November 26, 2025 • 50 mins
Travel the world with Melanie and David to discover sparkling wines for the holidays and every day from price points starting at $18.99 (SRP). With a focus on classic sparkling wines made in the traditional method, discover their recommendations from France, Italy, Spain, Austria, England, South Africa, South America and New Zealand based on their global travels and wines tasted from producers and importers. Stay tuned for a separate show on U.S. sparkling wines.
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The Connected Table is broadcast live Wednesdays at 2PM ET and Music on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).
The Connected Table Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-connected-table-live--1277037/support.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:21):
W FOURCY Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Hello and welcome to the Connected Table Live. We're your hosts,
Melanie Young and David Ransom. You're insatiably curious culinary couple.
We travel the world to bring you the amazing people
we meet, the places we visit, the wines we sip,
and the food we eat, hopefully to inspire you to
get out there and travel, taste and step outside your
(01:01):
usual comfort zone and explore. We are in prime holiday season,
even though this is an evergreen show, Thanksgivings this week,
and of course we're going to do a show to
get you ready for the holidays and beyond on sparkling wines.
So let's raise a glass and let's get started. Cheers, cheers.
(01:23):
So how would it we organize this because it's a
big topic. Well, first, we are focusing on sparkling wines
in the method traditional, which means the secondary fermentation occurs
in the bottle. There's also the Charmont method, which is
fermentation and tank, but we're focusing on method traditional because
we are so lucky to have many options to share
(01:44):
with you. So that's the first thing. Second, we're focusing
on wines outside the United States because we really want
to dedicate a separate show to the United States, and
it's well, the sparkling wines. And last week we just
did one of our favorites, doctor Constantine Frank. In fact,
this photo is in the riddling room in the rack
room at Constantine Frock. It's like a sacred chamber, right.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yes, it's one of our favorite wineries and one of
the really one of the great New York wine producers
and sparkling wine producers as well. However, so we're using
them as a backdrop to talk about European sparkling wine exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
But he was from Europe. Constantine front from the Ukraine,
and please check out our show with Megan Fronck. Okay.
The third way we narrowed it down, because again it's
a narrowing down process, is we're also giving thanks. We're
giving thanks to all the wonderful consortio and wine organizations
of producers who have hosted us in their wineries and
(02:38):
regions over the year twenty twenty five and have showered
us with wonderful samples for us to taste and select
so that we can bring this information to you to
help you plan how you want to have your holidays
and beyond, because this is an everyday occasion for us
with sparkling wine. So one we have either visited the
wineries and are going to talk about that because we
(03:01):
want you to travel. We have samples that have been
sent to us and we really love and recommend these wines.
We tried to make it global, so we're going to
have wines from Europe and New Zealand, South America and
South Africa, so global. We're giving the United States its
own separate show and we're looking forward to getting samples there.
(03:24):
And method chimpin wise or method traditional okay, so second
fermentation in the bottle. So with that in mind, we're
going to start with the country. We visited what seven times.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I think six times this year.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, and so we'll start there Glassy Pertucci, Italia. We're
so grateful And interestingly, we actually went to two regions
as specialized in sparkling wine. The first is Franchi Acorta,
and this one is really significant because French Acorda is
(03:59):
a doc g wine in Lombardia in the northern part.
It is stunning. What was your impression when you went there?
What did you see in front of us?
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Well, it's a beautiful it's a beautiful region because it's
really where the lake district starts and it's just on
the southern end of Lake Aeso, which is Agot to say,
which is a beautiful one of the beautiful lakes like
Como and Guard etc. In the northern region of Italy.
And the mountains start there as well, so it's really
quite visually stunning and the wines are also fabulous. And
(04:26):
we visited one of the great producers there, which is
Villa French Acorta. Yes, and a very historic producer and
the founder of Villa French Aquorda was really the gentleman
who's who really kind of kickstarted the sparkling wine production
in that region exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
His name was Alessandro Bianci. His family still runs the winery.
Sadly he passed a few years ago. But he, like
many small villages, he was from the region. But like
many small villages, after World War Two, they were decimated
and poor, and he decided to dedicate him self to
the land and to rebuilding the town of Villa. It's
(05:03):
actually called Villa, and Villa French Acorda is in it,
so it's both a producer of front Acorda DOCG wines
because it is a DOCG sparkling wine only region. DOOCG
sparkling wines only in the method chimp traditional. But you
can't say that on then you cannot say that on
the label. Interesting fact, you just say French Acorda. Uh.
(05:24):
It's also a restored hamlet and you can stay there.
We had the great opportunity to stay. They have these
uh self uh self, Uh what do you come efficiencies
where you can you know, you have your little kitchen
and everything and you can stay there for a week,
a month, a summer and it's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
We tasted many many uh of Villa French Acorda sparkling
wines for the interest of time and not spending too
much on one producer versus the other. We're gonna mention
one or two here. One I want tom ring up
because it's a very specific term. In French. Acorda is
satan like satin, and that is a reference to the
(06:04):
blanc de blanc. Ah in this case is one hundred
percent chardonnay, vinified and stainless and then aged for a
minimum of thirty six months on leaves. These are also
wines that are affordable given the situation these days with tariffs.
It's about thirty seven dollars a bottle, so it's a
blanc de blanc terminology one hundred percent of white, usually
(06:27):
the chardonnay grape, because the three main grapes of Champagne
or chardonna, pino noir and Pinomunie or Mounier. However, in
Italy and other parts outside Champagne, there may be other
grape varieties used.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yes, and let's just clarify that sparkling wine is made
all over Italy, yes, but French Acorda is the is
probably the most well known, and I think it's really
the it's really the top of the heap when it
comes to Italian sparkling one it is and Villa french
A Qorda obviously is the legendary property, you know, and
(07:01):
it's one of the regions because it's northern Italy and
there's a lot of a lot of sparkling wine made,
as I said, all over Italy, yes, and tons in
the south as well. However, up in the north you
get to use the traditional varieties of chardonage because the
climate is acceptable for those grapes to be grown.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Yes, you know, we don't have any wines to share
with you from Trenton, Trento Doc but that is another
northern Appalachian we hope to visit. We've been there like
once or twice. But it is also a region known
for its sparkling wines. And these are cool climate mountainous
areas which sparkling wines just love.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, the limestone, the climate comes down off the Alps exactly,
so it's and it's also got some we call it
lake effect weather too as well. So not lake effect
like they have here in the United States, that's for sure,
Buffalo included, but we have a lot of effect from
(08:01):
the lakes and the deepness of the lakes. That really
kind of helps with the growing conditions to make it
really great for these types of things.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah, so there are other well known producers like Kadabasca
and Bella Vista. You look for franch Akorda on the label,
and as I said, they don't use it's not permitted
to say metha traditional on the label. They want it
to be Franchi Akorda. Another trend we learned when we
were visiting with the Bianchi family is that pod dose
which is brute natur which is no dosage, which means
(08:31):
no dosage are growing in popularity, so if you don't
want the dosage which is added sugar, that is something
to think about. And they actually have the damat Pado
s it's a milismata which means it's a vintage twenty
sixteen and that's a blend of Chardonnay and Pino noir
(08:52):
aged in Barrifra six months forty two, sixty six months,
our aged sixty six months on Lee's and about forty
two dollars. There's a range everywhere. Again, the producer is
Villa front Acora and we have a if you go
to our podcast library, you'll actually find the interview we
did with the family. We're just gonna mention briefly Lambrusco
(09:14):
because we're doing a series of shows, but it is
important to note that this is a region in Amelia
Ramana also dedicated to sparkling wines, the majority of charmont,
which means fermentation in tank. But you also can find
some very good method traditional or metado classic as I
(09:35):
see in Italy, sparkling wines as well, with very fine bubbles.
Lambrusco can be for sante or spumante dry to a
mobley which is sweet dry and rose likes in a
term called sorbara or fruitier like juicy fruity, really juicy
(09:56):
red grapee, which is the Lambrusco digress sporosa. So many
many styles. Like most sparkling wines, low alcohol by volume,
the actual alcohol average alcohol by volume in most sparkling
wines cool climate because he still is twelve percent twelve
point five percent. The Lambruscos are actually sometimes nine to
ten percent. So we're going to be doing several shows
(10:20):
on that. But the producers that we recommend and are
featuring on the connected type of live or have or
will be actually your Bertolani, Paltrinieri and Lombardini, all major
producers sold the nice days with one thing in common.
Do you know what it is? They're all celebrating one
hundred years.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
These are family run producers over a centuries old in Lambrusco,
which is an Amelia Amano in the area around Modina,
a gorgeous town and we were there when October.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
The Ferrari by the way, oh.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Yeah, and also the home of Ferrari at a really
great museum. As David said, Italy has wonderful sparkling wines throughout.
But I think we highlighted three regions where you know,
we touched on trent To doc because we don't really
have any wines to talk about. But there's someone a
big name is Ferrari. Ferrari sparkling wines is a very
big and they're in the Trento's Yes, yes, so that's
(11:15):
going to be is that the alps of the Dola
me the Dola Mei. Yeah, so again, cool climate, mountainous
and Ferrari is the most well known, no relation to
the car right right.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
And when I said was the Homo Ferrari i met
Enzo Ferrari, the car producer.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yes, Ferrari Museum Ferrari sparkling wine in they also have
by the way we did go and it's not part
of that. They have a wonderful winery also in mantafalco
Ya so uh Italy and very good price point. Uh
(11:54):
Spain also a great price point. The area of Spain
dedicated to sparkling wine is in the region called the
Pennedes and it is do O Caaba. Cava is all
method traditional sparkling wine, but the grapes are mostly native
to Spain.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
The traditional method, the traditional grips used in making cava
are indigenous grapes to Spain, although there is some other
sparkling wines made in Spain from other grape varieties, some
of them international like shardon, etcetera. The star of Spanish
sparkling wine is cava and those are all those are
(12:35):
all indigenous varieties local to the region.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
This is a Mediterranean area. This region is in north
of Barcelona. We have been there. We actually went to
stay many years ago with Castella Perilatta, also a terrific
producer of sparkling wines. There's many and we stay there.
