Hungary's Etyek-Buda Wine Region & Nyakas Pince

One of the wines we tasted while learning about oxygen management during my trip to Nomacorc was 2012 Nyakas Budai Chardonnay.  I immediately noticed this Hungarian producer because many of their wines are available in the Washington D.C. market. The winery focuses exclusively on white wines and is located in the northern part of the Etyek-Buda wine region. This is a newer regional designation with the Buda inscription reference the rolling Buda hills with the regional spreading westward towards the settlement of Etyek, only 19 miles from the capital city.

The region's wine making history is quite fascinating. It is speculated that Romans planted grapes along the Buda Hills, but the first documented evidence starts in the 13th century when Serbian immigrants arrived, having been chased from their land by the Ottomans, and planted red varieties, probably Prokupac and Kadarka. At the time, the Buda wine region flowed along the Danube from Szentendre to Tétény. The Ottomans eventually reached Buda and Pest in the early to mid 1500s and ruled for a 150 years. Once the Turks were expelled, German immigrants were imported to resettle the area and they brought along many white grape varieties. After the phylloxera epidemic, many of these vines were replanted and their success led József Törley to establish his sparkling wine Törley House in the region. Other factors, of course, include the chalk and limestone soils as well as sharing the same latitude as Champagne. The Budafok sub-region now accounts for 70 percent of Hungary’s sparkling wine production.

The rest of contemporary Etyek-Buda is comprised of boutique wineries, mostly small family plots, and because of it's proximity to Budapest, wine tourism is a growing industry. White wines still dominate: Irsai Olivér, Olaszrizling (Welschriesling), Szurkebarat (Pinot gris), Zold Veltelini (Grüner Veltliner), Rizlingszilvani (Müller-Thurgau), Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Although not common, some red grapes are planted, particularly the indigenous Kadarka and Pinot Noir.

Getting back to Nyakas, I've tried many of their wines in the past. The Chardonnay was tasted at Nomacorc imparted different sensations based on the corc used - but the flavor itself was very reminiscent of the Chardonnay grape. Their Sauvignon Blanc was very kiwi-ish in the sense of lemon grass flavors with nice acidity. I always enjoyed their Irsai Olivér and Müller-Thurgau with the former portraying that muscat aroma and the later a nice young wine.

So if you find yourself in Budapest, head West into the hills to enjoy some whites and sparkling wine. Here's a video to give you an idea of the land - and a chance to learn Hungarian. Cheers.

Boneyard Wines Take Over #VAWineChat

Last week Tarara Vineyard & Winery winemaker Jordan Harris presented a selection of his new brand, Boneyard Wines to the monthly twitter chat #VAWineChat. These wines diverge from the traditional Tarara brand in that they are more experimental and consist of entry level as well as "uber" luxury options. The labels are very cool - earth movers digging up the boneyard - which respects Tarara's tradition by honoring a field where old wine making and vineyard equipment are sent to rust. The tasting for the evening consisted of the Boneyard 2012 Skins (Rkatsiteli orange wine), the Boneyard Boneyard Bubbles Blanc de Blanc, the Boneyard 2012 Cabernet Franc, and Boneyard 2010 Syrah.

We started with the much anticipated Boneyard 2012 Skins ($20), much anticipated in the sense that I am a deep believer in Rkatsiteli. In order to create an orange wine, the juice was macerated on its skins for 31 days, followed by mild oak treatment. In general, this type of wine possesses a floral aroma, with spicy characters in the palette and finish - with plenty of acidity. Unfortunately, the Boneyard Skins did not live up to my expectations; the floral aroma was present but the wine lacked both acidity and the spicy characters.  Yet, I applaud Jordan for his experiment - keep on digging....

The Bubbles Blanc de Blanc ($35), on the other hand, nailed all expectations. The wine was produced from Chardonnay grapes harvested in 2009 and then vinified using methodoise champagne traditions.  The wine was then bottled aged on its lees for 3 and a half years, developing texture and creaminess, before being disgorged and undergoing secondary fermentation. There sparkling wine is clean, fresh with plenty of effervescence, as well as gentle green apple and citrus flavors. Well done.

