HOLIDAY SPARKLES-THE ANNUAL REVIEW

By Seema Tikare
The sparkling wine market in the United States is expected to account for a staggering $8.8 billion in revenues in 2024. And worldwide, it will account for $45.1 billion in revenues this year. Most projections estimate that the market will continue to grow between 3 and 5% over the next 5 years. This combined growth is attributable to a combination of factors: rising disposable income; changing consumer preferences such as for less still red wine or for lower alcohol wines, as well as sparkling wine cocktails; growth of ecommerce making buying a range of wines easier; and a greater recognition that sparkling wines are not just for celebrations but can be used for pairing with foods or just be everyday drinkers. According to one estimate, 38% of people drink sparkling wine on a weekly basis today.

Much of this is because sparkling wine is not just associated with the luxury of Champagne. The movement began with less expensive Cava from Spain and Prosecco from Italy. Cava uses the traditional method to makes its wines — which exactly replicates the second fermentation in bottles as in Champagne — but uses different grapes from areas that are less expensive than Champagne. Prosecco by contrast, does not have a second fermentation in bottle, but rather happens in large, pressurized tanks and is then immediately bottled under pressure to retain the fizz, albeit at lower levels: 3 to 4 bars of pressure rather than Champagne’s 6 to 7 bars of pressure. The difference in price is related to the fact that Champagne and other traditional method sparkling wines must be kept in their second fermentation phase for a minimum of 9 to 12 months, while Prosecco can be bottled immediately, at enormous cost saving for the producer.

Following in these footsteps, other regions are both making more and selling more sparkling wine. The wines that copy the Champagne approach always say “traditional method” on the label, indicating what most people consider to be higher quality. In France, these traditional method wines are called “Crémant” followed by the region, such as “Crémant de Jura.” In other countries they use other signifiers, like “Cap Classique” in South Africa. In Italy, many of the designations also require traditional method, or “metodo classico,” such as Franciacorta and Trentodoc. Because memorizing all these designations becomes so complicated, the easiest way to ensure that you are getting a sparkling wine with lees aging and second fermentation in bottle is to check the label. I firmly believe that in the festive season, it is worth spending a bit more to get a truly celebratory sparkling wine that is made with the traditional method. Here are some great ones.

2019•MESTRES COQUET GRAN RESERVA BRUT NATURE CAVA, CATALUNYA, SPAIN
The Mestres Family is an old family, documented to have been in the wine trade since 1312. In 1959, Joseph Mestres coined the term “CAVA” to mean a sparkling wine that was aged in a cellar or “cave.” This wine shows all the pride and character of this tradition, aging for 42 months on its lees (dead yeast) before being disgorged and corked and caged. There is no added sugar in the “dosage,” hence the term, “brut nature,” leaving this wine to be dry and crisp. It is full of flavors of apples and nuts, lemon curd and a light hint of pastry. It is a beautiful wine. Available from Boston Wine Company.

NV•GELOSO BRUT ROSÉ DI PINOT NOIR, METODO CLASSICO, LOMBARDY, ITALY
This is a joyful, exuberant wine that is a great showcase for a relatively unknown area of Italy for sparkling wine. This Pinot Noir wine is full of fresh red berry notes with an almost peachy cast and a bit of biscuit underlying it all. It is aged for almost 2 years on the lees in bottle. Lombardy is not known for its sparkling wines, but it has a perfect climate for Pinot Noir that shines through in this wine. It is the ideal sparkler with which to kick off a festive evening. The beautiful rosé color will immediately signal a celebration is taking place! Available from Boston Wine Company.

NV•KIR-YIANNI XINOMAVRO BLANC DE SABLE SPARKLING WINE
FLORINA, NORTHERN GREECE
This may be one of the most unexpected finds of the seasons. I was tremendously excited to try this wine made with the exotic Xinomavro grape, unattractively translated as “sour black,” but in reality is a grape of great depth and character. It is blended with 15% Chardonnay to give the wine an overall combination of both red fruits and lemony — orange flavors, with a creamy, bready finish. This is one of those sparkling wines that can do it all — it pairs well with everything from oysters to fried finger foods to pizza and rich, creamy pasta. If you see it, grab it! Available from MS Walker.

NV•DOMAINE CARREL & SENGER ALTITUDE 1161 BLANC METHODE TRADITIONELLE
SAVOIE, FRANCE
This wine is a Crémant de Savoie, meaning a traditional method wine from the remote, mountainous area of the French Alps, the Savoie region. It is a high-altitude wine, which allows the grapes to ripen in bright sunshine and warm days to build their varietal character, but also cool nights to preserve acidity and freshness. Made with a charming combination of Gamay and Chardonnay, this is a crisp, refreshing, delicious wine. The Gamay lends a fresh strawberry character while the Chardonnay brings its typical lemony-citrus notes. Aged for 24 months on the lees, it also has a lovely lemon curd/lemon pastry note on the finish. Available from Boston Wine Company.

NV•GIRARD-BONNET A MI CHEMIN BLANC DE BLANC EXTRA BRUT, CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE
This wine is a heavy hitter — it is made with exquisite care by a young and dynamic winemaker, Paul Girard. His wines bring together the properties of his parents, the Girards and the Bonnets, who were growers of grapes. As a result, this is one of those much sought after grower champagnes all somms love to wax lyrical about. The properties were both in areas designated as Grand Cru, signifying the highest appellation in Champagne. Made with 100% Chardonnay, the base wine is fermented in a combination of oak barrels and stainless-steel tanks, already lending the wine complexity. Then it is bottled for its second fermentation and left on the lees for 36 months. When it is ready to be disgorged, it receives only 2 grams per liter of sugar, making it extra brut or very dry, allowing the beautiful lemon, nutty, bready aromas to carry the wine. This is a wine to savor and pair with just about anything, as long as you keep paying attention to the wine! Available from Boston Wine Company.

NV•GRAHAM BECK BLISS NECTAR CAP CLASSIQUE, WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA
This wine is sweet, but I wanted to include it because it is an amazing dessert wine. With 33 grams of residual sugar (RS) per liter, it is certainly not cloying but rather enjoyably lush. Made with 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir, it has enough body to carry the extra roundness of the RS, but with enough acid and minerality to balance out the flavors. I prefer a slightly sweeter wine with dessert because many brut sparkling wines lose their character if paired with sweet food in my opinion. You might as well drink a sparkling water with lemon instead. But if there is enough sweetness in the wine to match the dessert more harmoniously, it captures a delicious moment on your palate. With notes of butterscotch and croissants, this wine would pair with many desserts from delicate panna cotta to lemon curds or raspberry tarts. And what better way to close out a meal than with a raspberry tart! Available from Ruby Wines.