We Sparkling Winos have been putting up our Champagne Christmas Tree for a few years now and every year, we get tonnes of feedback from friends and family who want to know (a) how we could drink so much champagne over the course of the year that we have enough to bottles to trim our tree and (b) how on earth did we conceptualize and arrange such festive and fun tree.
We’re now three quarters of the way through “Dry January” so we Sparkling Winos decided to dedicate a blog post to the “driest” of all sparkling wine styles: Brut Nature! 😊🍾
What comes to mind when you think of British Columbia? The beautiful, mountainous landscape? That laid back, Western Canadian attitude? Maybe Lake Okanagan and fresh salmon? Or, if you’re into wine, the whole “big reds” thing? Well, all of those do come to mind for us, but… so does sparkling wine of course! Inspired by a coast-to-coast tasting of Canadian sparkling wine at the 2017 Terroir Symposium, we made it our personal mission to visit the main wine regions of Canada in 2017-2018. Image already added And, with our trip out to the Okanagan of British Columbia… our mission was …
This is #SparklingSpotlight, where we profile wineries with a focus on fizz! 🍾 These wineries strive for sparkling greatness, and make the world a more effervescent place. Sparkling wine production takes scientific precision, dedication and patience, and we celebrate those bold enough to craft it! So, without further ado, let’s focus our #SparklingSpotlight on… Hinterland Wine Co.!
Ahh, Champagne! There’s just nothing else like it. It’s the drink ubiquitous with luxury and celebration. Whether you’re toasting to a special occasion or just in the mood to #TreatYoSelf – the answer is always: “Champagne!” Yet so much of Champagne – as a beverage and as a region – remains a mystery to even the most savvy of consumers. Even we as Sparkling Winos are constantly finding new elements to explore and new producers to seek out. Cue Liz Palmer’s “The Ultimate Guide to Champagne”… an invaluable resource! 😍
This is #SparklingSpotlight – where we profile wineries with a focus on fizz! 🍾 These wineries strive for sparkling greatness, and make the world a more effervescent place. Sparkling wine production takes scientific precision, dedication and patience, and we celebrate those bold enough to craft it! So, without further ado, let’s focus our #SparklingSpotlight on… Trius Winery!
This is “POP or FLOP”, where we taste test sparkling wines so you don’t have to! This week we’re sipping Palatine Hills Estate Winery’s Prestige, a traditional method Blanc De Blancs. A sparkling coming from a winery connected to the War of 1812 that also happens to be one of Niagara’s oldest vineyards … let’s just say we were jazzed to pop this bottle! So, is this a bottle of bubbles you should POP? 💁 Or is it a FLOP? 🙅 Let’s see…
Now that we have your attention, we’d like to redirect it to the criminally underappreciated sparkling wines of Germany. German winemakers are known for amazing Riesling and Spätburgunder (aka Pinot Noir), but did you know that sparkling wines are one of their specialties, as well?
This year, we Sparkling Winos had the privilege of attending the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (aka “i4C“) in Wine Country Ontario! It’s no surprise that i4C has been described as “Christmas in July” or the “Woodstock of Chardonnay”. With over 50 wine makers in attendance (and 150+ selected cool climate wines on offer) i4C is truly an epic celebration of all things cool… and the highlight of the summer calendar here in Niagara!
This is “POP or FLOP”, where we taste test sparkling wines so you don’t have to! This week we’re sipping Nino Franco Brut Prosecco Superiore! Now, that’s a mouthful of a name, eh?