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Since my views have never changed concerning Valentine’s Day, I decided to repost part of a story that I wrote a few years ago with the addition of some wines and treats to celebrate “hearts” day!  “With Valentine’s Day almost upon us, flower and candy shops, jewelry stores and the wine and spirits industry are bedazzling us with an array of red and pink treats. Ah yes, Valentine’s Day is the one day of the year that we make a point of celebrating romance, love and friendship by expressing our affection with cards, gifts and special dinners. Personally speaking, I think we should be celebrating each other and ourselves every day! By now, you know that I’m a big proponent of “just because” when it comes to opening a bottle of wine. And that philosophy extends to buying flowers, jewelry and candy! For me, it’s the unexpected gesture of love and friendship that is the most meaningful, not because a holiday dictates it. And yes, I admit that I have on rare occasions gone overboard in celebrating Valentine’s Day. At heart, I am a hopeless romantic Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or a “just because” day, pick up some fun treats and open up a bottle of rosé, sparkling or still wine that you’ve never tried before.”  Photo credit: Penny Weiss To start your Valentine festivities this is the “perfect pairing” of wine and cheese.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Having just returned from Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto where I indulged in sparkling wine and out of this world cheese, I was excited to receive a sampling of Garda DOC Spumante wine and Piave DOP cheese upon my return home. Pairing these two makes so much sense when you think about how Piave DOP is surrounded by sparkling wine production. Garda DOC is made up of ten historic appellations located along the western shore of Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. As you can see from the map below, Garda DOC is partially in Lombardy and then continues on to a small area in Veneto.  These sparkling wines are produced in both the Metodo Classico and Charmat method and range in style from Brut Nature to Demi-Sec. The Consorzio Garda DOC was founded in 1996 to protect the value of the wines and to ensure that all rules of production are followed. Cantina Di Custoza Spumante Extra Dry, Garda DOC 2018 This wine opens with delightful floral and fruit aromas that lead to a palate of fine bubbles with notes of pear, peach, honeysuckle and minerality. It is light and refreshing! The gentle fruit and floral flavors of the wine combined with the nutty flavors of the cheese are divine. Alcohol: 11.5%  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Piave DOP is a hard, cooked curd cheese that is only produced from indigenous Italian cattle breeds in the Dolomites area of the Belluno province in Italy’s Veneto region. The Consorzio Di Tutela Del Formaggio Piave was created in 2010 to protect from misuse or counterfeiting, in addition to making sure that all traditional production techniques are used. There are five different age classifications with aging being anywhere from 20 days to over 18 months. Piave Fresco D.O.P. (20/60 days), Piave Mezzano D.O.P. (61/180 days) Piave Vecchio D.O.P. (>180 days), Piave Vecchio Selezione Oro D.O.P. (>12 months) Piave Vecchio Riserva D.O.P. (more than 18 months). My cheese samples included: Piave Medium (60/180 days) This cheese has a straw-yellow color with a mild nutty flavor that imparts a nice creamy texture on the palate.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Piave Vecchio Selezione (12 months) The color of this cheese is dark yellow showing its age. This is a rich and smooth cheese with a pronounced walnut flavor and a hint of sweetness.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Piave DOP cheese is delightful on its own or with sparkling wine. It also makes a great addition to recipes. Here are a few more wines that I recently wrote about that will add a smile if not sparkle to your celebration. Domaine Bousquet Brut NV Chardonnay /Pinot Noir A delightful sparkling wine made with organic grapes sourced from the vineyards of Tupungato, Argentina. Beautiful aromas of citrus, apple and tropical notes segue onto the palate with hints of brioche and pear. Fine bubbles and a creamy mouthfeel add to a fresh and crisp treat. Alcohol: 12.5% SRP: $13  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV A golden color and fine bubbles lead to a complex and elegant nose of brioche, pear, white flowers and a hint of apricot and citrus. The palate is rich with white fruit, toast and tart baked apples, with hints of cherry, citrus, toasted nuts and vanilla. It has good acidity and a creamy texture with a long, lush finish. Alcohol: 12% SRP: $69  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Pasqua Vigneti é Cantine PassioneSentimento Prosecco Treviso Spumante Brut, DOC This Prosecco is quite aromatic with fresh fruit, pear and brioche. The palate offers pear, apple, a hint of slate and lemon zest on the finish. This is a fresh and balanced wine with tiny bubbles and lovely perlage. Alcohol: 11% SRP: $16  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Bibi Graetz Bollamatta Spumante IGT NV This wine is soft pink in color with an abundance of fruit and floral on the nose. The palate offers strawberry, cherry, stone fruit, bread and citrus. Fine bubbles and crisp acidity make this a “crazily” refreshing wine! Alcohol: 12.5% SRP: $26  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto D’Acqui DOCG 2019 is made with 100% Brachetto and is produced using the Charmat method. This is a well-balanced sparkling wine with just the right amount of sweetness and acidity. Aromas of roses and red berries spill onto the palate with a refreshing and soft sparkle. Alcohol: 7% SRP: $12 to $15  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Domaine de Bila-Haut “Les Vignes” Pays d’Orc Rosé 2018 This coral-colored wine has subtle but inviting aromas of floral, citrus, red fruit and minerality. The palate offers a soft array of berries, rose, herbs, minerality and a hint of watermelon. This is a dry and refreshingly crisp wine with just a trace of citrus on the finish. Alcohol: 12.5% SRP: $15  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Cuvée de la Commanderie Rosé 2018 A.O.P. Côtes de Provence This wine has a soft peach color with aromas of red berries, salinity and floral. The palate offers strawberry, raspberry, light citrus, salinity and crisp acidity. This is a dry and complex wine that displays elegance and freshness with savory taking the lead over fruit. Alcohol: 12.5% SRP: $20  Photo credit: Penny Weiss As I like to say every year, “whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with loved ones, friends, family or just want to celebrate “you”, go ahead and indulge! Eat champagne truffles and pop open a bottle of wine!”
