But there are several other styles of sparkling made in Italy, with Franciacorta perhaps the best known (and yes, I know most of us still haven’t heard of it). I’ve never quite been able to figure out Franciacorta; why would anyone want to make Champagne-style bubbly with the same grapes used in France in Italy?
Having said that, I’ve tasted some terrific Franciacorta wines over the years. Typically, they’re pricey, though well-made, and they’ve shown up once or twice on the blog. The Bellavista ($35, sample, 12.5%) is also well-made and much less pricey – just the thing for the holidays.
Look for tight, Champagne-style bubbles, the traditional green apple fruit, not too much French-style yeastiness, and a very nice finish and back end that with surprisingly minerality. Considering its price as well as the cost of Champagne, the Bellavista is a tremendous value.
A word about vintages and availability. I tasted the 2008, which is long gone (and no doubt why I got the sample). But the wine is widely available in a variety of vintages, as well as a non-vintage wine. Most should be similar to what I tasted.
“Yes, I know he used this picture last year. But it still does the job, yes? And maybe I can finally get a royalty.”
Four recommendations for Christmas wine 2021
Once again, the blog’s Christmas wine suggestions — whether for a last minute gift, something to drink when you just want a glass, or a holiday dinner. As always, keep our wine gift giving tips in mind — and don’t overlook the blog’s 2021 holiday gift guide (blog subscriptions, hint, hint).
These wines will get you started:
• Domaine Bousquet Brut Rose NV ($13, sample, 12%): This isn’t quite the stunner that the previous version was, but it’s still a fine value sparkling wine. Look for quality bubbles, some red fruit and a bit of citrus. The finish is a bit tart. Imported by Origins Organic Imports
• Domaine du Séminaire Côtes du Rhône 2019 ($17, purchased, 14.5%): This red is a balanced, structured and almost subtle Cote du Rhone from France. That means lots of berry fruit and some spice (licorice?) and maybe even some garrigue. Plus, of course, since we’re hipsters here, it uses concrete tanks. Imported by Martine’s Wines
• Moulin de Gassac Guilhem Rosé 2020 ($10, purchased, 12.5%): This is the rose from this French producer, and is almost as impressive. Look for more fruit tan expected (strawberries), plus a touch savory, and almost stony on the back. Imported by Polaner Selections
• Château Boisson Blanc 2018 ($12, purchased, 13%): Dependable white Bordeaux — fresh, lots of citrus, some minerality on the back. It’s not subtle, but it is professionally made and won’t disappoint if you’re looking for something white that tastes French. Imported by Virtuoso Selections
Top-notch holiday wine buying advice never goes out of style
Call this the blog’s newest holiday tradition — the Wine Curmudgeon opening a bottle of sparkling wine live and in one take. And I don’t even have any initials after my name. The original post ran here.
So solid holiday wine buying advice, which is always welcome. Click on the Watch on YouTube link to see the video; it’s age-restricted because we’re talking about alcohol.
Many thanks to host Michael Sansolo as well as everyone at the Private Label Manufacturers Association who put this together. Even better, they didn’t laugh too hard at the WC’s reaction after being told he would have to wear makeup.
Would that we had been able to continue the series, which was going to focus on buying quality wine at the supermarket. But the world intervened, as it often does.
“I don’t know… should I tell the WC about this wine for the Hall of Fame?”
The 2022 $10 Hall of Fame and Cheap Wine of the Year are just a month away — and let’s not overlook the blog as a holiday gift
Want to nominate a wine for the Hall of Fame or Cheap Wine of the Year? Then do it soon, since I’m already sorting, collating, and reviewing tasting notes for the 2022 versions of each. The blog’s schedule for the rest of the year includes:
• Christmas and New Year’s wine ideas on Dec. 17 and Dec. 23.
• The 2022 $10 Hall of Fame will make its 15th appearance on Jan. 7, and the 2022 Cheap Wine of the Year will post on Jan. 6. As always, email me with suggestions for either or leave them in the comments. Eligibility rules are here. Keep in mind the wine should cost less than $12 or $13, should be generally available, and can’t be a private label sold exclusively by one retailer.
The Wine Curmudgeon’s holiday wine gift guide 2021 — which, of course, includes things that aren’t wine
Do a Google search for wine gifts, and they tend to repeat each other — as if one gift guide borrowed from another gift guide which borrowed from another gift guide. Consider this waterproof Bluetooth glass holder so you can listen to tunes and drink wine while in the shower. It showed up in so many gift roundups that it’s sold out.
