With graduation almost here for a lot of students, I thought I’d talk about a few inexpensive sparkling wines which are sure to add a nice fizz to your graduation celebrations. While any carbonated wine is sparkling wine, it’s important to note that “Champagne” is reserved for wines coming from the Champagne region of France. Sparkling wine may also be called bubbly, brut, champagne-style, Spumante (Italian) or Sekt (German).
The first wine I tasted was Cook’s Grand Reserve, a California sparkler weighing in at 11.5 percent alcohol and priced at a mere $8. Cook’s is known for making sweet, inexpensive sparkling wines, and I’ve enjoyed one of their other wines before. Grand Reserve has a very pale color, and it’s almost as clear as water. The nose is very closed overall, but it has components of grapefruit, rubber (very common in sparkling wines) and citrus. It leaves a nice and dry feeling in the mouth, not unlike the feeling you get from eating Warheads. It has flavors of grapefruit, ginger ale, flowers and a hint of vanilla. It feels pretty thin, and its finish doesn’t last very long. Overall, I give Grand Reserve a rating of B; it’s not too spectacular, but it’s enjoyable and very easy to drink. The $8 price point makes it very affordable, especially if parents are paying for a graduation party!
The next wine is Brut Dargent’s Blanc de Blancs from France. It has 11.5 percent alcohol and costs $10.50. This wine has a much darker yellow/golden color than Cook’s, and it’s considerably thicker in the glass, leaving nice legs. The nose is very floral, with hints of rubber, melon, cantaloupe rind, citrus and another smell I couldn’t quite pinpoint. It has a very nice acidic, almost bitter taste, and an oaky, nutty and vanilla-like flavor. The finish is all oak, and the rest of the flavors are completely masked by oak. I give this wine a C+ for the overpowering oak taste with not much else going on.
The final wine is a California sparkler which many people reach for when celebrating: Korbel Extra Dry. It has 12 percent alcohol and I got it for $12, on sale from $14. It looks about the same golden color as the Brut Dargent, and the thickness is similar as well. It has a very pleasant, flowery aroma. I get a strong honeysuckle flower component, and a metallic smell which made me think of the foil from the bottle or sucking on quarters. The taste is wonderful – sweet with good acidity, and a more refined, pleasant taste. This wine is very easy to drink, and it’s by far my favorite of the three. I give it an A overall, and this wine would feel at home on the table of a casual dinner or a fancy work-related party.
At $8-$12, all three sparkling wines are a very affordable way to celebrate your graduation. Drink with caution, however, since the carbonation in these wines makes the alcohol hit your system faster than regular wine. Keep those corks pointed away from your (and my) face, and until next time – cheers!
Be sure to visit https://dailycollegian.com for a video review of these wines, or http://TheBottleReview.com for more wine reviews.
Matthew Harrison can be reached at [email protected].
