Tag: sparkling resolution

Discovering November Bubbles! Canard-Duchêne Comes to U.S.
One sip of Canard-Duchêne Authentic Brut and we knew we had discovered a special Champagne. Toast on the nose and luscious Pinot fruit on the palate – not overwhelming, just right.

The blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay captured our attention and never let go. Canard-Duchêne Cellar Master Laurent Fédou puts it best with the words “intensity … complexity … and balance” to describe their Champagnes.

He characterizes the Authentic Brut as having …
- “A straw-yellow appearance and delicate mousse."
- "Intense aromas of fresh fruit typical of the Pinot varietals."
- "Fruity flavours [that] jostle with pastry notes, a sign of excellent maturity.”
We always like to taste through the temperatures of our first glass of wine. In this case, moving from the initial chilled sip to that warmer last splash brought out more of the Chardonnay.

After lingering over the rest of the bottle, our only question was, “Why haven’t we heard about this Champagne before?” Well, it hasn’t been readily available in the U.S. until recently, but has been well-known and respected for more than a century in other parts of the world.

We found our bottle of Canard-Duchêne for $38 at The Urban Grape, South End

Clinking glasses to toast each new month has never been more enjoyable – à votre santé!

Watch for a few extra wine posts this month. We'll be telling you about some of our favorite value sparklers that are perfect for holdiay entertaining or as great value gifts.

Here's more about Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
November 1, 2013
On Vacation with Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant

While on a late summer vacation in Provincetown, we were introduced to an amazing bottle of wine – Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant. Ptown is a perfect place to search out a special sparkler, especially one that further enhances the feeling of being in such a beautiful place (no small task).

On one of our walks through town, we stopped into a wine shop hoping to uncover a gem. We picked up what looked like an interesting bottle and heard, "It's my favorite wine in the store, right now!" It was Jerry, official wine geek at Glass Half Full on Commercial Street in Provincetown, and we soon learned that he has very good taste!

Realizing we'd found a sparkling wine with a singular taste (90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Manseng), we had to share a taste with our vacationing neighbors. They were so impressed that everyone planned on buying some the next day. The best comment was from the woman who put down her just emptied glass and simply said, "Lovely."

The winemaker says, “A genuine rosé wine … with lively fine bubbles … smooth fruity aromas … ideal apéritif, delightful with desserts … very fresh thanks to its low alcohol content.” (11 % by Vol.)

Ellis Wharton Wines calls this rosé, "A pretty, sparkling, and uplifting pink … less intense fruit from young vines."

Even if you’re not on vacation, when you taste this amazing sparkler, you’ll feel as though you are. And, we can’t think of a better way to ring in a new month. Cheers!

Our Monthly Tradition began with a Sparkling Resolution!

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 1, 2013
On Vacation with Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant

While on a late summer vacation in Provincetown, we were introduced to an amazing bottle of wine – Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant. Ptown is a perfect place to search out a special sparkler, especially one that further enhances the feeling of being in such a beautiful place (no small task).

On one of our walks through town, we stopped into a wine shop hoping to uncover a gem. We picked up what looked like an interesting bottle and heard, "It's my favorite wine in the store, right now!" It was Jerry, official wine geek at Glass Half Full on Commercial Street in Provincetown, and we soon learned that he has very good taste!

Realizing we'd found a sparkling wine with a singular taste (90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Manseng), we had to share a taste with our vacationing neighbors. They were so impressed that everyone planned on buying some the next day. The best comment was from the woman who put down her just emptied glass and simply said, "Lovely."

The winemaker says, “A genuine rosé wine … with lively fine bubbles … smooth fruity aromas … ideal apéritif, delightful with desserts … very fresh thanks to its low alcohol content.” (11 % by Vol.)

Ellis Wharton Wines calls this rosé, "A pretty, sparkling, and uplifting pink … less intense fruit from young vines."

Even if you’re not on vacation, when you taste this amazing sparkler, you’ll feel as though you are. And, we can’t think of a better way to ring in a new month. Cheers!

Our Monthly Tradition began with a Sparkling Resolution!

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 1, 2013
On Vacation with Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant

While on a late summer vacation in Provincetown, we were introduced to an amazing bottle of wine – Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant. Ptown is a perfect place to search out a special sparkler, especially one that further enhances the feeling of being in such a beautiful place (no small task).

On one of our walks through town, we stopped into a wine shop hoping to uncover a gem. We picked up what looked like an interesting bottle and heard, "It's my favorite wine in the store, right now!" It was Jerry, official wine geek at Glass Half Full on Commercial Street in Provincetown, and we soon learned that he has very good taste!

Realizing we'd found a sparkling wine with a singular taste (90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Manseng), we had to share a taste with our vacationing neighbors. They were so impressed that everyone planned on buying some the next day. The best comment was from the woman who put down her just emptied glass and simply said, "Lovely."

The winemaker says, “A genuine rosé wine … with lively fine bubbles … smooth fruity aromas … ideal apéritif, delightful with desserts … very fresh thanks to its low alcohol content.” (11 % by Vol.)

Ellis Wharton Wines calls this rosé, "A pretty, sparkling, and uplifting pink … less intense fruit from young vines."

