Can a sparkling wine priced at just $7.99 truly hold its own against higher-end bottles? Listen to our latest episode as we pop the cork on a bottle of Colby California Brut Sparkling Wine from Aldi, exploring its surprisingly delightful taste profile and dispelling preconceptions about budget-friendly bubbly. Crafted by the renowned Rack and Riddle using the Charmat method, this wine offers a unique blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc flavors, providing an experience akin to a California Prosecco. Discover the intriguing world of private-label wines and how Rack and Riddle’s expertise plays a crucial role in bringing these hidden gems to our glasses.
Join us as we sip through a tasting experience that features light, persistent bubbles and subtle hints of stone fruit, lemon, apple, and melon. While complexity might not be its forte, this easy-drinking sparkler is perfect for casual occasions, striking a balance between dryness and a hint of sweetness. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or simply seeking a wallet-friendly option, this episode reveals how good taste doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. Uncover the charm of this $8 sparkling wine that promises a pleasant surprise for your palate without leaving a dent in your budget.
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Speaker 1
0:06
Welcome . It's Domain , dave . Cheapwinefindercom Again , another podcast for reasonably priced wine . This one's literally cheap . It's a 799 sparkling wine from Aldi . It's the Colby California Brute Sparkling Wine . I don't know what Aldi's been having wines . This is kind of Colby Corbel . The last few wines , or some of the wines they've had , are reasonably close in name to other brands for some reason , and it's usually a brand that's not all that expensive in the first place . So I'm not sure why that's happening . Or is it just like a suggestion as an alternative ? Or maybe it's accidental . I don't know , but this isn't Corbel , this is Colby .
Speaker 1
0:56
It's made in the Charmette method , which is how they make Prosecco . I don't know the grapes , they didn't say but it tastes pretty good . I don't know the grapes , they didn't say , but it tastes pretty good . And it tastes like there's Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and that kind of stuff in there . Charmette Method , in case you don't know . And it's made by Rack and Riddle . Rack and Riddle is a huge sparkling wine producer out of Northern California and they do private brands . If you see an American bubbly for Trader Joe's , aldi , maybe even Costco , that type of thing , they probably make it . Plus , they make their bubbly for famous brands . They make any winery that doesn't have their own facility to make sparkling wine , well , it's probably bad at rack and riddle . And they had a Charmat facility open in Sonoma , like two years ago . And this is a Charmat method and that means after they ferment the grapes the first time to taste , age it a little bit and then they put it in these huge in prosecco . They're huge . Here that's probably going to be a little bit smaller because this is a private brand . You don't need 100 million bottles of this um and put the , put them , put it in the this pressurized vat with a little bit of sugar , a little bit of yeast , measured out , and after 30 to 45 days , depending on what they're doing with it or what they wanted to do , you got yourself some bubbly . So that's what this is . That's what charmat is and it's uh .
Speaker 1
2:34
I'm gonna take a sip . I gotta say that the bubbles are a little bit light . They're still going , but they're not . Uh , and they're teeny tiny . They're still going . I mean , I've had the glass sitting here for a little , but they're not . They're teeny tiny , but they're still going . I've had the glass sitting here for a little bit , but they're .
Speaker 1
2:50
What am I complaining for it's an $8 bubbly that tastes pretty good . Forget my complaint . It's not complex , it's a dry . The root means dry , but there is a little bit of sweetness in there somewhere . I'm not sure what grape they used if they , uh , the scotto or something they added in there just to give it that little rounded edge to it or how they did that . But it's not sugar sweet , it's just a little bit of that nectar sweetness to it .
Speaker 1
3:27
It's not complex , it's not , doesn't have sharpness to it . It tastes fine . It's not a , it's not a uh , it's a very easy wine to drink . It's not not one of these kind of fine wines that disappear at your taste or change every single sip . But no , for an $8 bubbly you're doing fine . Yeah , I mean Now I'm getting a little bit of stone fruit , which I wasn't getting before . You're getting lemon , getting some , getting some apple , maybe some melon , little candy spice . It tastes great .
Speaker 1
4:18
Like I said , it's just not that complex , it's just , it is what it is , but it tastes fine . And for an $8 sparkling wine charmette method . You know that . Complex it just it is what it is , but it tastes fine . And for an eight dollar sparkling wine charmette method , you know the california prosecco , as it were . It does really well . I'm I'm happy with it .
Speaker 1
4:34
I would buy it again , you know , if you're really looking to , um , get , you know , get into a wine , kind of kind of wine nerd out on a wine , this is just fun to drink . This is actually probably way better off as an outside If you've got a pool sitting around the pool , sitting in the pool out on the deck at night , kind of bubbly , rather than where you're just drinking a wine just to relax and sip , rather than celebrating really Not that you can't celebrate with an $8 wine , but that's really not what this is . This is just sip it and like it and everything's good . So that's it for me . Domain Dave cheapwinefightercom .
Speaker 1
5:21
This is a Colby , not Corbell , california Brute Sparkling Wine . It's $7.99 at Aldi and it's not bad at all . It's very drinkable , not great sparkling wine . You're not going to impress your wine snob friends , but you'll like it . So , adios , not that you're not a wine snob . So , adios , keep it cheap , stay warm , stay that you're not a wine snub . So , adios , keep it cheap , stay warm , stay . Whatever you got to do out there . I think we're getting eight inches of snow or something . It probably won't happen , but maybe . So keep it cheap . I've got a Chenin Blanc coming up and a kind of a fun Pinot Noir , so I'll be talking to everybody in a couple of days . We've got , I got , I got , I planned ahead . So , adios , keep it cheap and I'll be talking Bye-bye .
