The most frequent question I get this time of year is: where is your Champagne section? That question always leads to a moment of silence on my part, as I now have to find out if our guest is really looking for Champagne or a wine from somewhere other than Champagne that has bubbles. I usually as them what brand they are hoping to find and that usually gets me headed in the right direction. What most people don’t realize is that Champagne is a place in France that produces a sparkling wine using specific grapes and a certain method of production, but it has come to mean any wine with bubbles. Which is fine because there are many very good sparkling wines made in other places that in Champagne.

   A few that I would definitely recommend to any of you reading this blog are as follows: The new sparkling wine made especially for ABC from the Laetitia Winery in the Central Coast of California is the Block 075. This wine, made using the method champenoise, produced in the Arroyo Grande Valley, is a wonderful example of a non-champagne Champagne. Confused you yet? The grapes used, Chardonnay and a little Pinot Blanc, can be used in Champagne, and the method of production is the same, but the soils are different and we have made a pact with the French government not use the nomenclature “Champagne” any longer on our sparkling wines. Some bottles produced before the pact still can, though few do. When you smell the aromas of this delightful wine you get the yeasty, bread dough characteristics of Champagne, while the flavors are of lemon, brioche and a crisp acidity. You don’t get the chalky mineral aspect of Champagne, but this is certainly a wine that most of you Champagne fans would enjoy very much, especially at the $26.99 sale price.

   Another gem with bubbles is the Collalto Extra-Dry Prosecco from Italy. Prosecco, which is the name of the grape, has become a very popular choice for people looking for a less expensive alternative to the much more expensive wines from Champagne. This wine from Collalto that can be found for under $15.00 this time of year is one of the best examples of Prosecco to be found anywhere. Lovely aromas of apple, spice and the flavors of quince, red apple and spice make this a great choice as a wine with your meal or as an aperitif. They also offer a Rose whose aroma is full rose petal, flower blossoms and red fruit. The taste is an explosion of fresh, ripe red raspberries, cherries and an elegant, long finish. This is a wonderful wine that would make any wine drinker smile.

   So the next time you are looking for a sparkling wine to enjoy or to celebrate with, don’t immediately rush to the Champagne section—there are many other wine with bubbles to explore…Happy New Year to that.

Ken Amendola, Wine Supervisor, North Florida

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