Between holiday parties and the traditional year-end toasts, this is the time for sparkling wine to shine.
And this time around we’re here to praise the vast and varied styles of bubbles that come from Italy. There is a brilliant diversity of sparkling wine styles to explore from that country, many of which are under $30 (impossible to find in Champagne these days) and also are perfect for entertaining a crowd, no matter the menu.
Our choices below range from a funky pét-nat to crowd-pleasing prosecco — and white, red and pink bubbles all are included, to help you toast the new year.
Aldo Viola Brutto vino frizzante bianco Ancestrale. We never tire of the delightful wines that come from Sicily, and this fizzy pét-nat is no exception. Made from catarratto, a primary white grape on the island that exudes aromas and flavors of yellow plum and apricot, it has a pleasant, subtle saline finish. Pair this with a feast of tinned fish, crusty bread and good olive oil.
Sorelle Bronca extra dry prosecco. The Bronca sisters are doing good work in the Veneto region, sending stateside a quality prosecco made in the style Italians drink. “Extra dry” designates a lightly sweet wine, with lovely fruit notes of honeydew melon, bright lime and mineral. This one was made to pair with salty meats and cheeses, so don’t hesitate to chill a few bottles to serve to holiday party guests enjoying your charcuterie board. It also is extremely good with spicy fried chicken, so bring a bottle to the bowl game viewing party.
Cantine Monfort cuvée ’85 Trentino DOC. The Champagne province of France is considered by many to be the benchmark for quality sparkling wines made primarily from chardonnay and pinot noir. That said, the mountainous Trentino region of northeast Italy has some delicious wines made in the metodo classico (the Italian term for the traditional method also used to make Champagne). With aromas of pastry crust, peaches and green apple, this is a lovely substitute for Champagne with your fancy caviar and oyster spreads.
Mirco Mariotti Sèt e Mèz rosato. We’ve never seen a wine fly off the shelf at Thanksgiving like this delightful, rich, rosy pink sparkling wine. Originating from the Adriatic coastal region of Emilia-Romagna and made from the fortana grape, this wine is chock full of tart red fruit notes (cherry, cranberry and pomegranate) and is as delicious with Italian subs (our Christmas Eve tradition) as it is with turkey and cranberry sauce.
Zanasi lambrusco grasparossa di Castelvetro. If your tradition is meaty Italian-American red sauce dishes for Christmas dinner, delight the table with this deeply red sparkling wine from one of our favorite lambrusco producers. Fruity, but not sweet, and with a refreshing nature not often associated with fully red wines, it makes a great pairing for pizza and pasta, particularly with sausage or other cured meats. We favor the dark red style, made from the grasparossa lambrusco grape, but seek out the style made from the sorbara lambrusco for a lighter, fuschia pink bubbly that is a delicious choice for aperitivo snack hour.
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