So if you're really into visiting and staying. Castella Periltta
(12:58):
has a great setup and wonderful summer concert series that
we saw.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And they have a casino too. Yeah, it's I can
stay at the hotel, you can stay and have a
beautiful castle and a fabulous museum, a fabulous glass museum. Remember, yes,
that's the Castia Paralletta has curated over the over the centuries, really,
and and their wines are wonderful. It's a great experience.
You can spend money and you can lose money there
because they have a casino.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
The great thing about Comma is still now there have
been a lot of developments in Cava, with like many regions,
new layers added. I won't go into that because the
bottom line is Coaba is a method traditional sparkly wine
and it's usually very affordable and it comes in different
price points. The one we have picked, actually, the producer
is well known in Rioha. It's the Marquesda Cassus. They're
(13:45):
really well known in Rioha Alta however, and just a
little bit about Marquesta Castras. It dates back five generations.
It's currently overseen by the fifth generation family member. Amazing woman.
We've had her on the Connected table. Christina Forner Brilliant Woman.
They also produce a dookava in the pennanties and this
(14:07):
one that we're recommending, and we have photos. Can we
pop the photos just in the corner so you can
see this is a brute a dry cava. It's a
blend of those indigenous grapes you reference Zarello, which is
spelled x A r e l O, so Jarello, Macabeo
and Perilatta. And these are sourced from twenty five year
(14:30):
old vines aged minimum eleven months on Lee's You know
that Lee's aging is so important for the longer les aging.
You get those wonderful toasting notes and softness eleven point
five percent alcohol by volume, amazing notes of green apple,
white flowers, and briosche because of the les aging. Eighteen
dollars in ninety nine cents retail suggested retail. This is
(14:53):
suggested retail.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Yeah, I think in the world of method traditional sparkling wine,
I think cova is really well one of the best
values out there. I couldn't agree one although you can
spend a lot of money on a good kava too,
because yes, tava ranges anywhere from eight dollars a bottle
in the store all the way up to one hundred
and some of those, some of those, really those more
expensive ones are equally up unbelievable. Any champagne that you'll
(15:16):
have there's just amazing. Like you, Gramona is one of Gramona.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
I was.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
I was sitting here as you're talking. Gramona is probably
one of the most elegant and hard to find but
elegant cavas in the world. Needles needless to say, we
don't have it with us, but we did sent thank
you in your brands the importer UH Spain. We could
go on and on, but cavas. You know again, we're
(15:40):
just touching on this so that you can travel the world.
And if you go to this region, to the Pendatives,
it's beautiful. It's on the water, it's north of Barcelona,
so you can tie it in with the Barcelona trip
uh and the Salvador Dali Museum is kind of in
that area too, and you can't miss that. It's so
awesome and really amazing food. Now we're going to go
(16:03):
to Austria. I have not been to Austria, and boys
studying it for the Certified Specialists of Wine was hard
for me. Because A I have not been at B
I don't speak the language, and everything's hard to pronounce.
But the wines are very good. Now you've been, David,
where did you go?
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I have been really all over. I was there with
an importer who imported wines from Austria from a number
of the different regions that make wine in the country.
And the sparkling wine, which is called sect in Austria
is it's grown really in a fairly specific area for
the most part, and it's just delightful.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
So Austria wines forty permitted grapes, mainly whites, notably Gruner Vetliner,
which is about one third of Austrian acreage. We love
the still Gruner vetlers. We had some terrific wines. Pinot
blanc is the other main grape vice, bergunder Reaesling and Chardonnay.
The reds is Weigel is a cross between bluff Francish
also known as Lumberger every man has a double name
(17:04):
and Saint Laurent, which has peppery characteristics. So the producer
who we were sent the sparkling wine, we don't we
have it in the photos. It's in our refrigerator. We're
drinking as we go is Fred Loimer l O I
m e R Certified Organic. He's a renowned Austrian wine
maker from a long established wine growing family. And it's
(17:26):
on seventy hectars in the area called camp Thal which
is a major wine growing region of Austria, and when
he has five vineyards there and the specific area, because
it's there's many layers or regions, is the Nieder austere Rereich.
How did they do Nieder Austereich And the ava is
(17:47):
oster Reiser oster Reistercher, so it's many layers. What we
have is the winingut Loimer Extra Broot Reserve. It's a
non vintage A blends Weigelt Pino noir, Chardonnay, pino gree,
pino blanc. This has got a lot of fruit, high acidity.
(18:09):
You've got a lot of lettyers you know in there.
But the pino blanc adds kind of like an apple character.
This vigil adds a peppery character. This is twelve percent
ABV and that it's forty five dollars US suggested retail price.
We also have the Extra Bruit Reserve, which is seventy
seven percent vigot again, you can use other permitted grapes
(18:32):
here and again the vigilt is a cross between Blaf
Francish and Saint Laurent and Pino Noir and Saint Laurent.
And it's twenty months aging onlys and you get a
lot of like cherry and plum cake and so it's
gonna look that's plump fruit cake flavors plus hazelnut. Also
certified organic and certified biodynamic forty five dollars. Rosees tend
(18:59):
to be slightly more expensive because there's a bit more
involved then, but they're so wonderful big rose. And you know,
in like Champagne, many roses are only made in vintage gears.
So there you go. I wish we had German wines
also called sec. We need to befriends some German wine importers, true,
(19:23):
and we need to go to Germany because they also
have wonderful sect sparkling wins.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Yeah, and I think moving back to Austria, I think
the sect wines from Austria they're really delightful. They've got
great acidity because it is a cooler climate. Yes, and
although there's a fairly long growing season because of the
river valleys, that they grow in. However, it is cooler climate,
so great acidity, lovely aromatics, and because they're using grapes
like gruner Veltliner which has lovely aromatics to begin with,
(19:51):
and things like recently as well a lot of the
time the sparkling wines that they make the sex just
dance on your top. I just love these.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Here's an interesting fact. We have traveled around the United
States and one of the regions of the United States
that has some Austrian German style wines impact is in Pennsylvania. Remember,
we had similar grapes there and they were because the
immigration people set up a sort of cultivating groups that
(20:21):
they knew from there. And also when we were talking
last week with Megan Frank, they're doing a lot with
these Cougler climate wines as well. Actually they're doing more
with Soper Robbie and Racattatelli from Georgia, and we haven't
been there so to learn more about those wines, Yes,
we need more trips because this is how we learn
(20:43):
and bring our information to you. Now, this is a
fun one. The next one dating Great Britain is making
really terrific sparkling wines here here.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
I think it's really the next big region first for
sparkling wine production, I think in Europe, because it is,
first of all, it's brand new. Yeah, twenty years ago
you couldn't make sparkling wine or really even grow quality
grapes in Britain. Because of climate change, you are now
getting some fabulous world class sparkling wines coming out of
They're made from Shardon, apino and Pino magnet so the
(21:18):
wines are wonderful. It's a young, up and coming region
with some great producers in it that are really taking
the world by storm these days. And we have a
couple that we're trying today.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Two. But this is what's interesting. So geographically the wine
production areas of Great Britain are on the same Kimbridge
and Commygian ridge that you find in the Loire Valley,
the Eastern Law and in Champagne. And it's a sequence
of very ancient rocks that were formed over time. And
(21:51):
if you go to the UK and see the White
Cliffs of Dover, the chalky white Cliffs of Dover, they're
like the chalky white cliffs you'll find in the Valet
de Martin, for example, in Champagne.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
And it really is that it's really the same vein
of chalk that runs from Great Britain through the English
Chanlean and over to the region of Champagne. So it's
really the same vein of chalk, same same climate now
but also really the same to war.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yeah, so look to the UK and we hope to
go visit. But we have two examples here. The first
is Simpson's wine Estate, Terrific Wines, and it's partner's wine
is the importer. It's a husband and wife owner, Charles
and Ruth Simpson. They established Simpson's Wine Estate in twenty
fourteen in the Elam Valley in the North Downs of Kent,
(22:42):
where there's a lot of interesting soil that's ideal for
cultivating the Champagne grapes that we all know and love, Chardonnay,
pino noir and Pina Mounier. This couple happens to also
own a winery in Londondoc in France called Domain de
Saint Rose. Fun fact, so they're not new to the business.
Is their old hands.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
So they make wine that they can really serve the
whole meal with r exactly.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
So we've had several opportunities to taste the wines with
our friend Jack jo Lenco in Partner's Wine, and these
wines are sold around the United States. Simpson's Chalklands Classic
Couve non vintage is probably their benchmark. It's a forty
five percent Pino noir, thirty five percent Mounier, and twenty
percent shorten age fifteen to eighteen months on Lee's twelve
(23:28):
point five percent abv UH. There's about twenty percent of
reserve wines used to deepen the complexity their age and
neutral barrels. This wine has a lot of brioche, caramel
and pair and probably not green apple or red or
yellow apple. The suggestive retail is fifty six dollars.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
And obviously Chalklands is named after the fact that there's
a lot of chalk in the soil there, but also
because this region is so close to the English Channel,
You're getting a lot of maritime influence in the wine
from the sparkling wines that are coming out of Great Britain.
And I love that this wine in particular has a
real you can taste the salinity in the wine, yes,
(24:10):
and it just adds a level of complexity that I
find fascinating.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
There's several labels in Simpsons. They have one called eight
or Regene, which is very very special on the Blanc
de blanc called White Cliff one hundred percent of state
grown shortenay thirty six months on Lees. This is a
terrific wine. Again, it's called Simpson's Wine Estate and you
can get this around the United States. We also love
(24:38):
the Canterbury Rose, a state grown minimum fifteen months on Lees.