Only 26 cases were made from the Boneyard 2012 Cabernet Franc so this wine is only available for Case Club members. The wine spent 12 months in oak and despite the oak, is a medium bodied, fruit forward wine with very smooth tannins. The nose has a little smoke and tobacco, but the palette is a mixture of blackberries and raspberries. I enjoyed this one, but so long - unless I join the Case Club.


We finished with the Boneyard 2010 Syrah ($100) - yes the most expensive Virginia wine to date - more than those from RDV Vineyards.  The Syrah was co-fermented with 6% Viognier and then aged 38 months in oak;  Jordan is a self-described Rhône geek.  Like the Cab Franc, the tannins are smooth - yet the flavor is more plum and finishes with plenty of spice. Like the other wines, this one is closed with the screwcap and it needed to breathe for awhile to allow the Viognier floral notes and fruit to develop. Before breathing, the wine raced straight to the spicy finish. The price point speaks for itself, and we will let buyers express their rational. Cheers.

Blind Tasting Grower Champagne at MacArthur Beverages

Last week I was fortunate to be invited to a blogger's tasting at arguably the best wine shop in the District of Columbia, MacArthur Beverages. Not only does the store have a tremendous wine and spirits inventory, its also a nice commute - traversing Key Bridge, Georgetown University, the Reservoir, and returning on Chain Bridge. The topic for this evening's tasting was Brut Grower Champagne - aka - estate driven champagne focusing on a particular estate or vineyard.  And we tasted blind so that we weren't influenced by a particular Champagne house's reputation. This mode made that tasting quite interesting. The first list are my tasting notes; followed by the revealing.

1. Yeasty aroma citrus and grassy
2. Funky aroma - celery
3. Easy drinking - reminds of Furmint - balanced
4. Oaky green apple, longer finish even some citrus
5. Fruity aroma - acidic sweeter aroma & finish
6. Punch in the face - intense. But, finish falls off.
7. Easy drinking; doesn't jump out
8. Jammy cherry plum dried fruit toasty 

1. nv Dosnon & Lepage Brut ($40)

2. nv Louis Roederer Brut Premiere ($40)

3. nv L. Aubry Fils Brut Premier Cru ($40)

4. nv Pierre Peters Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvee de Reserve ($50)

5. 2007 Vilmart & Cie Brut Grand Cellier D'Or ($70)

6. 2010 Cedric Bouchard (Inflorescence) Brut Blanc de Noirs Val Vilaine ($60)

7. nv Dosnon & Lepage Brut Rose ($45)

8. nv Pascal Doquet Brut Rose ($50)

My favorite was #4 the Pierre Peters Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvee de Reserve and I found #3 the  L. Aubry Fils Brut Premier Cru very interesting - perhaps because of the 50% Pinot Meunier. Many of my associates preferred #5 the 2007 Vilmart & Cie Brut Grand Cellier D'Or but there was enough funkiness that threw me off.  The rest were generally tasty and easy to drink, except for the  Louis Roederer Brut Premier which had a strong vegetable - celery profile that forced an early dump.

Thanks to Phil and the MacArthur staff for the hospitality and also for a nice tasting of Highland Park Scotch - the 15 year was smooth, lightly peaty, sherry-ish finish -> basically pretty awesome. 

#TGTaste Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut & Brut Rose

This week I participated in the monthly ThirstyGirl Twitter chat this time featuring sparkling wines from Domaine Ste. Michelle - the bubbly wing of Chateau Ste. Michelle.  Specifically we were sent sample of the the Brut and Brut Rose- both retail around $12.  Expectations were high, since that day I learned that the The Wine Trials had named Chateau Ste. Michelle their 2011 Winery of the year and that they found that 70% of blind tasters preferred Domaine Ste. Michelle to Dom Pérignon and 85% preferred Domaine Ste. Michelle to Veuve Clicquot. Pretty impressive.

Both wines were made from grapes harvested from Washington's Columbia Valley, in which the winery is quick to relate, "whose climate is similar to that of the Champagne region in France".  The grapes were then fermented and converted to sparkling wine using the traditional Methode champenoise process.

