much.