The other British wine we were sent is Hambleton h
A M B. E. L. D O and Vineyard. It
is England's oldest vineyard, established in nineteen fifty two, located
in the village of Hamilton, Hampshire, Hempshire, and this is
(25:01):
imported by Vinya Brands. The Hamilton Classic Couve bruton On
vintage is fifty one percent Chortenay, thirty two percent Pino noir,
seventeen percent Pino Munie I like to say Munier with
about sixteen percent reserve wines blended from the state's Solaris system,
thirty five months minimum aging on Lee's Apple, RedBerry's Brioche
(25:24):
and it's fifty five dollars, so you can get a
really top of the line British sparkling wine. For under
sixty dollars. Really, I actually really want to go to
this area and meet the producers and really taste. I
feel it's time.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Well, I think we should go in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Yes, yes, we are going to do one more area
of France. We're not going to you know, the elephant
is Champagne. I think we actually may have to do
a separate show on Champagne. We have two here. We
may mention at the end, but we got to get
to the Southern hemisphere as well, so we may end
with Champagne, which is fine with me, but the one
in our glass because again, sparkling and wine is made
(26:07):
throughout France. In fact, the original ancestral method of making
sparkling wine and fermenting in bottle originated in southwest front
in the Luanadoc area, and we had the great pleasure
of going there and tasting and going to the birthplace.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
Yeah, we actually went to the abbey where it was
actually created for the first time in Liu Moud, which
is a wonderful little region kind of out of the
way up in the hills, and it's just it's really fascinating.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
And while champagne is only produced in the Champagne region
of France, north of Paris, with very stringent guidelines. Clemant
is the sparkling wine made in the method champenn Wise
and dial and throughout.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
France, and there's a bunch of criminal designations throughout France.
I think we're going to talk about the Crimon de Loire.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Today, Yes, but there's Cremona also sauce one of the
oldest Clemonte Lemieux, Clemonte brign Bordeaux. So the wine that
we were sent and we actually have interviewed this producer
and met him in the past and had lunch with them,
so we have a personal connection and we saw him
when we were actually on a press trip. Is Domain
(27:19):
Xavier and Agnes Emerald. We love their Cabernet frant by
the way, but this is a sparks of day, make
some wonderful ones. Again, thank you Vin your brands. They
showered us with sparkly wines. It's located in the Saint
Nicholas de Brigol area in the Loire valley, so that's
the central Loire which I have with the love. It's
(27:40):
a ninety two acre clode Courteran village. It's been in
the Amorro family for six generations, managed now by Xavier
Amro and his wife Agnes, who we met certified organic
this Xavier and Agnes amer Clemont de Luis de le
Courtan is a root one hundred percent Shannon Blanc, the
(28:03):
signature white grape of the Loir, because outside of Champagne
you can use some. In most areas you can use
your local varieties minimum eighteen months on lease. There's no
so lemon, honeysuckle and white flowers. It's in our glass,
very crisp. Also lots of minerality because this area is
known for its gravelly soils. Twelve percent ABV and suggest
(28:24):
your retail thirty one ninety nine. So a good wine.
It's in our glass. I love Cremont's, that's a great love.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
I love Cromanda, I love Shannon Blanc.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
We all know.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
Yeah, talked about this before. I think the Loire Valley
really makes some of the most exciting wines in France. Yeah,
and Shannon Blanc and Cabernet Fronk are two big reasons
for that. The versatile grapes they just do. They can
adapt so well to different styles of manification and also
different growing conditions, so they're just wonderful grapes to work with.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Really terrific and I can't wait to go back to
the Loire. There's so much. We still haven't really into
the full Eastern Wi the sun there, the central and
and and and toward uh uh. The coast was gorgeous,
just gorgeous. Now Europe makes there's sparkling wines made throughout Europe.
We just haven't been to those regions and we don't
(29:18):
have samples, and we only talk about places that we
have visited and wines we have personally tasted and personal connections.
That's why we're a connected table Live, not the press
release group. We have to have personal experiences. We are
going to because we're at that halfway mark or less.
We're going to go to South America and we're going
(29:38):
to the southern hemisphere because there's some terrific wines there.
Why don't we start with I want to start with
South Africa just because we segue into Shennon Land a
little bit, and this is uh South Africa makes. It's
it's really known for its Shennon blanc also known as
Stein and it's pinutouage, very good. Sparkley wines. They're known
(30:01):
as cap class sic. That's how they're labeled in South Africa,
which is known their brand as wines of Origin, because
they're very protective of how they want their labeling there,
very important.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
We've done a few we've done a few shows with
South Africa producers South Africa. South Africa's had a very
old wine making tradition.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Really, grapes were planted when the Dutch first got there
in the sixteen hundreds, so they've got a very long
tradition of making wine. Sparkling wine though, is more of
a recent development, yes, really, what they didn't start making
sparkling wine in South Africa, probably in Stellenbosch until about
the nineteen fifties, seventies, seventies.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Yes so, and then in nineteen ninety two cap class
SEK was officially adopted by the Cape Classic Producers to
distinguish South African sparkling wines made in the traditional method. Again,
that's what we're focusing on. So we've had a lot
of terrific South Africa sparkling wines. We tasted three recently
(31:06):
with our good friends Suzanne Lang, who is based here
in New Orleans, a very good friend who is from
South Africa and created South to South Wine Imports to
spotlight family owned producers in South Africa. She actually created
it after South Africa went through some challenges with what
was seemed to be like equivalent of prohibition and they suffered,
and then the government change and then they were allowed
(31:28):
to sell wine again. She wanted to help bring South
Africa wines to the United States. The wine we have
that we loved was called Ntita, which is I think
it's a bird. It's in the Durbanville Valley, twenty minutes
north of Cape Town. Most of South Africa's key wines
are produced in the Western Capeland, but there's some exceptions.
(31:49):
It's a maritime climate, family owned and I'm found in
nineteen ninety so it's a farm owned by Bernhard Veller.
I love the names of these two wines. They're called
Matriarch to honor mothers and honor the matriarch of the family. Again,
these are family producers. We tasted two Matriarch cap Classic
(32:11):
twenty twenty three, which is sixty nine percent Pino noir,
thirty one percent Shortenad thirteen months on Lee's very nice
apple pears such as fruit Brioche thirty five dollars on average,
these yes all roughly thirty five to forty dollars. Beautiful
wine was in the photo we showed. The other one
we liked was the Grand Matriarch.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
And both of them are I think for the for
the quality that you're getting pretty good prices.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Grand Matriarch was a Blance de Noir one hundred percent
pino noir thirty months on Le's. This one had almost
an amber It almost looked like a light rose amber color. Yeah,
very savory. It was what we all said with RedBerry's grapefruit,
and I like burnt orange iron peel. I kept getting that,
I kept thinking of it. I just tasted Quandrille.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Very good food, I think.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Yeah, I think it's about thirty eight to forty and
we don't ever know anymore because of the T word,
but yeah, very very good. On the flip side, we
also tried one made of one hundred percent columbard, right.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Yeah, this was the Silverthorn River Dragon met Hood cap classic.
A mouthful, that's for sure. But I love the fact
that they call their wine river Dragon, yeah, which is fun.
And this is actually one hundred percent colombard, yeah, which
is a grape that we have yet to talk about today,
but widely grown in southwest France as well, and makes
(33:30):
it makes a very lovely kind of easy drinking sparkling.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
We have had a lot of white flowers in this one,
and well it was it was fermented old Acacia barrel,
so that's probably why I was kidding that. And twelve
months only stone fruit tropical fruits. The River Dragon is
based on a formation in that area. So Robertson Valley
is north central of Cape Down. All of these regions
(33:57):
are like twenty thirty minutes away from Cape Down at
most an hour, and it's a river valley with rolling
hills and so a different Turrah than maybe you're Binville.
So we can't wait to go back to South Africa. Yeah,
we've been once. We've been to Stellebush and Frenchhuck. Do
we go to anywhere else? It was so long ago.
Not not for wine Brookenhose Sloof.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
In the Friendship Valley.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
I love that wine.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
I love the fact that it's Colinbart so it's got
very different characters. Then a shorden airpeinan noir fermented sparkling wine. Yeah,
and then also that They aged in acacia barrels, which
I think give a little bit of a spiciness to it.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
Yeah, it did. You're right. So the import there is
South to South Wines based out of New Orleans. She
is from South Africa. But a scroll up, we're still
in the southern hemisphere New Zealand. Okay, New Zealand is
on our bucket list to travel along with Australia. Having
(34:55):
been can't wait to go. Love the wines. The sample
we we're sent is from Central Otago. This is Pino
Noir country. It's the southernmost wine region of New Zealand
and frankly the world practically. I think there's one also
at the Bidego fendol Mundo in South America.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
It is also the son southernmost in Chile.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Yeah, so a family run boutique winery. The produced wines
made for Pino noir, Pino, gree reaesling, and chardonnay. This
is Central Otago. Is an inland mountainous area on the
forty fifth parallel, very cool climate.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
What's interesting about this is that most people think of
South Africa and Sovny and Blanc from the Marlborough Region
r which is the north end of the South Island,
right right, But if you go further south to Central
Otago Inland, that's where they grow all the chardonnay and
pino noir, and it obviously makes sense to make sparkling
wine there as well.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah, very much.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
There's some great pino noirs made there and also some
very good chardonnay. So this really just lends very well
to that, especially if they have a cooler year where
they might not get the ripeness that they want. Great
for sparkling one.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
Yeah, that's such a great point, such a great point.
So Peregrine is named for the Peregrine falcon. Uh. This
one that we have, it was in the photo we showed,
is a vintage twenty nineteen. It seems to have been
a good year for people. Two point twelve point five
percent ABV. It's a typical blend, sixty percent pino noir
(36:22):
forty percent chardonnay. Matured for less than about thirty six
months on Lee's so that's fairly Sena. I think the
minimum for champagne is thirty months. I think I'm looking
at my notes. But anyway, Citrus white flowers again and
brioche certified organic and biodynamics. The district retail price about
forty five dollars. They always say forty four ninety nine,
(36:43):
but I just like forty five dollars.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
I always rounded the pennant come nine me.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
I can't do the math. That's our only sample from
New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
So there's also very nice sparkling ones made in Australia.
We don't have any samples and we can't try it
for this trip, but for this trip on the air
that is, and then also test and he makes a
nice one. We got to get the heat as media
makes some nice sparkling ones. Yeah, I know again peanut
of our country.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Yeah, we got to get down down under soon. Of course,
South America I've been to several times, lucky me, but
actually I've been to several times for adventure trips and
wine trips. But we love the wines. We've done several
shows aren't with Argentinian producers who we have met and
(37:28):
known for over the years, and a lot of Italians
have invested in Argentina. This particular winery that we have
tasted the wines is the highest vineyard in all of
Mendoza at six five and sixty feet above sea level.
