WHY DRINK SPARKLING WINE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
Why drink sparkling wines in general could be our topic, but let’s focus on the sparkling wines for the festive days that are approaching! The holidays need laughter, joy, family and friendly gatherings, and sparkle! We can help with both. For the first, you can simply come to Botilia’s Xmas Wine Party, so we can spend some of the festive hours together, and for the second, we have some of the best sparkling wines to recommend—wines you’ll really enjoy and that will make you look good from now until the beginning of the new year!
Christmas is one of the brightest holidays, full of beautiful moments. From the relaxed pre-Christmas gathering with friends to the formal Christmas Eve Réveillon and New Year’s Eve. Each moment has its own sparkling wine that fits best. So let’s see how you can organize your bubbles this year!
Pet Nat. How funky do you want it?
Pet nats are funky, naturally sparkling, with a slightly gentler effervescence compared to all other sparkling wines and a playful character. They’re ideal for those who want their bubbles and in the most natural form but let’s be honest, you can’t drink champagne every day! So as soon as your holiday starts, along with the first invitations at home or on the easygoing nights of the early festive days (and if you’re bold, at the Christmas brunch), try a fantastic Pet Nat Moschofilero from the Bosinakis siblings. Juicy red fruits, refreshing acidity, and that hazy, natural appearance make all the naturalists (and not only) love it. It’s cool, it’s different, and it pairs perfectly with any food and any crowd, proving how exciting sparkling wines can be in Greece. Alternatively, go for Per Se from The Knack Project, another playful version, with a more intense character and a fruity mood. Enjoy both on their own or with any little bite you can imagine.
Prosecco. Finesse flows through you, you can’t hide…
Prosecco for the holidays is the ultimate people pleaser and party starter. Even more so when it comes from the “winery of the year” for 2021. We’re talking about Santa Margherita and the Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Magnum. Light, refreshing, and full of aromas of pear, green apple, and white-fleshed peach, with very fine and persistent bubbles, it will match finger food, sushi, as well as the cheese and charcuterie platters that come out first, offering an elegant balance without overpowering the flavors. And in magnum format, because you will surely need it. A more affordable option is Canti Prosecco Cellophane Extra Dry DOC, from the historic winery Fratelli Martini Secondo Luigi. Its light body calls for more than one bottle, and it’s very enjoyable even with melomakarona! Among the highlights is its striking yellow cellophane wrapping, which will impress as a gift too, confirming just how stylish sparkling wines can be as gifts!
Champagne is the best way to say “I love you” in any language!
Thus spoke Clovis Taittinger, Managing Director of Taittinger. And he knew very well what he was saying, wishing to emphasize that champagne needs no prologue and no justification. It’s understood everywhere, regardless of language, culture, and occasion. It’s absolutely linked to celebrations, luxury, and sparkle, and thus inevitably becomes the most elegant and festive manifesto, since Christmas is the moment when you express your love to your people through actions, gifts, and shared moments.
At the Christmas table, whether you’re invited or the host, go with a Gastronome Blanc de Blancs Brut 2018 from the house of Pierre Gimonnet & Fils and a dazzling blend of Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. It’s an elegant choice that fits ideally with the first courses, bringing that initial burst of freshness to the table. Discreet effervescence, soft and smooth style it’s the Christmas champagne that will please everyone.
A second option to play it safe is Taittinger Brut Réserve, from the eponymous house. It belongs to the select champagnes of the house’s collection and comes from 35 different vineyard sites and vintages of excellent maturity. Crisper acidity and creamier mousse, with the characteristic aromas of biscuit, dough, and honey, it accompanies the main course perfectly from poultry to more complex festive flavors.
A few steps higher is Prélude Grand Cru Brut Taittinger from the same house, heralding a more complex character. The Chardonnay grapes from the Côte des Blancs add to the flavors of hazelnut and brioche a mineral character of wet stone, making it perhaps the best champagne for the Christmas Réveillon, or to complete Christmas dinner with finesse and balance!
Champagne has become the ultimate symbol of the transition from the old to the new year. And for that reason, if you’re going to do it, you have to do it right and with excess. Cristal 2015 from the house of Louis Roederer has stood out among many, and the 2015 vintage is considered mythical, with 98pts from Wine Enthusiast, 97pts from James Suckling, 96pts from Wine Spectator, and 17.5++ from Jancis Robinson MW. It’s a champagne for the exacting, for the demanding, and for those who want to welcome the new year with a dose of luxury.
An equally great alternative for the year’s first pop is Cuvée Rosé from the house of Laurent-Perrier. In fact, it became a milestone in the history of champagne, as when it was released in the ’60s, it set new standards for what a rosé champagne can be refined, with intense aromas of strawberry and raspberry, with discreet effervescence and refreshing acidity. Uniquely elegant, if you choose it, it deserves the most glamorous glass of the night!
Bubbles relax you, make you smile more easily, and give every moment a sense of celebration. The holidays aren’t the same without bubbles, and sparkling wines for the Christmas table are the best! From funky Pet Nat to luxurious champagne, each moment has its own sparkling wine. This year, make the right sparkling wine pairing, choose the right bottle for every occasion, and don’t forget: bubbles are glam, they’re sexy, and they make the holidays unforgettable.
Happy holidays and bubbles everywhere!
Christina Tsogka