Which, of course, we don’t do here. Hence, the blog’s 2021 holiday wine gift guide, which includes things that aren’t wine. And, as always, keep the blog’s wine gift buying guidelines in mind:
• Steven Spurrier: A Life in Wine ($45): Spurrier, who died this year, could have been the most important wine writer in those ancient, pre-Parker days. If he had not held the Judgment of Paris, who knows how long it would have taken California wine to take its place in the world? But Spurrier was much more than a wine writer; he was also an important wine educator and leading wine merchant who owned a wine shop in Paris — hardly something most Britons would do.
• Smith-Madrone’s riesling ($35, sample, 12.9%) is a wine that reminds me just how amazing wine can be. For one thing, California doesn’t do much riesling, and it certainly doesn’t do much well. But this one is a revelation, combining California-style fruitiness with the varietal characteristics that make great riesling so much fun to drink. That means lime zest, a bit of tingliness in the back, a hint of petrol, some sweetness floating around to remind you it’s riesling, just enough acidity to greet the sweetness, and stoniness in the finish.
• Regular visitors know that the Wine Curmudgeon is not much for wine gadgets; he’d rather buy wine. Still, there’s something about this metal foil cutter ($25) that strikes me as worthwhile. Too many bottles still have foil caps and too many of those refuse to come off with a twist. And, frankly, using a waiter’s corkscrew to remove the foil leads to cursing and cut fingers. So why not a foil cutter?
• Laherte Freres Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature ($50, purchased, 12.5%) is an amazing bubbly, everything that Champagne – the sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France – should be, and especially for those of us who prefer a cleaner, more minerally style. One estimate gives it another 20 years in the bottle, and I wouldn’t argue with that at all.
And, finally — shameless plug alert! — give the blog as a gift: One year of the newsletter at 20 percent off, just $56. Click this link to send a gift subscription. Use the email address of the person you’re giving the subscription to where it asks for an email, add a credit card, and they’ll get the $10 Hall of Fame, the Cheap Wine of the Year, and all of the rest — plus the rants and analysis that have made the blog what it is.
Balleto’s chardonnay is a reminder that California can make make some of the best wine the world
Yes, the Wine Curmudgeon knows that $25 isn’t considered expensive in today’s premiumized, gold-played, crappy wine costs $18 world. But the Balletto chardonnay is worth every penny of that $25, and probably quite a bit more.
This is a stellar and precise California chardonnay, in which each part of the wine contributes to the whole, and where the idea of balance is all. So if you’re looking for a tub of Land o’ Lakes, look elsewhere.
Instead, the green apple and soft lime fruit aren’t overwhelmed by the oak, which sits in the background and does exactly what oak is supposed to do – support the wine and not be its reason for being. The 2017 has remained fresh and lively – something I expect from Chablis and unoaked chardonnay, but not necessarily from California oaked chardonnay at this price.
Highly recommended. The wine would complement a Thanksgiving turkey or almost any other holiday meal that isn’t red meat. And it would make a fine gift, as well.
Let’s quote Shakespeare this year, as we give thanks for a holiday that hopefully marks the end of a long journey: “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” What better sentiments to keep in mind this year?
• Loess Gruüner Veltliner 2020 ($14/1-liter, sample, 12%): This Austrian white — a varietal that I usually find much overrated — is a Hall of Fame candidate. It’s very fresh and almost spritzy, with lime zest, a hint of oiliness, some pepper, and a juicy finish. Highly recommended; the catch is that it might be difficult to find. Imported by Gonzalez Byass
• Mionetto Rose Extra Dry NV ($12, sample, 11.5%): A fine example of Prosecco — not too sweet and with a surprising amount of berry fruit. The bubbles are a bit soft, but that isn’t a problem. Serve will chilled. Imported by Freixenet Mionetto USA
• Silk & Spice 2018 ($12, sample, 13%): This Portuguese red blend is one more fine value from that country. Yes, there may be a little winemaking going on, but it otherwise tastes as it should — fresh, but Portuguese, with very noticeable acidity in the back and lots of juicy black fruit . Imported by Evaton
• Chateau de Campuget Rose 2020 ($11, purchased, 13%): This French pink has long been one of the WC’s favorites, and the 2020 is equally spot on. It’s fresh and fruity (red berries), with a bit of garrigue, and very French. Well worth the extra couple of dollars compared to the La Viellie. Imported by Dreyfus Ashby