The Brut is a blend of 88% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Noir and to me, exuded green apples from the nose to the finish. There is a slight sweetness to the body (1.19% RS) that dissipates at the refreshing  and effervescence tail. Just a pleasure to drink - lookout Christmas morning. The Brut Rose is 100% Pinot Noir, with the same sweetness, but more of a fruit flavor - strawberry replaces the apple - with a slight creaminess texture. The finish, just as refreshing as the Brut.

It's easy to understand why these wines are so popular - great RPQ at $12 and a quality well past this price range. Ready to move on to their Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs. Cheers all and Merry Christmas and a safe new year.

Wine 101: Sparkling Wines from Around the World

With Friday October 26th being the 3rd Annual #ChampagneDay 2012, I thought it wise to draft a compendium of the sparkling wines from around the world. First, what is sparkling wine? Basically, it is still wine augmented with significant levels of carbon dioxide - thus the bubbles or fizz. Sparkling wine can be produced using one of two methods: (1) still wines undergo a second fermentation (in the bottle or in a sealed vat) or (2) CO2 is directly injected into the bottled still wine.  The traditional method (méthode champenoise) involves a second fermentation in the bottle where sugar and yeast are added to the bottle, triggering a second fermentation. "Through the process of riddling and eventually disgorgement, the dead yeast cells (lees) are removed from the wine while still maintaining the dissolved carbon dioxide gas." The Charmat method is the other secondary fermentation method which occurs in pressurized stainless steel fermentation tanks. The fresh yeast and sugar mixture is added to the wine in these tanks - basically an economies of size solution to the méthode champenoise. After secondary fermentation the wine is cooled, clarified and bottled using a counter pressure filler.

Champagne - is produced in the Champagne region of France using the méthode champenoise and most likely Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes. Chardonnay is prized for its finesse and aging ability. Pinot Noir adds body and fruit while Pinot Meunier contributes substantially to the aroma, adding fruit and floral notes. The majority of Champagnes produced are non-vintage (or rather, multi-vintage) blends.

Crémant - is sparkling wine produced using méthode champenoise in seven French appellations and one in Luxenbourg. In France, Crémant wines must be hand harvested within fixed yields and the resulting sparkling wine must be aged at least one year. In Luxenbourg, Crémant is produced in the Moselle district using the traditional method followed by at least nine months of aging.

• Crémant d'Alsace - produced from Pinot Blanc grapes, but may also contain Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.
• Crémant de Bordeaux
• Crémant de Bourgogne - produced in Burgundy and must be composed of at least thirty percent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris grapes.
• Crémant de Die - produced in the Rhône Valley region using Clairette, Aligote and Muscat grapes.
• Crémant du Jura - produced in the Jura wine region, located between Burgundy and Switzerland. White and rosé wines can be produced from Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir red grapes and Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Savagnin white grapes.
• Crémant de Limoux - produced in the Languedoc region, specifically in the villages surrounding Limoux and composed primarily of Mauzac (Blanquette de Limoux).
• Crémant de Loire - second largest producer of sparkling wine in France usually using a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc.
• Crémant de Luxembourg - produced in the Moselle district using the traditional method followed by at least nine months of aging.

Cava - Spanish sparkling wine produced primarily around Catalonia.  According to Spanish law, cava may be produced in eight wine regions: Aragon, the Basque Country, Castile and León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Navarra, Rioja or the Valencian Community. Cava can be white or rosé (small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha or Monastrell are added). Traditionally Cava is produced from indigenous Macabeu, Parellada, and Xarello grapes but may also contain Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Subirat.

Prosecco - Italian sparkling wine made using the Charmat method and primarily Glera grapes harvested from Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Asti - Italian sparkling wine that is produced in southeastern Piedmont, particularly around the towns of Asti and Alba. The wine is made from the Moscato Bianco grape using the Charmat method and is generally sweet and low in alcohol.