It's called Estancia Balata. It is named for the town
(37:51):
of us Balata, which is in the Cabrada Cabrado de
Minero miners cabin just outside there, and it stay belongs
to family named saud S, a u d of Buenos Aries,
and it's located there's only ten acres cultivated for vines,
but the entire ranch is over one hundred thousand acres,
(38:12):
so it's like, you know, the entire mountain, but a
lot of it's because of the location. It's just not usable.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
And these are these are the highest vineyards in Mendoza,
which they're over six thousand feet.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Yeah, so I'm wondering if it's the highest. And I
don't know this. You know, there's different like Uco Valley,
there's different textures, but I'm not sure the actual minimal
what it's called. But this is the Estancia uspallata root
mature white, one hundred percent pino noir, a blanc no noir,
but it's no dosage, lots of citrus and strawberry, very
(38:47):
high minerality, seventy name suggested retail very nice wine. The
other one that we have from our Argentina is Domain
Almonegra from Ernesto Cotana Vineyards, a fourth generation wine maker
of Italian descent. I remember I mentioned that a lot
(39:08):
of Italians settled in Argentina after World War Two. He
was a designer for many years and loves the Renaissance.
Alma nagra means black soul and you have to look.
You can't really see it on the little photo, but
it's a mask. It's a it's a black mask, a
man in a mask. When you look at the bottle. Uh.
(39:29):
This is a wine that also makes a wine called Mysteria.
This is Uco valley on pana and noir eight months
on Lee's thirteen percent ABV twenty to twenty three dollars,
so reasonable bargain bargain Baggin Argentina makes terrific sparkley wine,
(39:51):
so you just have two to work with right here.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
They do make some very nice sparkling wines, as does Chile. Yes,
which is the next one we're going to talk about.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Yeah, and this is a famous name in Spain.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
The Tourist family is really well known in Spain. But
they've also been making wine in Chile since the nineteen seven.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
Because many Spanish immigrated to Chile to invest in the
in the wine.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Region as they saw that it was going to start
to grow. Time to go make wine in southern South America.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yeah, the family of Taurus has been making wine in
Spain for over one hundred and fifty.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
Years, almost fifty years in Chile as well, so they've
they've got quite a record down there as well. And
this is a wine that I really love. It's called
estilado and it is a very unique wine. It is
method traditional, so it is re fermented in the bottle.
The grape is called pais, which is in the United
(40:44):
States known as the Mission grape, which was the and
it's the first vitas fnif for a grape brought to
the Americas to be planted when the explorers were coming
over here to settle. So it's the it's the oldest
vita finit for a grape planted in in the.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
New World in California. Yes, right.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
So it makes a very light red style wine, very
very pleasant to drink. It was probably the most widely
planted red grape or grape in Chile up until about
the nineteen seventies when the when the modern wine revolution
started to take foot. And people started focusing on things
(41:24):
like Cabernet and sharpen and so many block things.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
Like that in the mall. I hope m a U
l A Mellow Valley is still widely planted.
Speaker 3 (41:31):
Yes, having a bit of a renaissance right now because
and especially due to the sparkling wines such as this one.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
So this wine is important by your friends with in
your brands. Miguel Torus has a lot of sparkling brew rose.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
It is.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
A whole bunch of fermentations. You get a lot of
juicy character from that age just five to six months
on Lea's It's very fruit for a lot of red
berry notes. This is a good one for light luncheon.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
I'm a big, big fan of this. I actually wrote
this in my column and you did in Tasting Panel
magazine in December twenty twenty three. When I first had it.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
And suggested we tell suggested was eighteen ninety nine. So
you know the wines we talked about, the Marques de
Castrous Cava and then Miguel Torres sparkling brut rose from
Chile are your best wine bargains, have great quality, one
that we don't.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Have samples of and haven't and I've been to, but
you have not. Is Brazil, which is probably the largest
sparkling wine producer in South but.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Those are sure modern traditional both.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
Okay, so there's but it's a very big industry in
Brazil to make sparkling wine, like millions of bottles, but
none of the early country. There's very few producers that
leave the country like Switzerland. Yeah, and what the reason
they started making sparkling wine there is ate A lot
of the immigrants in Brazil emigrated from places like Trento.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
In Italy the Great Migration.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
And they found this The region of southern Brazil, which
which is kind of near the Uruguay and border, was
conducive to the land that they grew up in, so
they started planting grapes.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
And when.
Speaker 3 (43:11):
Brazil was closed to international commerce in the nineteen seventies,
a lot of the European sparkling wine producers went to
Brazil to feed that market because they couldn't get it
outside the country, so they made it inside the country
to sell there. So places like Maay, Chandon, et cetera
went there to make sparkling wine.
Speaker 2 (43:30):
That's interesting a lot of sense. It's like what they're
doing now in China, they're all investigat and.
Speaker 3 (43:34):
They've all stayed and there's and it's grown since then.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
Brazil is a great country to sell.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
I went.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
I remember having sparkling wine when I was celebrating New
Year's at the Copacabana Polos. I think it was more
of a glero persecco style wine. I don't remember it well.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Again, there's producers that make both.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
So if you go to Brazil, drink them, drink the
sparkling wine. As great place to celebrate New Year's By
the way, like we said, there's so many other places
that we could touch on, but we do have and
we're set. So we want to give acknowledgment to two
champagne producers. And I think then we're going to need
to do a whole nother show just on champagne. I
would like STEMP for champagne. The first one again Partner's Wine.
(44:20):
He's a neighbor. We love him. Jack Jolenco Champagne Playbau Schlosser.
It's a grower champagne from the Marne Valley. Champagne Pleba
Schlosser was founded in nineteen twenty nine in the heart
of Champagne and Romerie just near Epernae. It was born
from a union, which is typical in France and other
(44:40):
parts of Italy, where the families merge and then it
becomes first same and the last name. So it as
Jean le Beau and Suzanne Schlosser, both were wine growing families,
you know how. That is the Napoleonic code and brands.
Four generations of a grower Champagne and the best areas
of the Montagne de Lance and Martin Valley near eperna
the Champagne Tribaux eight urrewise. This is it a urrewise
(45:04):
orgine non vintage, as a blend of fifty percent pino mugnier,
thirty percent chordenae twenty percent pino noir, which are the
permitted grapes there, although they are making some new exceptions
with some other grapes because the climate change. It's fresh
and fruity with notes of pear and plum and some brioche.
It's a blend of twenty percent oak aged reserve wines,
(45:26):
which gives it a nice wood character as well. Very
long finished fifty four dollars bottle. Again, this is Triebau.
There's many in the Tribau Champagne, Tribau Schluss or portfolio.
I also happen to love, Love Love the le Brute
Origine Rose, which is forty percent pino, thirty percent sharenae
(45:50):
and thirty percent Pino Munier only fifty nine dollars, still
a fairly good price point for that. And then of
course there was a no dosage called the origin Blandon
Wine Are which is pino and noir Pina mine blend
for fifty seven. If you're into no dosage. The other
champagne we were here.
Speaker 3 (46:08):
Yeah, a grower champagne. Yes, these are wines that you
don't find everywhere, so when you find them, you should
order one.
Speaker 2 (46:13):
So the grower champagne means that the producer grows his
or her grapes and makes the wine. Where many are
other growers or growers that sell to negotiens or to
the big classic houses who then work with different growers
to create their special recipe blend. So those wines are
known for their consistency. I e. Tat On Jay is
an example. A grower works with what they have, which
(46:35):
is challenging for the grower. If it's a bad year,
you know, they got to work with what they grow,
so grower Champagnes some ways love them, right they do.
They are the darlings. Another wine we were sent from
vineyard Brands established in seventeen sixty is Champagne Delamotte, a
vineyard owner glass, and this three centuries later in the
(46:59):
Bloc in Les Minils O Gay, which is one of
the greatest produced smaller production areas. They continue. We have
here the I think we have the Brute Chardonnay fifty
five percent fifty thirty five percent Pino mar and ten
percent migne for fifty five dollars vintage.
Speaker 3 (47:22):
Also make a wonderful block to Bloc one hundreds of chardina,
and then they also make a rose, the Delmont rose.
Speaker 2 (47:29):
Yeah, twenty four months on lease. Again you're going to
the price point for the Champagne roses tend to be
higher because the lot and they're only made in certain years.
But what we have is the as the as the
Brute non vintage, another terrific label. There are so many
great wines from around the world, and Champagne deserves its
(47:50):
own highlight. Actually, we want to go back because we
have the great opportunity to go and meet with Roland
Champion and interview those folks and of late Wines. There's
some others we've interviewed of Chris bill Icart, Simon and Rose.
Their patriarch just passed away. We're gonna send a condolence
note to one hundred and two. He just passed one
(48:12):
of my perfect, my favorite New Year's c E wines, Simone.
And of course another one is rare, which is Hei
Yeah Heidzec love these ones. These are the tet the couves.
Whenever we're invited to a Teta Couve, we say yes.
But you can find Champagnes at all price points, and
you can find Sparkling wines at all price points, and
(48:33):
you should be drinking Sparkley wines every day and not
saving them for special occasions. However, because we're in the
middle of the holidays, we're doing our annual holiday show
on Sparkley Wines and we'll be doing some more.
Speaker 3 (48:45):
So you may not be able to get these for Thanksgiving,
which is tomorrow, right, but you want to get it
year round. However, there's still time to chop for Christmas
and New Year's and.
Speaker 2 (48:54):
Anniversaries and Valentin's and our anniversary is March seventeenth, maybe
we'll do the champagne.
Speaker 3 (49:00):
This is a good starter list to go out and
see if you can search for some of these ones.
Speaker 2 (49:03):
Absolutely so, drink bubbles, enjoy, and remember you know you
can enjoy bubbles with a long life. The patriarch of
Bill Kartsimon was one hundred and two when you pass,
So maybe champagne's good for a long life. Anyway, we toast,
why do I have less than you and my glass home?
