detlef Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 A few ideas for bubbles out there considering its NYE... My absolute favorite for the money is and always has been Segura Viudas Aria Cava. Actually their whole line up is good for the money, but this one seems to deliver the most bang for the buck. The entry level juice is nice and should cost around $7-$8 in stores. The Aria, however, really takes it up a notch and should still cost $10 or less. Super pretty, and has none of those unfortunate characteristics (either tartness or cloying finish) that often betray the price point of cheaper bubbles. Hell, they're top of the line stuff is still less than $20 retail and is pretty banging. It's called Heredad and comes in a pretty impressive pewter based bottle. St. Hilliaire Blanquette de Limoux, France. This should cost around $12-$15. It is made in the same method as Champagne and, contrary to popular belief, the monks here actually had been doing it longer than Dom Perignon and his boys. Allegedly they turned him on to the process. Regardless, pretty tasty stuff with nice vanilla and red fruit notes. It's essentially a Blanc de Noir as it is about 90% Mauzac, which is a relatively unknown red grape unique to the region. Gruet, New Mexico. They make the entire range typical to Champagne, BdB, BdN, Rose and costs again about $12-$15. Really remarkable for the money and very "Champagne-like". Funny but mostly irritating story. When they first burst on to the scene, Spectator got a hold of some of their juice and apparently really liked it. They were going to cover it in an upcoming issue and were even going to run a feature on them. They were, of course, really excited. Then Spectator's ad department contacted them asking if they wanted to run a large ad. Gruet explained they were a small winery and did not have an advertising budget (which is hardly uncommon in the industry). Next thing you know, the feature was dropped and the wines, while rated all got scores much lower than would have been expected considering the initial enthusiasm from the magazine. Of course, that was years ago and a story I got second hand, mind you from a very, very reliable source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 good choices Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 i'm still a big fan of gloria ferrer and domaine chandon. i've had several gruet sparklers and also think highly of them (especially for their price range) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 A big thumbs up on the Gruet Blanc de Noirs. Ms Cid andd I toasted in the new year with this one and were both impressed, especially with a retail price of $14. Thanx for the tip detlef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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