Lambrusco - Italian sparkling wine produced using the Charmat method in four zones in Emilia-Romagna and one in Lombardy using six Lambrusco red varieties: Lambrusco Grasparossa, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Montericco, Lambrusco Salamino and Lambrusco Sorbara. All of these various Lambrusco grapes are indigenous to Emilia and neither clones nor sub-clones.
Franciacorta - Italian sparkling wine from Lombardy using a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and using the méthode champenoise.

Sekt - German or Austrian sparkling wine produced usually using the Charmat method. Deutescher Sekt is produced exclusively from German grown grapes (Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir), whereas most Sekt is produced from imported grapes.In Austria, Sekt is produced from Welschriesling and Gruner Vetliner grapes.

Espumante - Portuguese sparkling wine produced throughout Portugal from the northern region of Vinho Verde to the southern region of the Alentejo. Quality Espumante is produced solely in DOC Bairrada, located just south of Vinho Verde, using the méthode champenoise and made from quick-pressed red Baga or Touriga Nacional grapes, fragrant white Maria Gomes, Arinto, Bical and Chardonnay.

Pezsgő - Hungarian sparkling wine produced primarily using the Charmat method, but more recently the méthode champenoise using indigenous Olaszrizling, Kékfrankos, Furmint, Királyleányka, Hárslevelű, Kéknyelű and Juhfark or Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Muscat Ottonel.

Penina - Slovenian sparkling wine made using the using the méthode champenoise usually from the Radgona-Kapela district (Drava Valley) or Bizeljsko-Brežice district ( Lower Sava Valley).

Australia - sparkling wine in Australia is usually made from Champagne grapes using the méthode champenoise with Tasmania and Victoria the most prized regions. Sparkling Shiraz is made from oak aged Syrah that undergoes secondary fermentation using méthode champenoise.

United Kingdom - sparkling wine is produced in the U.K. in Kent and Sussex counties using the méthode champenoise and from multiple grapes Seyval Blanc, Kerner, Müller-Thurgau; and to a lesser extent the Champagne grapes:  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

South Africa - South African sparkling wine is called Method Cap Classique, South Africa’s name for methode champenoise using traditional Champagne grape varieties.

United States: most American wineries produce sparkling wines using the methode champenoise and traditional Champagne grape varieties.

• Finger Lakes - cooler climate allows for more intense flavors at a lower brix measurement using Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling grapes.

Finger Lakes Wine Country Goes Sparkling and Icy

This week we participated in a Finger Lakes Wine Country Finger Lakes Wine Virtual Tasting Series tasting on Dessert, Sparkling, & Ice Wines. We were sent samples from seven Finger Lakes wineries - specifically three sparkling wines and four dessert or ice wines.during the tasting several bloggers shared their insight on the wines via Twitter (#FLXWineVT), submitted questions to the winemakers, and watched real time as the winemakers discussed their wines. 


We started with the sparkling wines and while tasting learned that this style is a "Labor of Love" for the winemakers and also, the the Finger Lakes cooler climate allows for more intense flavors at a lower brix measurement.  We started with the Atwater Estate Vineyards 2008 Sparkling Cuvee ($30), which is a
66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay blend. The grapes ripened at the same time, which allowed them to be co-fermented after being whole clustered pressed. The winery then follows the traditional Champagne Methodoise where the the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle with active riddling so that the lees do not settle in one area. The lees are removed during disgorging, more sugar and wine added during dosage, and then sealed with a champagne-style cork closure. The result is an impressive sparkling wines - full of green apple flavor, a strong mid-palette, and a refreshing lemon finish.

We moved next to the 100% Pinot Noir 2008 Blanc de Noir ($30) from McGregor Vineyard Winery. This wine was created because winemaker Jeff Dencenburg wanted to experiment with a 100% PN. My feelings is that the wine is just not on par, particularly when following the Atwater Cuvee. Yes this wine had a decent mouth feel, but the flavor was bland and not exciting. Many of the other bloggers disagreed, proving that no two palettes are the same.

The final sparkling wine was the Swedish Hill Winery Riesling Cuvee ($18) - a most interesting wine fermented to 3.5% R.S. and reminding many of us as a Proseco - with more flavor. The Riesling juice was tank fermented in order to retain the inherent flavor of the grape. The result is a food friendly sparkler with a strong amount of lychee on the nose and a nice balance between sugar and acidity at the tail. Nicely done.