I may have to get some more. We toast to
(49:24):
all of you for the holidays and every days, and
appreciate your joining us, Appreciate your sharing our shows and
following us on the Connected Table, read our blog at
the Connected table dot com, and listen to our shows
and more of the sixty five podcast channels I'm watching
on YouTube. Twelve seasons in every year I say we're
going to throw in the towel, but every year we
say we keep going because we're insatiably curious and we
(49:48):
want you to as well, and we want to eat, drink,
explore and inspire you to see the world and travel
with us. Thank you for joining us. Sante the Past
Speaker 1 (50:04):
Sis Act
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(00:21):
W FOURCY Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Hello and welcome to the Connected Table Live. We're your hosts,
Melanie Young and David Ransom. You're insatiably curious culinary couple.
We travel the world to bring you the amazing people
we meet, the places we visit, the wines we sip,
and the food we eat, hopefully to inspire you to
get out there and travel, taste and step outside your
(01:01):
usual comfort zone and explore. We are in prime holiday season,
even though this is an evergreen show, Thanksgivings this week,
and of course we're going to do a show to
get you ready for the holidays and beyond on sparkling wines.
So let's raise a glass and let's get started. Cheers, cheers.
(01:23):
So how would it we organize this because it's a
big topic. Well, first, we are focusing on sparkling wines
in the method traditional, which means the secondary fermentation occurs
in the bottle. There's also the Charmont method, which is
fermentation and tank, but we're focusing on method traditional because
we are so lucky to have many options to share
(01:44):
with you. So that's the first thing. Second, we're focusing
on wines outside the United States because we really want
to dedicate a separate show to the United States, and
it's well, the sparkling wines. And last week we just
did one of our favorites, doctor Constantine Frank. In fact,
this photo is in the riddling room in the rack
room at Constantine Frock. It's like a sacred chamber, right.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yes, it's one of our favorite wineries and one of
the really one of the great New York wine producers
and sparkling wine producers as well. However, so we're using
them as a backdrop to talk about European sparkling wine exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
But he was from Europe. Constantine front from the Ukraine,
and please check out our show with Megan Fronck. Okay.
The third way we narrowed it down, because again it's
a narrowing down process, is we're also giving thanks. We're
giving thanks to all the wonderful consortio and wine organizations
of producers who have hosted us in their wineries and
(02:38):
regions over the year twenty twenty five and have showered
us with wonderful samples for us to taste and select
so that we can bring this information to you to
help you plan how you want to have your holidays
and beyond, because this is an everyday occasion for us
with sparkling wine. So one we have either visited the
wineries and are going to talk about that because we
(03:01):
want you to travel. We have samples that have been
sent to us and we really love and recommend these wines.
We tried to make it global, so we're going to
have wines from Europe and New Zealand, South America and
South Africa, so global. We're giving the United States its
own separate show and we're looking forward to getting samples there.
(03:24):
And method chimpin wise or method traditional okay, so second
fermentation in the bottle. So with that in mind, we're
going to start with the country. We visited what seven times.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I think six times this year.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, and so we'll start there Glassy Pertucci, Italia. We're
so grateful And interestingly, we actually went to two regions
as specialized in sparkling wine. The first is Franchi Acorta,
and this one is really significant because French Acorda is
(03:59):
a doc g wine in Lombardia in the northern part.
It is stunning. What was your impression when you went there?
What did you see in front of us?
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Well, it's a beautiful it's a beautiful region because it's
really where the lake district starts and it's just on
the southern end of Lake Aeso, which is Agot to say,
which is a beautiful one of the beautiful lakes like
Como and Guard etc. In the northern region of Italy.
And the mountains start there as well, so it's really
quite visually stunning and the wines are also fabulous. And
(04:26):
we visited one of the great producers there, which is
Villa French Acorta. Yes, and a very historic producer and
the founder of Villa French Aquorda was really the gentleman
who's who really kind of kickstarted the sparkling wine production
in that region exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
His name was Alessandro Bianci. His family still runs the winery.
Sadly he passed a few years ago. But he, like
many small villages, he was from the region. But like
many small villages, after World War Two, they were decimated
and poor, and he decided to dedicate him self to
the land and to rebuilding the town of Villa. It's
(05:03):
actually called Villa, and Villa French Acorda is in it,
so it's both a producer of front Acorda DOCG wines
because it is a DOCG sparkling wine only region. DOOCG
sparkling wines only in the method chimp traditional. But you
can't say that on then you cannot say that on
the label. Interesting fact, you just say French Acorda. Uh.
(05:24):
It's also a restored hamlet and you can stay there.
We had the great opportunity to stay. They have these
uh self uh self, Uh what do you come efficiencies
where you can you know, you have your little kitchen
and everything and you can stay there for a week,
a month, a summer and it's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
We tasted many many uh of Villa French Acorda sparkling
wines for the interest of time and not spending too
much on one producer versus the other. We're gonna mention
one or two here. One I want tom ring up
because it's a very specific term. In French. Acorda is
satan like satin, and that is a reference to the
(06:04):
blanc de blanc. Ah in this case is one hundred
percent chardonnay, vinified and stainless and then aged for a
minimum of thirty six months on leaves. These are also
wines that are affordable given the situation these days with tariffs.
It's about thirty seven dollars a bottle, so it's a
blanc de blanc terminology one hundred percent of white, usually
(06:27):
the chardonnay grape, because the three main grapes of Champagne
or chardonna, pino noir and Pinomunie or Mounier. However, in
Italy and other parts outside Champagne, there may be other
grape varieties used.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yes, and let's just clarify that sparkling wine is made
all over Italy, yes, but French Acorda is the is
probably the most well known, and I think it's really
the it's really the top of the heap when it
comes to Italian sparkling one it is and Villa french
A Qorda obviously is the legendary property, you know, and
(07:01):
it's one of the regions because it's northern Italy and
there's a lot of a lot of sparkling wine made,
as I said, all over Italy, yes, and tons in
the south as well. However, up in the north you
get to use the traditional varieties of chardonage because the
climate is acceptable for those grapes to be grown.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Yes, you know, we don't have any wines to share
with you from Trenton, Trento Doc but that is another
northern Appalachian we hope to visit. We've been there like
once or twice. But it is also a region known
for its sparkling wines. And these are cool climate mountainous
areas which sparkling wines just love.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, the limestone, the climate comes down off the Alps exactly,
so it's and it's also got some we call it
lake effect weather too as well. So not lake effect
like they have here in the United States, that's for sure,
Buffalo included, but we have a lot of effect from
(08:01):
the lakes and the deepness of the lakes. That really
kind of helps with the growing conditions to make it
really great for these types of things.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah, so there are other well known producers like Kadabasca
and Bella Vista. You look for franch Akorda on the label,
and as I said, they don't use it's not permitted
to say metha traditional on the label. They want it
to be Franchi Akorda. Another trend we learned when we
were visiting with the Bianchi family is that pod dose
which is brute natur which is no dosage, which means
(08:31):
no dosage are growing in popularity, so if you don't
want the dosage which is added sugar, that is something
to think about. And they actually have the damat Pado
s it's a milismata which means it's a vintage twenty
sixteen and that's a blend of Chardonnay and Pino noir
(08:52):
aged in Barrifra six months forty two, sixty six months,
our aged sixty six months on Lee's and about forty
two dollars. There's a range everywhere. Again, the producer is
Villa front Acora and we have a if you go
to our podcast library, you'll actually find the interview we
did with the family. We're just gonna mention briefly Lambrusco
(09:14):
because we're doing a series of shows, but it is
important to note that this is a region in Amelia
Ramana also dedicated to sparkling wines, the majority of charmont,
which means fermentation in tank. But you also can find
some very good method traditional or metado classic as I
(09:35):
see in Italy, sparkling wines as well, with very fine bubbles.
Lambrusco can be for sante or spumante dry to a
mobley which is sweet dry and rose likes in a
term called sorbara or fruitier like juicy fruity, really juicy
(09:56):
red grapee, which is the Lambrusco digress sporosa. So many
many styles. Like most sparkling wines, low alcohol by volume,
the actual alcohol average alcohol by volume in most sparkling
wines cool climate because he still is twelve percent twelve
point five percent. The Lambruscos are actually sometimes nine to
ten percent. So we're going to be doing several shows
(10:20):
on that. But the producers that we recommend and are
featuring on the connected type of live or have or
will be actually your Bertolani, Paltrinieri and Lombardini, all major
producers sold the nice days with one thing in common.
Do you know what it is? They're all celebrating one
hundred years.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
These are family run producers over a centuries old in Lambrusco,
which is an Amelia Amano in the area around Modina,
a gorgeous town and we were there when October.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
The Ferrari by the way, oh.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Yeah, and also the home of Ferrari at a really
great museum. As David said, Italy has wonderful sparkling wines throughout.
But I think we highlighted three regions where you know,
we touched on trent To doc because we don't really
have any wines to talk about. But there's someone a
big name is Ferrari. Ferrari sparkling wines is a very
big and they're in the Trento's Yes, yes, so that's
(11:15):
going to be is that the alps of the Dola
me the Dola Mei. Yeah, so again, cool climate, mountainous
and Ferrari is the most well known, no relation to
the car right right.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
And when I said was the Homo Ferrari i met
Enzo Ferrari, the car producer.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yes, Ferrari Museum Ferrari sparkling wine in they also have
by the way we did go and it's not part
of that. They have a wonderful winery also in mantafalco
Ya so uh Italy and very good price point. Uh
(11:54):
Spain also a great price point. The area of Spain
dedicated to sparkling wine is in the region called the
Pennedes and it is do O Caaba. Cava is all
method traditional sparkling wine, but the grapes are mostly native
to Spain.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
The traditional method, the traditional grips used in making cava
are indigenous grapes to Spain, although there is some other
sparkling wines made in Spain from other grape varieties, some
of them international like shardon, etcetera. The star of Spanish
sparkling wine is cava and those are all those are
(12:35):
all indigenous varieties local to the region.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
This is a Mediterranean area. This region is in north
of Barcelona. We have been there. We actually went to
stay many years ago with Castella Perilatta, also a terrific
producer of sparkling wines. There's many and we stay there.
So if you're really into visiting and staying. Castella Periltta
(12:58):
has a great setup and wonderful summer concert series that
we saw.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And they have a casino too. Yeah, it's I can
stay at the hotel, you can stay and have a
beautiful castle and a fabulous museum, a fabulous glass museum. Remember, yes,
that's the Castia Paralletta has curated over the over the centuries, really,
and and their wines are wonderful. It's a great experience.
