Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

With the holidays rapidly approaching, more and more folks are thinking about sparkling wines. While you don’t need a holiday or a celebration to enjoy some “bubbly,” more sparkling wine is consumed this time of year than any other. Personally, I love sparkling wine. I hope you’ll use this holiday season to try some sparkling wines you haven’t had previously. A good place to start would be this NV Gruet Brut which was one of the favorites from our sparkling wine tasting dinner about this time last year.

Gruet et Fils, a Champagne house in Bethon, France, has been producing fine Champagne since 1952. Members of the Gruet family traveled though the Southwestern United States in the early 1980’s and decided to plant an experimental vineyard in New Mexico. They found the warm, sunny days and cool, desert nights to provide the perfect growing conditions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Later, some of them moved to New Mexico to expand the family’s winemaking tradition. Their first two wines, released in 1989, followed the strict guidelines of Methode Champenoise. Initial production totaled 5,000 bottles. Twenty years later, Gruet Winery in Albuquerque, New Mexico, sells over 100,000 cases of wine per year and distributes it to 49 states.

“Brilliant with ultra fine bubbles. A wonderful fine bouquet dominated by green apple and grapefruit flavors. A truly classic house style!” –Winemaker Laurent Gruet on the Brut

NV Gruet Brut Sparkling Wine (New Mexico): Distinct aromas of citrus, especially grapefruit, come through on the nose. Smells a lot like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Hints of butter and vanilla mingle with the citrus on the palate. Crisp acidity.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Seattle, WA), $13; Available elsewhere, $10 to $16

A Wine for Tonight: NV Gruet Brut Sparkling Wine was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

We had a wide range of bubbly in this tasting—three from the United States (one each from Oregon, California, and New Mexico), one from France, one from Italy, and one from Spain. The most surprising thing to us was that they finished in that order in the group consensus rankings; the three U.S. sparkling wines finished 1-2-3, and the one true Champagne finished 4th. The top three wines also received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck. All three (Argyle Extended Tirage, Domaine Carneros, and Gruet) are excellent wines and excellent buys. And even the Freixenet that finished in sixth place is a QPR 5; while not as good as the top three in terms of quality, it is nevertheless a great value in the under $10 price point.

All of these sparkling wines paired nicely with Mom’s dinner menu which included butternut squash soup with curry, mixed green salad, pistachio-encrusted chicken breasts with a cream gravy, risotto, sautéed mixed vegetables, and sorbet for dessert.

If you haven’t had one of the top three sparklers listed below, I encourage you to pick up a bottle to enjoy this holiday season. And if you don’t see your favorite sparkling wine on this list, let us know in the comments as we’d like to try it.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

1997 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Small, very fast beads. The nose is a bit tight at first. Pear, apple, and hints of nuts come through on the palate. Very crisp and fresh for an 11 year old sparkler.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Seattle), $45; Available elsewhere, $37 to $48

2004 Domaine Carneros [Taittinger] Brut (Carneros, California): Aromas of melon and vanilla lead to flavors of apple and a bit of spice. Very crisp and refreshing.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: MadWine (Seattle), $21; Available elsewhere, $18 to $29

NV Gruet Brut (New Mexico): Distinct aromas of citrus, especially grapefruit, come through on the nose. Smells a lot like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Hints of butter and vanilla mingle with the citrus on the palate. Crisp acidity.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)

QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Seattle), $13; Available elsewhere, $11 to $15

NV Pol Roger Reserve Brut (Champagne, France)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Seattle), $42; Available elsewhere, $28 to $63

NV Bellavista Cuvee Brut (Franciacorta, Italy)
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Seattle), $40; Available elsewhere, $29 to $50

NV Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava (Cataluna, Spain)
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Seattle), $9; Available elsewhere, $7 to $8

Wine Tasting Dinner: Sparkling Wine was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

However, the Wine Peeps are having a slightly different Thanksgiving spread this year, and we think it deserves a slightly different wine menu. Because of our Texas roots, Mom (LaGayle) is serving an apple/walnut salad, spicy braised chicken breast with a jalapeno cranberry relish, her “famous” faux sage cornbread dressing made with rice flour muffins, and sautéed green beans. Dessert is my homemade pecan pie, topped with whipped cream and/or creamy, homemade vanilla Blue Bell ice cream from Texas. In short, it’s a meal where the same old wines won’t really stand up to the rich food. (Photo by CarbonNYC)

So here are my wine suggestions for this kind of Thanksgiving meal:

• Since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, let’s have American wine.
• Start with a toast to our forefathers with a Domaine Carneros Brut from California (widely available for around $20) or a Gruet Brut from New Mexico (widely available for around $12).
• For the main course, go with a fruit forward Syrah if you’d like a red wine or a nice Gewürztraminer if you would prefer a white wine. If you live in the state of Washington, you might like to try the Fielding Hills Syrah that has topped our recommended list this year ($40). For a more economical choice, try either the Columbia Crest Two Vines Shiraz from Washington (widely available for around $8) or the Cline Los Carneros Estate Syrah from California (available for around $20). For a Gewürztraminer, you’ll be hard pressed to beat the Columbia Crest Two Vines Gewürztraminer from Washington (available for around $8) in terms of bang for your buck.
• To complement the pecan pie dessert, I’d recommend a good port-style wine, of which there are many possibilities at reasonable prices depending on where you live. Here in Washington, I would suggest the Barnard Griffin Syrah Port (500ml available for around $16). In California, you might like the Pedroncelli Four Grapes Vintage Port (500ml available for around $15), and in the Midwest there is the Mount Pleasant Tawny Library Port from Missouri (375ml available for around $30).

