Best local sparkling wines for the holidays

Posted: 4:21 pm, December 15, 2016 by Publisher Scott Brennan

—With the holidays just around the corner, we put a call out to local wineries for their top holiday wine recommendations. They did not disappoint. When you celebrate this season, throw holiday parties, and plan your Christmas dinner, consider pouring some of our tasty local wines.

Today we consider sparkling wine recommendations. Champagne has always been a popular choice for kicking off a holiday party or toasting to the new year. California’s Champagne-style sparkling wines make for excellent choices. From the several sparkling wines submitted, here are the ones we recommend. They are in alphabetical order. Serve them chilled.

Top sparkling wines for the holidays

Bianchi Signature Selection Sparkling Wine – $18
Bianchi’s California Champagne is a lively and fruity style bubbly brut that is good for everyday enjoyment or that special soirée. It’s a non-vintage sparkling with 1-percent alcohol. It’s a perfect treat for the holidays.

Clavo Corazon – $40
The is a delightful 100-percent grenache blanc made in the “método tradicional.” The nose offers freshly shaved lemon zest with recently picked green apples, hints of toasted Brioche displays complexity. On the palate green apples lead the way into what becomes a complex array of flavor.

Laetitia Brut Cuvée – $25
This non-vintage effervescent sparkling wine is light and easy to drink. Tiny bubbles and a crisp finish make this sparkling a real crowd pleaser. Will pair well with a dessert or a fruit and cheese course.

Pomar Junction Sparkling White – $25
This Méthode Champenoise brut is made from 60-percent chardonnay, and 40-percent pinot noir grapes. This non-vintage wine is not sweet, nor is it dry, but rather is very well balanced with a round finish. Notes of citrus, grapefruit, and a uniquely light effervescence makes this sparkling a perfect match to a light meal pairing or a celebratory toast.

Paso Robles wine recommendations

Publisher‘s note: For the third year in a row we thought it would be a great idea to recommend local wines for upcoming holiday parties and dinners. Once again, I had no idea how much participation we would receive from our local wineries. Over the last few weeks we received more than 100 entries. I was originally planning a list of 10 or so of the best wines, but after tasting and tasting and tasting, there were just too many solid, well-made wines to recommend. So we decided to break up the list of top local wines into categories. The recommended wines are in alphabetical order.