Round two consisted of the dessert and ice wines and these were all well received. We started with the Casa Larga Vineyards 2008 Fiori Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($45). The name translates to Flower of Stars in Italian and is what the harvest workers view in the dead of night when harvesting the frozen grapes. Yes, true German style Eiswein are produced from grapes harvested when completely frozen in the middle of night - usually in late December or early January. As expected, the volume at harvest is much lower than for grapes harvested on a normal schedule resulting in 1/4 less yield (1 ton of grapes = 160 gallons vs 1 ton of grapes = 40 gallons). The Eiswein juice is then cold fermented and the result is a slightly syrupy sweet nectar. And the beauty of using Vidal Blanc is the natural acidity and the grape balances the concentrated sugar in the wine. The is a very nice apricot flavored wine - perfectly balanced between sweetness and acidity.

The other true "Eiswein" was the Knapp Vineyards Winery 2010 Vidal Ice Wine ($25). The was my preferred dessert wine of the evening showcasing an orange aroma, followed by a full - full apricot profile, finishing with refreshing acidity.  This reminded of the famed Hungarian Tokaji wines - with a high puttonyos. And at $25 a bargain.

The last two wines were produced in an ice wine style where the grapes were harvested late and then immediately frozen in order to concentrate the sugars. The Lucas Vineyards 2010 Vidal Blanc Iced ($25) was very similar to the Knapp, without the orange aroma, but a very similar apricot flavor profile. Just a tad lighter - but a very nice wine. The Standing Stone Vineyards 2010 Gewurztraminer Ice ($25) is an excellent alternative to the Vidal, emanating a more lychee flavor profile with a spicy finish. Gewurztraminer is an interesting grape to use for an ice styled wine since its low level of acids would be difficult to balance the concentrated sugar. Yet freezing the grapes solves this problem by concentrating the acids in addition to the sugar. The result is a balanced wine.

Cheers to the Finger Lakes - there's more than just Riesling.

The United Grapes of America - New Mexico - Gruet Winery Blanc de Noirs

It was unanimous. Every chef and sommelier interviewed by StarChefs.com selected Gruet Winery as their preferred winery from New Mexico. There are about 40 wineries in the "Land of Enchantment" producing wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Johannisburg Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Zinfandel grapes. This Labor Day Weekend, wines from New Mexico will be showcased at the New Mexico Wine Growers Association Harvest Wine Festival at the Southern NM State Fairgrounds in Las Cruces and in Bernalillo at the 25th Annual New Mexico Wine Festival.

Gruet Winery is probably the most popular winery - assisted by its wide distribution network - selling over 100,000 cases to 48 states. The winery was founded by French champagne producer Gilbert Gruet after he and his family visited the American southwest in 1983. As a result of meeting a group of New Mexican winemakers, they (Gruet; his children, winemaker Laurent and daughter Nathalie; and family friend Farid Himeur) planted an experimental vineyard with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes near the town of Engle.  The vineyards are situated at 4,300 feet, allowing for large diurnal temperature change between the extremely hot days and cool nights. Plus, there's little humidity to contribute to grape rot. An excellent location. And using the traditional grapes from Champagne, New Mexican sparkling wine was born.

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

For our tasting ,we selected the Gruet Blanc de Noirs available from Whole Foods for $15. Composed of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the wine follows traditional Champagne Methodoise practices, maybe too much - since the secondary fermentation gave this sparkler an explosive amount of bubbles. But after the initial fireworks settled, the wine was very tasty, 100% dry with creamy apple flavors and a tart almost citrusy finish. This is a solid sparkling wine, and at that price, why not drink a sparkler a day.

Cider 101 - Spencerville Red and Black Twig

After visits to Foggy Ridge Cider and Castle Hill Cider I have become fascinated with the history and diverse apple varieties associated with hard cider. This post starts a new series, Cider 101, helping me, and hopefully you, learn more about the industry.