You can spend money and you can lose money there
because they have a casino.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
The great thing about Comma is still now there have
been a lot of developments in Cava, with like many regions,
new layers added. I won't go into that because the
bottom line is Coaba is a method traditional sparkly wine
and it's usually very affordable and it comes in different
price points. The one we have picked, actually, the producer
is well known in Rioha. It's the Marquesda Cassus. They're
(13:45):
really well known in Rioha Alta however, and just a
little bit about Marquesta Castras. It dates back five generations.
It's currently overseen by the fifth generation family member. Amazing woman.
We've had her on the Connected table. Christina Forner Brilliant Woman.
They also produce a dookava in the pennanties and this
(14:07):
one that we're recommending, and we have photos. Can we
pop the photos just in the corner so you can
see this is a brute a dry cava. It's a
blend of those indigenous grapes you reference Zarello, which is
spelled x A r e l O, so Jarello, Macabeo
and Perilatta. And these are sourced from twenty five year
(14:30):
old vines aged minimum eleven months on Lee's You know
that Lee's aging is so important for the longer les aging.
You get those wonderful toasting notes and softness eleven point
five percent alcohol by volume, amazing notes of green apple,
white flowers, and briosche because of the les aging. Eighteen
dollars in ninety nine cents retail suggested retail. This is
(14:53):
suggested retail.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Yeah, I think in the world of method traditional sparkling wine,
I think cova is really well one of the best
values out there. I couldn't agree one although you can
spend a lot of money on a good kava too,
because yes, tava ranges anywhere from eight dollars a bottle
in the store all the way up to one hundred
and some of those, some of those, really those more
expensive ones are equally up unbelievable. Any champagne that you'll
(15:16):
have there's just amazing. Like you, Gramona is one of Gramona.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
I was.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
I was sitting here as you're talking. Gramona is probably
one of the most elegant and hard to find but
elegant cavas in the world. Needles needless to say, we
don't have it with us, but we did sent thank
you in your brands the importer UH Spain. We could
go on and on, but cavas. You know again, we're
(15:40):
just touching on this so that you can travel the world.
And if you go to this region, to the Pendatives,
it's beautiful. It's on the water, it's north of Barcelona,
so you can tie it in with the Barcelona trip
uh and the Salvador Dali Museum is kind of in
that area too, and you can't miss that. It's so
awesome and really amazing food. Now we're going to go
(16:03):
to Austria. I have not been to Austria, and boys
studying it for the Certified Specialists of Wine was hard
for me. Because A I have not been at B
I don't speak the language, and everything's hard to pronounce.
But the wines are very good. Now you've been, David,
where did you go?
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I have been really all over. I was there with
an importer who imported wines from Austria from a number
of the different regions that make wine in the country.
And the sparkling wine, which is called sect in Austria
is it's grown really in a fairly specific area for
the most part, and it's just delightful.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
So Austria wines forty permitted grapes, mainly whites, notably Gruner Vetliner,
which is about one third of Austrian acreage. We love
the still Gruner vetlers. We had some terrific wines. Pinot
blanc is the other main grape vice, bergunder Reaesling and Chardonnay.
The reds is Weigel is a cross between bluff Francish
also known as Lumberger every man has a double name
(17:04):
and Saint Laurent, which has peppery characteristics. So the producer
who we were sent the sparkling wine, we don't we
have it in the photos. It's in our refrigerator. We're
drinking as we go is Fred Loimer l O I
m e R Certified Organic. He's a renowned Austrian wine
maker from a long established wine growing family. And it's
(17:26):
on seventy hectars in the area called camp Thal which
is a major wine growing region of Austria, and when
he has five vineyards there and the specific area, because
it's there's many layers or regions, is the Nieder austere Rereich.
How did they do Nieder Austereich And the ava is
(17:47):
oster Reiser oster Reistercher, so it's many layers. What we
have is the winingut Loimer Extra Broot Reserve. It's a
non vintage A blends Weigelt Pino noir, Chardonnay, pino gree,
pino blanc. This has got a lot of fruit, high acidity.
(18:09):
You've got a lot of lettyers you know in there.
But the pino blanc adds kind of like an apple character.
This vigil adds a peppery character. This is twelve percent
ABV and that it's forty five dollars US suggested retail price.
We also have the Extra Bruit Reserve, which is seventy
seven percent vigot again, you can use other permitted grapes
(18:32):
here and again the vigilt is a cross between Blaf
Francish and Saint Laurent and Pino Noir and Saint Laurent.
And it's twenty months aging onlys and you get a
lot of like cherry and plum cake and so it's
gonna look that's plump fruit cake flavors plus hazelnut. Also
certified organic and certified biodynamic forty five dollars. Rosees tend
(18:59):
to be slightly more expensive because there's a bit more
involved then, but they're so wonderful big rose. And you know,
in like Champagne, many roses are only made in vintage gears.
So there you go. I wish we had German wines
also called sec. We need to befriends some German wine importers, true,
(19:23):
and we need to go to Germany because they also
have wonderful sect sparkling wins.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Yeah, and I think moving back to Austria, I think
the sect wines from Austria they're really delightful. They've got
great acidity because it is a cooler climate. Yes, and
although there's a fairly long growing season because of the
river valleys, that they grow in. However, it is cooler climate,
so great acidity, lovely aromatics, and because they're using grapes
like gruner Veltliner which has lovely aromatics to begin with,
(19:51):
and things like recently as well a lot of the
time the sparkling wines that they make the sex just
dance on your top. I just love these.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Here's an interesting fact. We have traveled around the United
States and one of the regions of the United States
that has some Austrian German style wines impact is in Pennsylvania. Remember,
we had similar grapes there and they were because the
immigration people set up a sort of cultivating groups that
(20:21):
they knew from there. And also when we were talking
last week with Megan Frank, they're doing a lot with
these Cougler climate wines as well. Actually they're doing more
with Soper Robbie and Racattatelli from Georgia, and we haven't
been there so to learn more about those wines, Yes,
we need more trips because this is how we learn
(20:43):
and bring our information to you. Now, this is a
fun one. The next one dating Great Britain is making
really terrific sparkling wines here here.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
I think it's really the next big region first for
sparkling wine production, I think in Europe, because it is,
first of all, it's brand new. Yeah, twenty years ago
you couldn't make sparkling wine or really even grow quality
grapes in Britain. Because of climate change, you are now
getting some fabulous world class sparkling wines coming out of
They're made from Shardon, apino and Pino magnet so the
(21:18):
wines are wonderful. It's a young, up and coming region
with some great producers in it that are really taking
the world by storm these days. And we have a
couple that we're trying today.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Two. But this is what's interesting. So geographically the wine
production areas of Great Britain are on the same Kimbridge
and Commygian ridge that you find in the Loire Valley,
the Eastern Law and in Champagne. And it's a sequence
of very ancient rocks that were formed over time. And
(21:51):
if you go to the UK and see the White
Cliffs of Dover, the chalky white Cliffs of Dover, they're
like the chalky white cliffs you'll find in the Valet
de Martin, for example, in Champagne.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
And it really is that it's really the same vein
of chalk that runs from Great Britain through the English
Chanlean and over to the region of Champagne. So it's
really the same vein of chalk, same same climate now
but also really the same to war.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yeah, so look to the UK and we hope to
go visit. But we have two examples here. The first
is Simpson's wine Estate, Terrific Wines, and it's partner's wine
is the importer. It's a husband and wife owner, Charles
and Ruth Simpson. They established Simpson's Wine Estate in twenty
fourteen in the Elam Valley in the North Downs of Kent,
(22:42):
where there's a lot of interesting soil that's ideal for
cultivating the Champagne grapes that we all know and love, Chardonnay,
pino noir and Pina Mounier. This couple happens to also
own a winery in Londondoc in France called Domain de
Saint Rose. Fun fact, so they're not new to the business.
Is their old hands.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
So they make wine that they can really serve the
whole meal with r exactly.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
So we've had several opportunities to taste the wines with
our friend Jack jo Lenco in Partner's Wine, and these
wines are sold around the United States. Simpson's Chalklands Classic
Couve non vintage is probably their benchmark. It's a forty
five percent Pino noir, thirty five percent Mounier, and twenty
percent shorten age fifteen to eighteen months on Lee's twelve
(23:28):
point five percent abv UH. There's about twenty percent of
reserve wines used to deepen the complexity their age and
neutral barrels. This wine has a lot of brioche, caramel
and pair and probably not green apple or red or
yellow apple. The suggestive retail is fifty six dollars.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
And obviously Chalklands is named after the fact that there's
a lot of chalk in the soil there, but also
because this region is so close to the English Channel,
You're getting a lot of maritime influence in the wine
from the sparkling wines that are coming out of Great Britain.
And I love that this wine in particular has a
real you can taste the salinity in the wine, yes,
(24:10):
and it just adds a level of complexity that I
find fascinating.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
There's several labels in Simpsons. They have one called eight
or Regene, which is very very special on the Blanc
de blanc called White Cliff one hundred percent of state
grown shortenay thirty six months on Lees. This is a
terrific wine. Again, it's called Simpson's Wine Estate and you
can get this around the United States. We also love
(24:38):
the Canterbury Rose, a state grown minimum fifteen months on Lees.
The other British wine we were sent is Hambleton h
A M B. E. L. D O and Vineyard. It
is England's oldest vineyard, established in nineteen fifty two, located
in the village of Hamilton, Hampshire, Hempshire, and this is
(25:01):
imported by Vinya Brands. The Hamilton Classic Couve bruton On
vintage is fifty one percent Chortenay, thirty two percent Pino noir,
seventeen percent Pino Munie I like to say Munier with
about sixteen percent reserve wines blended from the state's Solaris system,
thirty five months minimum aging on Lee's Apple, RedBerry's Brioche
(25:24):
and it's fifty five dollars, so you can get a
really top of the line British sparkling wine. For under
sixty dollars. Really, I actually really want to go to
this area and meet the producers and really taste. I
feel it's time.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Well, I think we should go in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Yes, yes, we are going to do one more area
of France. We're not going to you know, the elephant
is Champagne. I think we actually may have to do
a separate show on Champagne. We have two here. We
may mention at the end, but we got to get
to the Southern hemisphere as well, so we may end
with Champagne, which is fine with me, but the one
in our glass because again, sparkling and wine is made
(26:07):
throughout France. In fact, the original ancestral method of making
sparkling wine and fermenting in bottle originated in southwest front
in the Luanadoc area, and we had the great pleasure
of going there and tasting and going to the birthplace.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
Yeah, we actually went to the abbey where it was
actually created for the first time in Liu Moud, which
is a wonderful little region kind of out of the
way up in the hills, and it's just it's really fascinating.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
And while champagne is only produced in the Champagne region
of France, north of Paris, with very stringent guidelines. Clemant
is the sparkling wine made in the method champenn Wise
and dial and throughout.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
France, and there's a bunch of criminal designations throughout France.
