Christmas is all about waiting for dear Santa, gifts and presents. It is also about sharing laughter, clicks, selfies, cupcakes and unstoppable enthusiasm, fun and cheer. However, no Christmas is complete without rum cake and clattering sound of wine glasses. Aha! Let us raise a toast to Sparkling Wines to celebrate Yuletide fever.
No doubt Champagne has been the king but Sparkling Wines do have the substance in them in making them the top of demand. Have a look at some of them.
Sofia Blanc de Blancs: American film director, producer and screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola named this sparkling wine after his daughter, fulfilling the promise he had made to her when she was a little girl. If this touching story melts your heart, do try out the fruity, elegant notes of this sparkling wine for the festive season.
Bolney Cuvée Noir: This English sparkling red wine sourced from the Bolney Wine Estate in Sussex has the perfect punch of full-bodied bubbles that emerge from red stone fruit flavours such as red cherry and blackberry. Pair well with Christmas fruit puddings and cheddar cheese.
Ridgeview’s South Ridge Cuvee Merret 2008: This is a quality home-grown sparkling wine that has light gold colour with fine mousse for soft and full finish. Nice to learn that none other than Queen Elizabeth opened a few bottles of South Ridge wine on her 80th birthday party.
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Brut Reserve from Gusbourne’s : Choice of the critics, this is multi-award winning sparkling wine that is fruity in taste and bursting with flavour. It goes through a second phase of fermentation in the bottle itself so as to emerge as a good quality sparkling wine.
Four Sisters Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc: Enticing is the word in this absolutely sparkling Sauvignon Blanc from Four Sisters. In fact, it blossoms as a lighter and fruitier alternative to the traditional sparkling wine that we know of.
Villa Cialdini Cleto Chiarli Grasparossa di Castelvetro Lambrusco 2013: Lambrusco makes a wonderful dry sparkling wine and red one at that. Has a lovely taste of sour cherries and a bit of dust. Lowish in alcohol, it’s superb to have when you’re racing to home between Christmas and New Year. It also serves as a good present to your loved ones.
Chapel Down English Sparkling Rosé Brut: Don’t miss the English bubbles going down your tongue with Chapel Sparkling Wine whose light smoked color makes a great combination with the conventional Christmas breakfast of scrambled eggs and salmon. Has a clean finish with acidity well-balanced.
What to Pair With Sparkling Wine: Just as Christmas is incomplete without wines, it is dull and lacking enthusiasm without a wholesome meal. Cook or savour made-to-order scrumptious recipes such as Pork Loin that is best paired with red wines, Smoked Salmon and Christmas Pudding.
So get ready to sip some of the delicious Sparkling Wines and let warm memories sail you through till next Christmas.