Neither cava nor champagne: toast with these alternative bubbles
fun sparklers , from here and there, that make their effervescence a good reason to discover them at Christmas. Shall we toast with them?
** MAR DE FRADES BRUT NATURE , DO RÍAS BAIXAS (Price: €19.90) **
Was the first sparkling Albariño to hit the market and is made using the same method as champagne and cava, with a second fermentation in the bottle . It was, in its first vintage, quite a rarity, but there are already some other sparkling Galician that has followed in its footsteps and you can see sparkling Albariños in wine bars and restaurants.
A sparkling option that brings some joy to the Albariñista invasion in recent years, which has led to wines that are very similar to each other and without much interest (a phenomenon that occurs with other Spanish whites, and I do not want to name names). This Brut Nature (with little sugar, by the way, so, in the midst of the Christmas rush, we can say that we bring a light wine to our dinners) it's fresh, citrus and sparkling , a wine to look good and surprise if you take it for the appetizer.
** BARBADILLO BETA SOUTH, VT CADIZ (Price: €8.30) **
Brother of Barbadillo Beta, the first Andalusian sparkling wine made using the traditional method (you're learning it now, aren't you? two fermentations, one of them in the bottle), this one goes one step further and It is made with an aging of 20 months looking for more complexity and structure , Y removing sugar (It only has two grams per liter, nothing compared to the nougat that you are going to put between your chest and back).
The raw material is somewhat “bizarre” , in the French sense of the word: palomino, typical Jerez grape, and chardonnay , curiously, a variety that is widely used to make champagne (basically, Sherry and Champagne They are twinned areas for their calcareous soils, which give their wines that tasty mineral part, that umami, that noséquéquéseyo…).
Finally, what these Andalusian bubbles they are the most fun to hit a good sit down christmas seafood , with that fruity and saline point that is not bad at all now. And at a price that makes it difficult not to dare to try it.
Barbadillo Beta South
** IZAR-LEKU , WITHOUT DO (Price: €22) **
When two Basque families get together, one of them cider maker and the other, terroir explorer from Álava to Alicante passing through Navarra, only an original wine can come out. From lands and soils ** txakolineros ** are born these Zarautz bubbles , fruit of the union between the Lopez de Lacalle (Artadi, one of the cult producers of Rioja Alavesa) and the Zapiain , surname of one of the most traditional ciders in Euskadi.
Starting from a wine with natural acidity such as txakoli, Izar- Leku is the first effervescent experience of this tandem , made with the white hondarribi zuri and ink hondarribi beauty, using the champenoise or traditional method and leaving the wine on its lees for 30 months.
A novel experience, a fresh and vibrant mineral wine e, which is also capable of growing in complexity if you keep it in the bottle for a while. Perfect for a gourmet and sophisticated celebration.
A sparkling wine for txakoli lovers
** BRUT NATURE AUTUMN PEARLS, WITHOUT DO (Price: €16) **
It has a name that makes you think in the house wine of a middling chinese restaurant ; however, one must not be fooled by appearances, because inside the bottle of this exotic name there is a magnificent and original blanc de noirs (note: white wine made with red varieties ) .
The trio of ** Más que Vinos combines two very Manchego red grapes such as Garnacha and Cencibel** and produces them following the champagne , lightly macerating the must with the skins to obtain a very pale color and intense fruit flavor.
It has an upbringing that is not turkey mucus, 18 months , and it is a daring bubble to uncork at Christmas, during the meal, because it can hold more than one of those dishes that your mother (or your mother-in-law, whoever you happen to be with, jewellery) serves so deliciously.
** BOTTEGA PROSECCO GOLD, PROSECCO DOCG (Price: €22) **
It is said of prosecco that will be the new trendy drink , an affirmation that, for the moment, remains to be seen, although there are options (very essential, yes) to take in some Spanish bars.
Its success should not surprise you: it is a tremendously easy drink to drink, with a little sweetness and that goes by itself, to which is added a more or less bearable price. But there are proseccos and proseccos, and this one from Bottega is a good start to enter the seductive lightness of a sparkling wine from the Veneto region , very different from champagne or cava.
It is made with the glera variety and another method other than champenoise or traditional called charmat, which uses tanks to ferment the wines a second time, instead of the bottle, and it is a system that is use for very large quantities of wine.
This Gold it is fresh, light and very appetizing , a wine called to succeed as an aperitif at your New Year's Eve party thanks to its completely golden bottle (which also serves to keep the wine safe from light until you serve it in the glass).
Bottega Prosecco Gold, Prosecco DOCG, €22
** FILIPA PATO 3 B ROSÉ, BAIRRADA (PORTUGAL) (Price: €12) **
The sister country also has, and increasingly, interesting wines to try , From north to south. Starting in the north, in the promising region of Bairrada , where the producer Filipa Pato (also the daughter of one of the most solid producers in the area, Luís Pato) and her husband, the Belgian sommelier William Wouters They make wines following biodynamic standards and looking for the purity of flavors.
this pink , made with baga and bical, two of Bairrada's native grapes , is one of those addictive sparkling wines that you wish you had bought more bottles of: fruity, tasty, crisp, vibrant, a little gem considering that its price is, moreover, another plus.
Get more than one bottle (believe me, you won't regret it) and start enjoying some wonderful Christmas evenings, reaching for the canapés while holding a glass of these Portuguese bubbles.
Merry Christmas!