Hope you have a great holiday with family and friends. And remember to give thanks for this great country which stands for freedom, democracy, and opportunity for all.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving: A Little Different Menu, A Little Different Wine was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Along the way, we made some discoveries I’d like to recap.

Best new type of wine for us:
Port. We found good Ports in California, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, but our favorite was the NV Mount Pleasant Tawny Library Port from Missouri of all places.

Most promising of the newer wine states:
Texas, Kentucky, Missouri, Colorado, and Idaho.

Best of the wine regions we were visiting for the first time:
Central Coast of California and Lake Chelan County in Washington State.

Top Winery Discoveries (wineries we didn’t know before this trip):
Lincourt Vineyards—Solvang, CA
Mount Pleasant Winery—Augusta, MO
Watermill Winery—Milton-Freewater, OR
Stephenson Cellars—Walla Walla, WA

Honorable Mention Winery Discoveries (wineries we didn’t know before this trip):
Siduri/Novy Wines—Santa Rosa, CA
Andrew Murray Vineyards—Los Olivos, CA
Williamson Vineyard—Caldwell, ID
Nefarious Cellars—Chelan, WA

I hope you have enjoyed traveling with us by reading our posts during our road trip. If you are curious about any of the sights we saw in addition to our wine stops, leave a comment and I would be happy to share those highlights with you as well.

Previous Road Trip posts:
Sonoma and Napa (April 14)
Central Coast, California (April 18)
Arizona (April 25)
New Mexico (May 2)
Texas (May 9)
Tennessee and Kentucky (May 16)
Mid-America (May 23)
Ballpark Wine (May 30)
South Dakota (June 6)
Colorado (June 13)
Idaho (June 20)
Eastern Oregon (June 27)
Walla Walla, Day 1 (July 4)
Walla Walla, Day 2 (July 11)
Spokane (July 18)
Chelan (July 25)

Road Trip: Complete Recap was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

I thought the best wines at Santa Fe Vineyards were their two Zinfandel Ports, the 2004 Santa Fe Vineyards Zinfandel Port (full bottle) and the 2005 Santa Fe Vineyards Zinfandel Port (half bottle). The other New Mexico wines we tasted at Santa Fe were the 2006 Santa Fe Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2007 Santa Fe Vineyards Chardonnay (no oak), and the NV Santa Fe Vineyards Tinto Del Sol Red Table Wine. Santa Fe Vineyards sells most of their wine through their tasting room and will ship out-of-state.

Ponderosa Valley Winery has been a grower for 33 years and has had their own winery for fifteen years. They produce about 4,500 cases a year, mostly sold through their tasting room and stores in the local area. They will also ship out-of-state. At Ponderosa, our two favorites were the 2004 Ponderosa Valley Merlot and the 2007 Ponderosa Valley Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon. The other wines we tasted at Ponderosa were the 2005 Ponderosa Valley Syrah, the NV Ponderosa Valley Light Port (half bottle), and the 2004 Ponderosa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

In our room that evening, we tasted a 2006 DH Lescombes Syrah and a 2005 Black Mesa Cabernet Sauvignon. Our limited sampling of New Mexico wines showed some promise but no great wines. I believe work needs to be done in improving the consistency of the wines and even more work needs to be done cooperatively in marketing New Mexico wines.

Here’s a recap of the wines we tasted in New Mexico, in our order of preference. All prices given are winery/tasting room prices.

2004 Santa Fe Vineyards Zinfandel Port (full bottle)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $50

2005 Santa Fe Vineyards Zinfandel Port (half bottle)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

2004 Ponderosa Valley Merlot
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

2007 Ponderosa Valley Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

2006 Santa Fe Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

2005 Ponderosa Valley Syrah
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2006 DH Lescombes Syrah
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15

2007 Santa Fe Vineyards Chardonnay (no oak)
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $13.50

NV Ponderosa Valley Light Port (half bottle)
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $20

2005 Black Mesa Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $21

NV Santa Fe Vineyards Tinto Del Sol Red Table Wine
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $10.50

2004 Ponderosa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $18

Have you ever had New Mexico wine actually made from New Mexico grapes? If so, how did you like it? What was your favorite?

Road Trip: New Mexico was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.