Until next time… Cheers! XOXO Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com The holiday festivities have begun and I’ve heard a lot of corks popping lately, which is always music to my ears! Champagne and sparkling wines have always been considered the “go-to” drink for celebrations. But they have evolved into wines that are now enjoyed all year long and not just for special occasions. There are numerous styles to choose from that are produced in wine regions all around the world such as the popular Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava and Sekt from Germany. To kick off the holiday season, I received a variety of six sparkling wines for review. I’m all about the bubbly, so I was happy to oblige!  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Charles Heidsieck founded his own Maison in 1851 in Reims, France and he is credited for introducing and popularizing Champagne in the United States. After visiting New York and New England in 1852, he realized the great potential for selling his Champagne in America. A massive import of his wine was met with great success and he achieved record sales. Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV This champagne is summarized as an equation: 60/40/10 and expresses the quintessence of its style. 60: the number of crus in the blend (1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Meunier) vinified cru-by-cru, varietal-by-varietal in stainless steel vats. 40: a high proportion of 40% reserve wines equally divided between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 10: average age of 10 years for the reserve wines. Aging takes place in chalk cellars.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss  Photo credit: Penny Weiss A golden color and fine bubbles lead to a complex and elegant nose of brioche, pear, white flowers and a hint of apricot and citrus. The palate is rich with white fruit, toast and tart baked apples, with hints of cherry, citrus, toasted nuts and vanilla. It has good acidity and a creamy texture with a long, lush finish. Alcohol: 12% SRP: $69 Piper Sonoma is located in Sonoma, CA in the Russian River Valley region. It was founded in 1980 by Marquis d’Aulan. They have been producing sparkling wines for almost 40 years using the classic Méthode Traditionnelle technique to make the wines. Each vineyard lot is hand-harvested, fermented and aged separately. The wines are produced in Healdsburg under the guidance and expertise of winemaker, Keith Hock. Piper Sonoma Brut NV This sparkling wine is a blend of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, 3% Pinot Blanc and 7% aged Reserve Blend.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss This wine is pale lemon with fine and persistent bubbles. Aromas of brioche, orchard fruit, pear and citrus segue onto the palate with notes of berries and clementine. It has a fresh and smooth mouthfeel with a long and delightful finish. Alcohol: 13.5% SRP: $22 Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs NV This is a new blend for this wine made of 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Blanc.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss This wine is a soft straw color with fine bubbles and a lovely combination of aromas that include citrus notes, floral and tart apples. This dry and lively wine is creamy in texture with great acidity and notes of brioche, apples, citrus and a touch of vanilla. Alcohol: 12.9% SRP: $22 Piper Sonoma Brut Rosé NV This rosé is a blend of 53% Chardonnay, 39% Pinot Noir, 6% Pinot Blanc and 2% aged Reserve Blend.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss This is a fresh and aromatic dry sparkling wine that has inviting aromas of berries, floral and citrus. Fine bubbles give way to flavors of strawberry, cherry, citrus and a hint of toast. It is nicely balanced with crisp acidity and a creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol: 12.6% SRP: $22 Known in the wine industry as the Tuscan renegade, Bibi Graetz has managed to become one of Italy's most ingenious winemakers adding "cult winemaker" in addition to "talented abstract artist" to his dossier. His first wines were released in 2000 and his bio reads like a movie script. (More to follow in another post) Bibi Graetz Bollamatta Spumante IGT NV Bollamatta is a sparkling wine made with 100% Sangiovese grapes sourced from Bibi’s 50 to 80-year-old vineyards spread across Tuscany. Bollamatta means “crazy bubbles” in Italian. The wine is produced using the Charmat method with five months on the yeasts. It is aged on the lees in stainless steel.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss The wine is soft pink in color with an abundance of fruit and floral on the nose. The palate offers strawberry, cherry, stone fruit, bread and citrus. Fine bubbles and crisp acidity make this a “crazily” refreshing wine! Alcohol: 12.5% SRP: $26 Villa Sandi dates back to 1622 and is located in Northeastern Italy in the heart of the Prosecco area at the foot of Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG hills. The estate is owned by the Moretti Polegato family and has been in the family for many generations. Villa Sandi Il Fresco Brut Prosecco DOC NV The grapes for this wine come from Treviso, the heart of Prosecco. It is a blend of Glera, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. After fermentation, the sparkling wine spends two months on lees before bottling.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss This is a light and fun sparkling wine with vibrant aromas of honeysuckle, stone fruit and apples. The palate offers citrus, apple, honeydew melon and a touch of minerality. This wine is well balanced with just the right amount of acidity.
Alcohol: 11% SRP: $16 All of the above sparkling wines will drink beautifully as an aperitif and are easy to pair with a wide variety of cuisine. These are perfect wines to serve over the holidays, but they are great to drink all year long! Until next time… Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com |
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