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The Burlwood Brut Sparkling Wine is a $4.95 Aldi exclusive made by some part of E & J Gallo Winery, any time you see Modesto, California on the back label you can bet that Gallo made the wine. Gallo also produces Andre Champagne and Barefoot Bubbly lines, all in the same general price range.
The Burlwood Brut Sparkling Wine has a twist plastic enclosure so the bottle can be resealed and I believe both Abdre:s and Barefoot Bubbly have the same enclosure. I have not sampled Andre’s since I was in college and I think Barefoot Bubbly is fun and affordable.
Andre’s Champagne can legally be called Champagne because several decades ago, French Champagne makers enforced their trademark on California Andre’s had been in production for so long that they had the Champagne name grandfathered. I was trying to figure out if Burlwood was based on Andre’s or Barefoot Bubbly and I would need to do a taste test to do that. Maybe when things are slow.
The Burlwood Brut Sparkling Wine is made in the Charmat Method which is the same way Prosecco is made. The grapes are picked before they are fully ripe, with Sparkling wine production the juice needs to start almost sour and then be brought up to the desired sweetness or dry level. After the first fermentation and some aging, the fermented wine is transferred to a huge pressurized tank. It takes a few weeks to a few months for the bubbles to be incorporated into the wine, at that time a measured amount of sweet wine (dosage) is added to the tank to achieve the proper level, here that level is dry or not sweet. The wine is bottled and then aged for a short time for the Bubbly to stabilize and then it is ready to ship to stores.
Aldi does not tell what the grapes used are, I read on the web that it could be Chardonnay, but that may not be accurate. The alcohol content is a mild 10.5%.
The Burlwood Brut Sparkling Wine Tasting Notes
The color is a pretty golden yellow. The nose is candy notes, lemon, apple, peach, pear, and a little crusty bread. The Burlwood Brut Sparkling Wine is dry with a hint of sweetness and likable flavor.
This Sparkling Wine tastes like slightly sweet peach, grapefruit, green apple, pear, lemon candy (but not too sweet), and light tangerine. The mid-palate mirrors the body of this Bubbly and the acidity is very well-balanced.
The Summary
- I am no longer when a five-dollar wine tastes good and the Burlwood Brut Sparkling Wine does taste good.
- Trader Joe’s has ten-dollar Traditional Method (Champagne) Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Bubbly from the North Coast.
- While they are double the price, double is only 5 bucks.
- The Burlwood Brut is good enough that for some occasions 2 bottles of Burlwood will beat the Trader Joe’s Bubbly.
