Jason’s Wine Blog

Price: $5.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Americal Beverage Group

What They Said:

Per Wine Enthusiast “An enjoyable bubbly with good creamy froth, white peach, mineral and hard candy tones that are nicely balanced and spread throughout. It has a thick consistency and a snappy, crisp close.”

What I Think:

My second endeavor into the bubbly section at Trader Joe’s. The first time I grabbed a Sekt, now a Prosecco and I also have a Cava in the fridge now. Guess I should grab one from France next time! As for Prosecco, raise your hand if you knew that was a grape… That is only one of the interesting things I learned in this brief Wikipedia article. I also learned that this grape is grown in northern Italy and often used to make Asti. That give anyone else flashbacks to high school or just me?

Could this wine be any smoother? Wilder on Wine calls it easy-going. I couldn’t agree more. The wine is frothy in the glass and shows floral aromas with hints of citrus on the nose. On the palate you are greeted by what other than bubbles, not much fruit to be found as this one is dry throughout. Towards the end it shows traces of mineral that disappear as fast as they arrive. The finish is very clean, nothing lingers on.

As much as I would like to compare this to the Sekt I cannot. They don’t share much in common beyond the bubbles. Oh yeah, that and the fact that I will be buying more of both of them!

Rating: Buy It

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Mutual Wholesale Liquor

What They Said:

Per Good Wine Under $20 “Bright and floral, this wine was almost as translucent and colorless as water. It had a modest apple aroma, and when the wine was poured in the glass there was an alarming amount of froth (ok, mousse for the geeks out there). Usually wines with lots of froth/mousse the bubbles are big and harsh, but the Schloss Biebrich bubbles were smooth and small. On the palate, there wasn’t a harsh or bitter note, just warm pears flavors and a lingering impression of flowers on the finish.”

What I Think:

On request I decided to give a sparkler a try. After finding it on Good Wine Under $20 I felt quite lucky after more or less randomly pulling this one off the shelves at Trader Joe’s. Reading the review there I learned a lot about Sekt. Never would have guessed Germany consumed the most sparkling wine of any country in the world. I tried to find out what grape this was made of to no avail. Dr. Debs is guessing Riesling so I will get on that bandwagon. Another interesting fact, per all of my friends at wikipedia, is that most Sekt is made partially of grapes from outside the country. As Sekt made exclusively from German grapes can be labeled as Deutscher Sekt I think it is safe to guess this bottling is among those containing foreign grapes.

Now on to the main event, the color on this one is very light…could I guess a color? Almost clear, I guess I would say platinum. Subdued at first on the nose, then crisp white fruit aromas appear, seems to be mostly pear with hints of apples and peaches. Doesn’t look to bubbly in the glass but seems to be popping in the mouth. The palate starts full and rich, towards the middle the bubbles kick in full force. I mean more bubbles than I have ever experienced.  The finish is light and crisp, a hint tart almost similar to a Sauvignon Blanc. This was not overly sweet, like some German Rieslings, which is what I was expecting. An excellent value! I usually only have sparklers as an aperitif. Next time I try this one I think I’ll do so with an Indian or Thai dish and see how that goes…

By the way, if you are like me and rarely drink sparkling wine there is more good news. After opening this one I put the original cork back in for a week and it held just fine. In fact today is day 9 and it is still drinking fine. Enjoy!

Anyone else have a request before I buy another bottle of sparkling?

Rating: Buy It

Price: $36.99 @ Friend/Gift imported by Clicquot Inc.

What They Said:

Per wine.com “One of the world’s favorite Champagnes. Rich, nutty, and complex non-vintage Brut.  From one of the most prestigious Champagne houses, this Brut is the gold standard for non-vintage Champagne year in and year out. Deliciously rich on the nose and palate, with almond croissant and suggestions of Calvados in the aroma and flavor. A fuller-bodied style, creamy and round, with a long, lingering nutty finish. The best Champagne in a recent tasting. Simply superb!”

What I Think:

That same friend that was kind enough to invite us over for fresh tuna also sent us home with what must have been at least a 5lb piece for our continued enjoyment. How could you say no? From there we picked a few lucky friends to help us work through the cut. The couple that had joined us had bought this champagne for us when our son was born. As it was still chilling it seemed like as good of a time as any. I am not much of a champagne guy so you’re not going to get tasting notes from me. What I will tell you is that I want a bottle of this in my house at all times because if I am going to celebrate this is how you do it.

Rating: Wow!