Maryland is home to two cider makers, Distillery Lane Ciderworks and Great Shoals Winery. The later is just an infant, opening in 2011, and I picked up several of their ciders at the Maryland Wine Bar in Berlin Maryland.  One of these was the Spencerville Red Hard Apple and little did I know that during high school I drove past these orchards during our after-school joy rides in the country - at least back then it was the country. The Spencerville Red apple was discovered and patented by the folks at Heyser Farms in Colesville (Montgomery County) Maryland. It is thought to be a cross between the York Imperial and the crab apple. According to the farm, the "apple is unusual because it has both a high acid and a high sugar content... a tangy flavor when first picked, then sweetens in storage".  Besides selling the apples, Heyser Farms produces the Spencerville Red sweet cider. Matt Cimin, proprietor of Great Shoals, heard about the apple and soon it was the basis for the Spencerville Red Hard Apple sparkling apple wine. Even though it tastes like a hard cider, it is technically a wine since the alcohol content is over 8 percent. According to Maryland law, hard ciders must be less than 7 percent alcohol. The wine is also a sparkler, bottle conditioned to add a little bubbly - no manual carbonation.  The benefits of using apples with high sugar contents. This is a very clean cider, refreshing, with a hint of tartness. And priced at $15 - a nice value. Last year, it won “Best in Class” and Gold medals at the Maryland Governor’s Cup Awards and a “Best Sparkling” at the Maryland Wine Masters’ Choice Awards. Nicely done.

Another single varietal apple cider from Great Shoals is their Black Twig Hard Apple - officially recognized as Delaware’s first hard cider. That is, the apples were harvested from TS Smith and Sons - not far north of the winery in Bridgeville, Delaware. Legend has it that the Black Twig apple variety was first grown near Fayetteville, Tennessee during the 1830s - very Jacksonian of it. The apple is both sweet and tart - some refer to it as extremely tart, with a tannic finish. Like the Spencerville Red, the Black Twig Hard Apple is bottle conditioned sparkling and also labelled a wine because of its alcohol content. However, its flavor profile is completely different - with fuller flavors and the tannins are evident on the tail. Again, at $15, this is a nice value. And now we have to new apple varieties to add to our lexicon, Spencerville Red and Black Twig.

The United Grapes of America - Hawaii's Tedeschi Vineyards Hula O'Maui

4th of July Hula O'Maui.- Ocean City MD

We are going to expand on a great article by Jeff Harding at StarChefs.com on the The United Grapes of America and attempt to taste a wine from each state once per week. And why not on this 4th of July feature a wine from our most recent state - the Tedeschi Vineyards Hula O'Maui. This is a sparkling wine made in the Methode Champenoise style from 100% Maui pineapples. The wines are available in the East Coast courtesy of Vino50 Selections and I purchased at Wholefoods for $23.99.

Although Tedeschi Vineyards\Maui's Winery grow and produce grape wines, we would expect a Hawaiian winery to utilize fruit indigenous to the islands. So we weren't surprised that they offered a pineapple wine - the surprise was the sparkler. And as expected, this wine is all pineapple - the tasting notes mention other fruit characteristics - but let me tell you, this is pineapple - from nose to tail. Many readers might be thinking that the wine must be sweet; and yes there is inherit fruitiness that may be misinterpreted as sweetness.. But the wine is fermented brut - completely dry.  And talk about refreshing - who needs Chardonnay (at least when dreaming of the Tropics); in the words of Andrew Stover, "a fun wine". Happy 4th of July. 

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

Update: Evidently my family has a more sophisticated palette than me because many in our group picked up citrus flavors as well as some clove.

#WBW74 Value Sparkling Wine: Yellow Tail Bubbles - Keeps on Bubbling

This month we finally got around to opening a bottle of sparkling wine that we had received late last year - just in time for Wine Blogging Wednesday 74 which is focusing on Value Sparkling Wine. This was the Yellow Tail Bubbles Sparkling White Wine, a very affordable sparkling wine ($10) accompanied by an interesting closure device. This is the Zork, a bottle topper that pops like a cork but can also be used to reseal the bottle, and only available on Yellow Tail sparkling wines. If you don't finish the bottle the first evening, then seal the bottle and in theory, the Zork will maintain the gas pressure. And in fact, it does work. One week ofter opening, we opened the wine - and yes, we wouldn't recommend this length of time, but the wine was still carbonated. Since this wine isn't carbonated using méthode champenoise, I suspect Yellow Tail injects a little extra carbonation to help maintain gas levels over an extended time.