I think we're going to talk about the Crimon de Loire.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Today, Yes, but there's Cremona also sauce one of the
oldest Clemonte Lemieux, Clemonte brign Bordeaux. So the wine that
we were sent and we actually have interviewed this producer
and met him in the past and had lunch with them,
so we have a personal connection and we saw him
when we were actually on a press trip. Is Domain
(27:19):
Xavier and Agnes Emerald. We love their Cabernet frant by
the way, but this is a sparks of day, make
some wonderful ones. Again, thank you Vin your brands. They
showered us with sparkly wines. It's located in the Saint
Nicholas de Brigol area in the Loire valley, so that's
the central Loire which I have with the love. It's
(27:40):
a ninety two acre clode Courteran village. It's been in
the Amorro family for six generations, managed now by Xavier
Amro and his wife Agnes, who we met certified organic
this Xavier and Agnes amer Clemont de Luis de le
Courtan is a root one hundred percent Shannon Blanc, the
(28:03):
signature white grape of the Loir, because outside of Champagne
you can use some. In most areas you can use
your local varieties minimum eighteen months on lease. There's no
so lemon, honeysuckle and white flowers. It's in our glass,
very crisp. Also lots of minerality because this area is
known for its gravelly soils. Twelve percent ABV and suggest
(28:24):
your retail thirty one ninety nine. So a good wine.
It's in our glass. I love Cremont's, that's a great love.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
I love Cromanda, I love Shannon Blanc.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
We all know.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
Yeah, talked about this before. I think the Loire Valley
really makes some of the most exciting wines in France. Yeah,
and Shannon Blanc and Cabernet Fronk are two big reasons
for that. The versatile grapes they just do. They can
adapt so well to different styles of manification and also
different growing conditions, so they're just wonderful grapes to work with.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Really terrific and I can't wait to go back to
the Loire. There's so much. We still haven't really into
the full Eastern Wi the sun there, the central and
and and and toward uh uh. The coast was gorgeous,
just gorgeous. Now Europe makes there's sparkling wines made throughout Europe.
We just haven't been to those regions and we don't
(29:18):
have samples, and we only talk about places that we
have visited and wines we have personally tasted and personal connections.
That's why we're a connected table Live, not the press
release group. We have to have personal experiences. We are
going to because we're at that halfway mark or less.
We're going to go to South America and we're going
(29:38):
to the southern hemisphere because there's some terrific wines there.
Why don't we start with I want to start with
South Africa just because we segue into Shennon Land a
little bit, and this is uh South Africa makes. It's
it's really known for its Shennon blanc also known as
Stein and it's pinutouage, very good. Sparkley wines. They're known
(30:01):
as cap class sic. That's how they're labeled in South Africa,
which is known their brand as wines of Origin, because
they're very protective of how they want their labeling there,
very important.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
We've done a few we've done a few shows with
South Africa producers South Africa. South Africa's had a very
old wine making tradition.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Really, grapes were planted when the Dutch first got there
in the sixteen hundreds, so they've got a very long
tradition of making wine. Sparkling wine though, is more of
a recent development, yes, really, what they didn't start making
sparkling wine in South Africa, probably in Stellenbosch until about
the nineteen fifties, seventies, seventies.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Yes so, and then in nineteen ninety two cap class
SEK was officially adopted by the Cape Classic Producers to
distinguish South African sparkling wines made in the traditional method. Again,
that's what we're focusing on. So we've had a lot
of terrific South Africa sparkling wines. We tasted three recently
(31:06):
with our good friends Suzanne Lang, who is based here
in New Orleans, a very good friend who is from
South Africa and created South to South Wine Imports to
spotlight family owned producers in South Africa. She actually created
it after South Africa went through some challenges with what
was seemed to be like equivalent of prohibition and they suffered,
and then the government change and then they were allowed
(31:28):
to sell wine again. She wanted to help bring South
Africa wines to the United States. The wine we have
that we loved was called Ntita, which is I think
it's a bird. It's in the Durbanville Valley, twenty minutes
north of Cape Town. Most of South Africa's key wines
are produced in the Western Capeland, but there's some exceptions.
(31:49):
It's a maritime climate, family owned and I'm found in
nineteen ninety so it's a farm owned by Bernhard Veller.
I love the names of these two wines. They're called
Matriarch to honor mothers and honor the matriarch of the family. Again,
these are family producers. We tasted two Matriarch cap Classic
(32:11):
twenty twenty three, which is sixty nine percent Pino noir,
thirty one percent Shortenad thirteen months on Lee's very nice
apple pears such as fruit Brioche thirty five dollars on average,
these yes all roughly thirty five to forty dollars. Beautiful
wine was in the photo we showed. The other one
we liked was the Grand Matriarch.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
And both of them are I think for the for
the quality that you're getting pretty good prices.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
Grand Matriarch was a Blance de Noir one hundred percent
pino noir thirty months on Le's. This one had almost
an amber It almost looked like a light rose amber color. Yeah,
very savory. It was what we all said with RedBerry's grapefruit,
and I like burnt orange iron peel. I kept getting that,
I kept thinking of it. I just tasted Quandrille.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Very good food, I think.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Yeah, I think it's about thirty eight to forty and
we don't ever know anymore because of the T word,
but yeah, very very good. On the flip side, we
also tried one made of one hundred percent columbard, right.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Yeah, this was the Silverthorn River Dragon met Hood cap classic.
A mouthful, that's for sure. But I love the fact
that they call their wine river Dragon, yeah, which is fun.
And this is actually one hundred percent colombard, yeah, which
is a grape that we have yet to talk about today,
but widely grown in southwest France as well, and makes
(33:30):
it makes a very lovely kind of easy drinking sparkling.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
We have had a lot of white flowers in this one,
and well it was it was fermented old Acacia barrel,
so that's probably why I was kidding that. And twelve
months only stone fruit tropical fruits. The River Dragon is
based on a formation in that area. So Robertson Valley
is north central of Cape Down. All of these regions
(33:57):
are like twenty thirty minutes away from Cape Down at
most an hour, and it's a river valley with rolling
hills and so a different Turrah than maybe you're Binville.
So we can't wait to go back to South Africa. Yeah,
we've been once. We've been to Stellebush and Frenchhuck. Do
we go to anywhere else? It was so long ago.
Not not for wine Brookenhose Sloof.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
In the Friendship Valley.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
I love that wine.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
I love the fact that it's Colinbart so it's got
very different characters. Then a shorden airpeinan noir fermented sparkling wine. Yeah,
and then also that They aged in acacia barrels, which
I think give a little bit of a spiciness to it.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
Yeah, it did. You're right. So the import there is
South to South Wines based out of New Orleans. She
is from South Africa. But a scroll up, we're still
in the southern hemisphere New Zealand. Okay, New Zealand is
on our bucket list to travel along with Australia. Having
(34:55):
been can't wait to go. Love the wines. The sample
we we're sent is from Central Otago. This is Pino
Noir country. It's the southernmost wine region of New Zealand
and frankly the world practically. I think there's one also
at the Bidego fendol Mundo in South America.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
It is also the son southernmost in Chile.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Yeah, so a family run boutique winery. The produced wines
made for Pino noir, Pino, gree reaesling, and chardonnay. This
is Central Otago. Is an inland mountainous area on the
forty fifth parallel, very cool climate.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
What's interesting about this is that most people think of
South Africa and Sovny and Blanc from the Marlborough Region
r which is the north end of the South Island,
right right, But if you go further south to Central
Otago Inland, that's where they grow all the chardonnay and
pino noir, and it obviously makes sense to make sparkling
wine there as well.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah, very much.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
There's some great pino noirs made there and also some
very good chardonnay. So this really just lends very well
to that, especially if they have a cooler year where
they might not get the ripeness that they want. Great
for sparkling one.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
Yeah, that's such a great point, such a great point.
So Peregrine is named for the Peregrine falcon. Uh. This
one that we have, it was in the photo we showed,
is a vintage twenty nineteen. It seems to have been
a good year for people. Two point twelve point five
percent ABV. It's a typical blend, sixty percent pino noir
(36:22):
forty percent chardonnay. Matured for less than about thirty six
months on Lee's so that's fairly Sena. I think the
minimum for champagne is thirty months. I think I'm looking
at my notes. But anyway, Citrus white flowers again and
brioche certified organic and biodynamics. The district retail price about
forty five dollars. They always say forty four ninety nine,
(36:43):
but I just like forty five dollars.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
I always rounded the pennant come nine me.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
I can't do the math. That's our only sample from
New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
So there's also very nice sparkling ones made in Australia.
We don't have any samples and we can't try it
for this trip, but for this trip on the air
that is, and then also test and he makes a
nice one. We got to get the heat as media
makes some nice sparkling ones. Yeah, I know again peanut
of our country.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Yeah, we got to get down down under soon. Of course,
South America I've been to several times, lucky me, but
actually I've been to several times for adventure trips and
wine trips. But we love the wines. We've done several
shows aren't with Argentinian producers who we have met and
(37:28):
known for over the years, and a lot of Italians
have invested in Argentina. This particular winery that we have
tasted the wines is the highest vineyard in all of
Mendoza at six five and sixty feet above sea level.
