The Carpene Malvolti Prosecco DOCG Extra Dry is produced from Prosecco/Glera grapes grown in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG (DOCG is the highest classification of Italian wines) inside the Veneto District in eastern Italy. Carpene Malvolti has been producing Prosecco since 1868 and they perfected the Charmat Method (second fermentation occurs in large pressurized vats, whereas…
Read MoreThe Jane Ventura Brut Nature Reserva Cava de La Musica is a non-vintage Sparkling wine consisting of 30% Macabeo, 30% Xarel.lo and 40% Parellada (those are the traditional, indigenous grapes that are usually used in making Cava) grown in the Penedes DO of Catalan, Spain (near Barcelona). This Cava is made with the same method used to…
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The Gerard Bertrand Cremant de Limoux is a French Sparkling wine consisting of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin Blanc and 10% Mauzac (Mauzac is the local white grape that goes into all Limoux Bubbly) sourced from vineyards located in the Limoux AOC of the Languedoc in southern France. Limoux is where Sparkling wine was first produced…
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The Hacienda Brut Sparkling Wine is a non vintage Bubbly sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA, and consists of 86% Chardonnay, 8% Colombard and 6% Mixed Whites (I don’t know why they say Mixed Whites rather than just listing the grapes). This Sparkling wine is made in the Methode Champenoise, which is…
Read MoreThe Schloss Biebrich Sekt, a Trader Joe’s ($4.99) exclusive, is a non vintage Sparkling wine produced in Germany. Sekt is to Germany, what Cava is to Spain and Prosecco and Spumante is to Italy, their national version of Sparkling wine. This Sekt is made by Henkell & Co., the second largest producer of Sekt in…
Read MoreThe Domaine Saint Vincent Rose’ is Gruet Winery’s entry level Sparkling wine. 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the same New Mexico vineyards used for Gruet Sparkling wine. Saint Vincent is the Patron Saint of winemakers. Made in the Methode Champenoise style, the same way Champagne is produced (2nd fermentation in the bottle) and aged for…
Read MoreThe La Riojana 1591 Torrontes Dolce (sweet) is a Sparkling wine made from Torrontes grapes grown in the La Rioja region of Argentina. The La Rioja region is where Spanish missionaries first planted grapevines in 1591. Most wines you see from Argentina are grown in the Mendoza region, La Rioja is north of Mendoza and has…
Read MoreThe Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry is a non-vintage Sparkling wine sourced from Chardonnay grapes grown in several California grape growing AVA’s. Extra Dry is not actually dry, Brut means dry and Sec indicates sweet, Extra Dry is in the middle. The word “Champagne” is on the label (only Sparkling wine grown and produced in Champagne,…
Read MoreThe Domaine Ste Michelle Blanc de Blancs (translates to white from white, meaning white wine from white grapes, usually Chardonnay; Blanc de Noir is white wine from red grapes, usually Pinot Noir) Sparkling wine sourced from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington. This bubbly was made with the Traditional Method, the same…
Read MoreThe Mionetto Prosecco Brut D.O.C is a non-vintage (they blend wine from different vintages together to get a more consistent flavor profile) Sparkling wine made from Glera grapes grown in near the town of Treviso in the Prosecco DOC of Italy. The Glera grape used to be known as the Prosecco grape, but since the…
Read MoreThe Chateau Chantal Celebrate Rose‘ Sparkling wine is a Semi-Dry (which actually means the wine is on the sweet side, Brut is the term used for less sweet wines) sourced from grapes grown in Estate vineyards on the Old Mission Peninsula, just north of Traverse City, Michigan. The Old Mission Peninsula is situated on the…
Read MoreThe 2008 Kila Cava Brut is sourced from several communes (a group of independent grape growers) in the Penedes area (that is where 95% of all Cava’s are produced) in the Catalonia region in northeast Spain. It is a blend of the three traditional grapes used for producing Cava, 35% Macabeo, 40% Xarel.lo and 25% Parellada….
Read MoreThe Fenn Valley Sparkling Riesling is sourced from grapes grown in a family owned estate vineyard in the Fennville AVA in Southwest Michigan. The vineyard is located near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, not far from the Michigan Shore resort town of Saugatuck and easily within a days drive from Chicago. They are able…
Read MoreThe 2007 Saint-Hilaire Grand Cuvee is a Sparkling wine estate grown and bottled in the Blanquette de Limoux AOC located in the Languedoc in southwest France. In 1531, Sparkling wine/Champagne was first produced by the monks at the Abbey Saint-Hilaire, Dom Perignon wasn’t born until 1638, so Champagne was not invented in Champagne. The Sparkling…
Read MoreThe Pierre Sparr Cremant Brut Rose’ is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from vineyards near the villages of Molsheim, Kintzheim and Sigolsheim in the Alsace Region of France. First fermentation takes place in steel tanks for 6 months, then second fermentation (adding bubbles) takes place inside each individual bottle, Methode Champagne, for 18 months. Wine and…
Read MoreThe Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut Sparkling Wine ($9.99) is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir (a Blanc de Noir) sourced from grapes grown in California’s North Coast. The North Coast encompasses 50 different AVA’s, with the main growing areas being Sonoma, Napa Valley and Mendocino. Made by Rack and Riddle, the only custom…
Read MoreThe Gruet Brut Rose is a nonvintage Sparkling wine made from 100% Pinot Noir grown at Estate vineyards near the town of Engle, 170 miles south of Albuquerque, in New Mexico. They add 2% still (no bubbles) Pinot Noir to give the wine a pink hue. This Sparkler is made in the Methode Champenoise process,…
Read MoreThe Jaume Serra Cristalino Extra Dry Cava is sourced from Estate vineyards in the Alt Penedes growing region in Spain. This Sparkling wine uses the traditional Cava grapes, 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada and 15% Xarel.lo. Cava uses the same second fermentation method (that is where the bubbles are added) as Champagne and this Cava is aged for…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreBlason du Bourgogne Cremant De Bourgogne Brut Reserve is composed of 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Gamay and 10% Aligote sourced from the Cremant de Bourgogne AOC in Burgundy, France. This Sparkling wine is made in the traditional method, which is normally referred to as Methode Champenoise, a process where the second fermentation (this…
Read MoreThe Albero Cava Brut is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, sourced from certified organic grapes (CCPAE SPAIN) grown on the Estate vineyards of Bogedas Iranzo (Spain’s oldest Estate vineyards, founded 1335) which is located in the Penedes DO near Barcelona by the Mediterranean Sea. The grapes used, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo are the traditional grapes…
Read MoreA Trader Joe’s $4.99 wine, the Le Grotte Reggiano Lambrusco Russo Dulce (translates to sweet red) is a Sparkling wine sourced from the Lambrusco grape grown in the Reggiano nell’Emilia DOC of the Emilia-Romagna growing region in Italy. Lambrusco is both the name of the grape and the type of wine and this region has…
Read MoreA Trader Joe’s exclusive, a $4.49, Sparkling Wine imported from somewhere in France. The term Blanc de Blancs normally indicates that the Bubbly was made from Chardonnay grapes, but the back label only mentions “white grapes,” which in France could also mean Chenin Blanc (Cremant de Loire) or Mauzac (Blanquette de Limoux) grapes. A Brut…
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