In Vino Veritas
My mantra in life is that you don’t need a special occasion to pop a bottle of bubbles. Whether you’re celebrating a successful end to the recruit season, or just getting through a Tuesday, sparkling wine fits the bill.
Sparkling wine is more than just Champagne. While Champagne is unarguably the best-known variety, there are a ton of great sparkling wines produced outside of the eponymous 132-square-mile region in Northern France. Sparkling wine can be made in several different ways, with the most popular being the traditional method (Cava, Champagne, crémant), the tank method (Lambrusco, prosecco), and my favourite, the ancestral method (pétillant naturel). Beyond the method of production, there are so many different varietals that can be featured in sparkling wines—it’s not just white wine!
Our reviews this month feature a diverse array of varietals and production methods, but all have one thing in common: they’re big on bubbles. Janice Fung (1L) kicks things off with a refreshing Lambrusco (a sparkling red!). I take us on a trip to Georgia with a super unique, hybrid-produced bottle of bubbly. Angela Gu (3L JD/MBA) celebrates good news with a traditional Brut Champagne. Alexa Cheung (3L) joins Angela in sharing a bottle of best-selling sparkling riesling from Niagara. Lastly, Sawyer Peloso (2L) takes us back to France with a crisp crémant. Come along with us on this journey and discover the wonderful world of sparkling wine!
Janice Fung (1L)
Cantina di Soliera, Lambrusco di Sorbara
$30, Peter Pantry
I have to admit, sparkling wine is not my favourite (perhaps too many 1.5 litre Spumante Bambinos in undergrad?), but this Lambrusco hits a bit differently. When I walked into Peter Pantry, I told the nice lady that I was looking for a “fun sparkling wine” and I was not disappointed. It’s sweet on the nose with hints of berry, but still short and dry enough to keep a refreshing character. This light bubbly will pair nicely with a plate of your favourite seafood pasta. If you’re a red wine drinker reluctant to dabble into lighter coloured sparklers, I would recommend giving this sparkling red a try!
Shae Rothery (2L)
Ori Marani, ‘Definitely Maybe’
$42, Grape Witches
This one is not for the faint of heart. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t the strangest wine I’d ever tasted. The first note that came to mind—and I’m genuinely not joking, I really debated not including this for fear of sounding like I have the unrefined palate of a four-year-old, but here goes—McNuggets. Once I got past the nostalgic, confusing, and yet oddly intriguing aroma of the PlayPlace, I really enjoyed this funky hybrid traditional/pét-nat. It had an almost briney quality to it, and a cloudiness and creaminess reminiscent of a Nigori sake.
Beyond the flavour, this wine was bubbly as hell. Normally, a pét-nat, while still a sparkling wine, doesn’t reach the effervescent quality of a traditionally produced bottle of bubbles. I won’t bore you with the science, but pét-nats generally undergo one fermentation, while traditional methods employ two periods of fermentation to really pump up the carbon dioxide in the bottle. ‘Definitely Maybe’ had the unfiltered, almost kombucha-like characteristic of a pét-nat, combined with the bubbles of a traditional sparkling wine. Overall, it was a pleasant experience.
Angela Gu (3L JD/MBA)
Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut Champagne
$91.95, LCBO
There’s something magical about manifesting things into existence, and having Champagne chilling in the fridge in anticipation sure helps. I mentally prepared for interview week by purchasing this bottle, ready to celebrate the end of the recruit, whatever the result. Well, I had already preemptively celebrated a week in advance with friends. Alexa reviews the sparkling riesling we had—it was wonderfully sweet.
That Wednesday evening, I popped the cork on a congratulatory Zoom call. Zoom, because I was three days into a bad cold and I was holed up at home, alone. I tasted very little of the beautifully golden Champagne through my blunted sensory systems, but I was able to glean notes of apple, as well as a lot of yeasty goodness. I will just have to buy another bottle of Bolly to savour and share another day.
Alexa Cheung (3L)
Back 10 Cellars, Smitten 2019 Sparkling Wine
$24.95, Back 10 Cellars
As Angela said, we shared this bottle of wine as part of an early celebration. Annecy Pang (3L), who kindly brought the wine to share, said it was delicious and so my expectations were high. This sparkling wine is 100 percent riesling, which is a good sign as I generally like most rieslings. It was sweet (but not too sweet) with fresh notes of pear, apple, and lime. This bubbly was very easy to drink, which explains why it is the Niagara winery’s best-selling wine.
We paired this bottle with a beautiful charcuterie board comprised of various cheeses, assorted meats, and green grapes. I especially liked how the wine complemented the sweet, nutty flavours of Emmental cheese.
Sawyer Peloso (2L)
Domaine Allimant-Laugner Brut Crémant d’Alsace
$24.95, LCBO
I’m someone who is very selective and particular in the wines that I sample and purchase. However, I am quite a bit less experienced when it comes to drinking and sampling sparkling wines. As such, I thought I would review a random sparkling wine that was gifted to me for my birthday in September. I was very pleasantly surprised. While I always love when friends give me wine, I don’t usually expect it to be any good. I found this one to be very palatable. It had very strong hints of melon on the nose. After the first sip, I tasted both green apple and pear. Pears happen to be my favourite fruit, and this very likely contributed to my enjoyment of the drink. Lastly, the finish was very dry, but crisp, and it left me wanting more. I was very thankful that I had roommates to share the bottle with, as I knew right away that I wanted multiple glasses, which was less than ideal on a school night. I will definitely be drinking this again and sending a belated thank you to the friend who gifted me the wine.