Now to the wine and, really, for a $10 wine - this is a good deal. Its not completely dry, but with decent fruit, low alcohol (11.5%), and a creamy finish complements to a secondary malo-latic fermentation. Don't get too many inexpensive sparklers going through a secondary fermentation - maybe the grapes were picked a little early - holding more acidity. If you are looking for an inexpensive sparkling wine, this one's for you.

Bordeaux's Finest Sparkler - Jaillance Cremant de Bordeaux "Cuvee de l'Abbaye"

This week's topic on #winechat was Champagne and unfortunately I was delinquent in purchasing a bottle. Fortunately I did have a sparkling wine available, and one from Bordeaux at that: the Cremant de Bordeaux "Cuvee de l'Abbaye". I never anticipated this region as a source of sparkling wine, but the wine cooperative Jaillance has impressed this family. Not only is the wine affordable ($18.99), made from two uncommon sparkling grapes (70% Semillon, 30% Cabernet Franc), but it completely fits our tastes in a sparkling wine. It's dry, yet fruity - mostly strawberry, with a slight creamy finish. Beautiful. Don't trust us? Well, all Jaillance wines are designated Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) - so they have the French stamp of approval.

After finishing the "Cuvee de l'Abbaye", we moved on to the Jaillance Clairette de Die Cuvee Imperiale. This wine is produced in Northern Rhone, specifically, in the Drôme Valley, Clairette de Die "appellation d’origine" (AOC). These wines must consist of 75% muscat and the remainder Clairette, then fermented using the "ancestral dioise process". This process was first utilized over 2,000 by the Gallic tribe, Voconces, who left jars of the wine in rivers over the winter and then recovered them in the spring. Today the grapes are cold fermented using modern equipment that more or less replicates a freezing river. Before fermentation ceases, the wines are bottled and the wine continues to ferment at a controlled 12 °C until the percent alcohol falls between 7 and 9%.

The first impression of the Clairette de Die Cuvee Imperiale is its popping floral aroma - made more intense by the 90% muscat. Because the fermentation process is intended to retain as much grape sugar as possible, this wine is slightly sweet. Not our general sugar preference, but in general we were very pleased with this sparkler. Its light, fresh apricot-peach flavors and the bubbles and low alcohol definitely balance the sugar. Still prefer the brut, but the Clairette de Die Cuvee Imperiale is a pleasant alternative.

Blanquette de Limoux

History tells us that Blanquette de Limoux, the world's first sparkling wine, dates as far back as 1531. At the time, the monks of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Hilaire, near Limoux, were producing a somewhat unusual white wine in their cellars. Inside its glass flask, with a cork top - very rare for wines at this time - it acquired a natural sparkle. This was the forefather of the brut which is tasted today at the world's most prestigious tables.

Since they first started cultivating vines, the growers of Limoux have aimed at maintaining the originality of the Blanquette de Limoux growth and developing its quality. The region's surrounding hills protect it from the extremes of the Mediterranean and Atlantic climates, with the area enjoying a microclimate particularly suitable for making quality white wine. The vines classified in the appellation are always planted at the top of southern-facing slopes, giving the best exposure. The soil here is shallow and sparse, full of chalk and stone. The surface area of the vineyards is restricted by quota, the yield is limited, and the grapes are picked manually only, in sections, at the ideal stage of ripening.

Two exclusively white grape varieties: Mauzac and Chardonnay form the basis of the blend for Blanquette de Limoux. Mauzac, the growth's traditional variety, gives body and aroma. Chardonnay, its irreplaceable partner, reinforces the bouquet, the freshness and the finesse.The result is a dry, creamy-textured, full-bodied wine with a fine yeasty character present in the aroma. Subtly fruity, with toasty green apple and lemon flavors. Tastes very clean yet with a long full finish.