It's called Estancia Balata. It is named for the town
(37:51):
of us Balata, which is in the Cabrada Cabrado de
Minero miners cabin just outside there, and it stay belongs
to family named saud S, a u d of Buenos Aries,
and it's located there's only ten acres cultivated for vines,
but the entire ranch is over one hundred thousand acres,
(38:12):
so it's like, you know, the entire mountain, but a
lot of it's because of the location. It's just not usable.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
And these are these are the highest vineyards in Mendoza,
which they're over six thousand feet.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Yeah, so I'm wondering if it's the highest. And I
don't know this. You know, there's different like Uco Valley,
there's different textures, but I'm not sure the actual minimal
what it's called. But this is the Estancia uspallata root
mature white, one hundred percent pino noir, a blanc no noir,
but it's no dosage, lots of citrus and strawberry, very
(38:47):
high minerality, seventy name suggested retail very nice wine. The
other one that we have from our Argentina is Domain
Almonegra from Ernesto Cotana Vineyards, a fourth generation wine maker
of Italian descent. I remember I mentioned that a lot
(39:08):
of Italians settled in Argentina after World War Two. He
was a designer for many years and loves the Renaissance.
Alma nagra means black soul and you have to look.
You can't really see it on the little photo, but
it's a mask. It's a it's a black mask, a
man in a mask. When you look at the bottle. Uh.
(39:29):
This is a wine that also makes a wine called Mysteria.
This is Uco valley on pana and noir eight months
on Lee's thirteen percent ABV twenty to twenty three dollars,
so reasonable bargain bargain Baggin Argentina makes terrific sparkley wine,
(39:51):
so you just have two to work with right here.
Speaker 3 (39:53):
They do make some very nice sparkling wines, as does Chile. Yes,
which is the next one we're going to talk about.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Yeah, and this is a famous name in Spain.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
The Tourist family is really well known in Spain. But
they've also been making wine in Chile since the nineteen seven.
Speaker 2 (40:07):
Because many Spanish immigrated to Chile to invest in the
in the wine.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
Region as they saw that it was going to start
to grow. Time to go make wine in southern South America.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yeah, the family of Taurus has been making wine in
Spain for over one hundred and fifty.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
Years, almost fifty years in Chile as well, so they've
they've got quite a record down there as well. And
this is a wine that I really love. It's called
estilado and it is a very unique wine. It is
method traditional, so it is re fermented in the bottle.
The grape is called pais, which is in the United
(40:44):
States known as the Mission grape, which was the and
it's the first vitas fnif for a grape brought to
the Americas to be planted when the explorers were coming
over here to settle. So it's the it's the oldest
vita finit for a grape planted in in the.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
New World in California. Yes, right.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
So it makes a very light red style wine, very
very pleasant to drink. It was probably the most widely
planted red grape or grape in Chile up until about
the nineteen seventies when the when the modern wine revolution
started to take foot. And people started focusing on things
(41:24):
like Cabernet and sharpen and so many block things.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
Like that in the mall. I hope m a U
l A Mellow Valley is still widely planted.
Speaker 3 (41:31):
Yes, having a bit of a renaissance right now because
and especially due to the sparkling wines such as this one.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
So this wine is important by your friends with in
your brands. Miguel Torus has a lot of sparkling brew rose.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
It is.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
A whole bunch of fermentations. You get a lot of
juicy character from that age just five to six months
on Lea's It's very fruit for a lot of red
berry notes. This is a good one for light luncheon.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
I'm a big, big fan of this. I actually wrote
this in my column and you did in Tasting Panel
magazine in December twenty twenty three. When I first had it.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
And suggested we tell suggested was eighteen ninety nine. So
you know the wines we talked about, the Marques de
Castrous Cava and then Miguel Torres sparkling brut rose from
Chile are your best wine bargains, have great quality, one
that we don't.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Have samples of and haven't and I've been to, but
you have not. Is Brazil, which is probably the largest
sparkling wine producer in South but.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Those are sure modern traditional both.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
Okay, so there's but it's a very big industry in
Brazil to make sparkling wine, like millions of bottles, but
none of the early country. There's very few producers that
leave the country like Switzerland. Yeah, and what the reason
they started making sparkling wine there is ate A lot
of the immigrants in Brazil emigrated from places like Trento.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
In Italy the Great Migration.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
And they found this The region of southern Brazil, which
which is kind of near the Uruguay and border, was
conducive to the land that they grew up in, so
they started planting grapes.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
And when.
Speaker 3 (43:11):
Brazil was closed to international commerce in the nineteen seventies,
a lot of the European sparkling wine producers went to
Brazil to feed that market because they couldn't get it
outside the country, so they made it inside the country
to sell there. So places like Maay, Chandon, et cetera
went there to make sparkling wine.
Speaker 2 (43:30):
That's interesting a lot of sense. It's like what they're
doing now in China, they're all investigat and.
Speaker 3 (43:34):
They've all stayed and there's and it's grown since then.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
Brazil is a great country to sell.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
I went.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
I remember having sparkling wine when I was celebrating New
Year's at the Copacabana Polos. I think it was more
of a glero persecco style wine. I don't remember it well.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Again, there's producers that make both.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
So if you go to Brazil, drink them, drink the
sparkling wine. As great place to celebrate New Year's By
the way, like we said, there's so many other places
that we could touch on, but we do have and
we're set. So we want to give acknowledgment to two
champagne producers. And I think then we're going to need
to do a whole nother show just on champagne. I
would like STEMP for champagne. The first one again Partner's Wine.
(44:20):
He's a neighbor. We love him. Jack Jolenco Champagne Playbau Schlosser.
It's a grower champagne from the Marne Valley. Champagne Pleba
Schlosser was founded in nineteen twenty nine in the heart
of Champagne and Romerie just near Epernae. It was born
from a union, which is typical in France and other
(44:40):
parts of Italy, where the families merge and then it
becomes first same and the last name. So it as
Jean le Beau and Suzanne Schlosser, both were wine growing families,
you know how. That is the Napoleonic code and brands.
Four generations of a grower Champagne and the best areas
of the Montagne de Lance and Martin Valley near eperna
the Champagne Tribaux eight urrewise. This is it a urrewise
(45:04):
orgine non vintage, as a blend of fifty percent pino mugnier,
thirty percent chordenae twenty percent pino noir, which are the
permitted grapes there, although they are making some new exceptions
with some other grapes because the climate change. It's fresh
and fruity with notes of pear and plum and some brioche.
It's a blend of twenty percent oak aged reserve wines,
(45:26):
which gives it a nice wood character as well. Very
long finished fifty four dollars bottle. Again, this is Triebau.
There's many in the Tribau Champagne, Tribau Schluss or portfolio.
I also happen to love, Love Love the le Brute
Origine Rose, which is forty percent pino, thirty percent sharenae
(45:50):
and thirty percent Pino Munier only fifty nine dollars, still
a fairly good price point for that. And then of
course there was a no dosage called the origin Blandon
Wine Are which is pino and noir Pina mine blend
for fifty seven. If you're into no dosage. The other
champagne we were here.
Speaker 3 (46:08):
Yeah, a grower champagne. Yes, these are wines that you
don't find everywhere, so when you find them, you should
order one.
Speaker 2 (46:13):
So the grower champagne means that the producer grows his
or her grapes and makes the wine. Where many are
other growers or growers that sell to negotiens or to
the big classic houses who then work with different growers
to create their special recipe blend. So those wines are
known for their consistency. I e. Tat On Jay is
an example. A grower works with what they have, which
(46:35):
is challenging for the grower. If it's a bad year,
you know, they got to work with what they grow,
so grower Champagnes some ways love them, right they do.
They are the darlings. Another wine we were sent from
vineyard Brands established in seventeen sixty is Champagne Delamotte, a
vineyard owner glass, and this three centuries later in the
(46:59):
Bloc in Les Minils O Gay, which is one of
the greatest produced smaller production areas. They continue. We have
here the I think we have the Brute Chardonnay fifty
five percent fifty thirty five percent Pino mar and ten
percent migne for fifty five dollars vintage.
Speaker 3 (47:22):
Also make a wonderful block to Bloc one hundreds of chardina,
and then they also make a rose, the Delmont rose.
Speaker 2 (47:29):
Yeah, twenty four months on lease. Again you're going to
the price point for the Champagne roses tend to be
higher because the lot and they're only made in certain years.
But what we have is the as the as the
Brute non vintage, another terrific label. There are so many
great wines from around the world, and Champagne deserves its
(47:50):
own highlight. Actually, we want to go back because we
have the great opportunity to go and meet with Roland
Champion and interview those folks and of late Wines. There's
some others we've interviewed of Chris bill Icart, Simon and Rose.
Their patriarch just passed away. We're gonna send a condolence
note to one hundred and two. He just passed one
(48:12):
of my perfect, my favorite New Year's c E wines, Simone.
And of course another one is rare, which is Hei
Yeah Heidzec love these ones. These are the tet the couves.
Whenever we're invited to a Teta Couve, we say yes.
But you can find Champagnes at all price points, and
you can find Sparkling wines at all price points, and
(48:33):
you should be drinking Sparkley wines every day and not
saving them for special occasions. However, because we're in the
middle of the holidays, we're doing our annual holiday show
on Sparkley Wines and we'll be doing some more.
Speaker 3 (48:45):
So you may not be able to get these for Thanksgiving,
which is tomorrow, right, but you want to get it
year round. However, there's still time to chop for Christmas
and New Year's and.
Speaker 2 (48:54):
Anniversaries and Valentin's and our anniversary is March seventeenth, maybe
we'll do the champagne.
Speaker 3 (49:00):
This is a good starter list to go out and
see if you can search for some of these ones.
Speaker 2 (49:03):
Absolutely so, drink bubbles, enjoy, and remember you know you
can enjoy bubbles with a long life. The patriarch of
Bill Kartsimon was one hundred and two when you pass,
So maybe champagne's good for a long life. Anyway, we toast,
why do I have less than you and my glass home?
I may have to get some more. We toast to
(49:24):
all of you for the holidays and every days, and
appreciate your joining us, Appreciate your sharing our shows and
following us on the Connected Table, read our blog at
the Connected table dot com, and listen to our shows
and more of the sixty five podcast channels I'm watching
on YouTube. Twelve seasons in every year I say we're
going to throw in the towel, but every year we
say we keep going because we're insatiably curious and we
(49:48):
want you to as well, and we want to eat, drink,
explore and inspire you to see the world and travel
with us. Thank you for joining us. Sante the Past
Speaker 1 (50:04):
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