Even if you’re not on vacation, when you taste this amazing sparkler, you’ll feel as though you are. And, we can’t think of a better way to ring in a new month. Cheers!

Our Monthly Tradition began with a Sparkling Resolution!

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 1, 2013
A French “Value Sparkler” with No Compromises, le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux

Anytime we can enjoy a sparkling wine with raves that include, "uncompromising value," it’s impossible to keep it to ourselves. Laurens le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux, $14.99 at Bauer Wine & Spirits, is a wine that had us from the first, wonderful sniff.

While the aromas have been described as, “green apple, acacia flowers, and apricot,” to us it had hints of a toasty Champagne.

As we've often said, "… with a good bottle of bubbly, you don’t need to keep topping the glass." While, some wines at this price point are best served very cold, this sparkler doesn’t require a constant chill to mask any off notes because there aren’t any!

Renowned wine guru Jancis Robinson has called the wines from the Limoux region, “a combination of French finesse and good value.” She finds that the most interesting wines in this area come from small producers like, “Jacques Calvel at Domaine J Laurens, whose fizz is really very fine …” and that, “the best fizz can be a great-value alternative to champagne …“ Not surprisingly, Robinson’s Limoux recommendations include Le Moulin Brut NV Blanquette de Limoux.

Although Limoux is part of the Languedoc, which always makes us think of outstanding red wine varieties (Syrah, Grenache…), we’re learning that there’s much more to love from this region.

Laurens le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux (Alc. 12% by Vol., another plus) is made mainly from the area’s Mauzac grape and is our choice to welcome September.

(For our regular Sunday Dog readers, we raise a glass to you and all beloved canine compaions. When the first falls on a Sunday, we do slip in a wonderful wine for toasting the dogs we love and who have shared our lives. Sunday Dog will be back next week.)

More About Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 1, 2013
A French “Value Sparkler” with No Compromises, le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux

Anytime we can enjoy a sparkling wine with raves that include, "uncompromising value," it’s impossible to keep it to ourselves. Laurens le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux, $14.99 at Bauer Wine & Spirits, is a wine that had us from the first, wonderful sniff.

While the aromas have been described as, “green apple, acacia flowers, and apricot,” to us it had hints of a toasty Champagne.

As we've often said, "… with a good bottle of bubbly, you don’t need to keep topping the glass." While, some wines at this price point are best served very cold, this sparkler doesn’t require a constant chill to mask any off notes because there aren’t any!

Renowned wine guru Jancis Robinson has called the wines from the Limoux region, “a combination of French finesse and good value.” She finds that the most interesting wines in this area come from small producers like, “Jacques Calvel at Domaine J Laurens, whose fizz is really very fine …” and that, “the best fizz can be a great-value alternative to champagne …“ Not surprisingly, Robinson’s Limoux recommendations include Le Moulin Brut NV Blanquette de Limoux.

Although Limoux is part of the Languedoc, which always makes us think of outstanding red wine varieties (Syrah, Grenache…), we’re learning that there’s much more to love from this region.

Laurens le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux (Alc. 12% by Vol., another plus) is made mainly from the area’s Mauzac grape and is our choice to welcome September.

(For our regular Sunday Dog readers, we raise a glass to you and all beloved canine compaions. When the first falls on a Sunday, we do slip in a wonderful wine for toasting the dogs we love and who have shared our lives. Sunday Dog will be back next week.)

More About Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 1, 2013
A French “Value Sparkler” with No Compromises, le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux

Anytime we can enjoy a sparkling wine with raves that include, "uncompromising value," it’s impossible to keep it to ourselves. Laurens le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux, $14.99 at Bauer Wine & Spirits, is a wine that had us from the first, wonderful sniff.

While the aromas have been described as, “green apple, acacia flowers, and apricot,” to us it had hints of a toasty Champagne.

As we've often said, "… with a good bottle of bubbly, you don’t need to keep topping the glass." While, some wines at this price point are best served very cold, this sparkler doesn’t require a constant chill to mask any off notes because there aren’t any!

Renowned wine guru Jancis Robinson has called the wines from the Limoux region, “a combination of French finesse and good value.” She finds that the most interesting wines in this area come from small producers like, “Jacques Calvel at Domaine J Laurens, whose fizz is really very fine …” and that, “the best fizz can be a great-value alternative to champagne …“ Not surprisingly, Robinson’s Limoux recommendations include Le Moulin Brut NV Blanquette de Limoux.

Although Limoux is part of the Languedoc, which always makes us think of outstanding red wine varieties (Syrah, Grenache…), we’re learning that there’s much more to love from this region.

Laurens le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux (Alc. 12% by Vol., another plus) is made mainly from the area’s Mauzac grape and is our choice to welcome September.

(For our regular Sunday Dog readers, we raise a glass to you and all beloved canine compaions. When the first falls on a Sunday, we do slip in a wonderful wine for toasting the dogs we love and who have shared our lives. Sunday Dog will be back next week.)

More About Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

September 1, 2013
Toasting August with Billecart-Salmon: A Tale of Two Bruts

We can’t think of a better way to ring-in a new month than by toasting with two glasses of bubbly from one of our favorite Champagne houses, Billecart-Salmon! No, wait. Actually, that would be four glasses and two bottles.

In this post, we explore two Champagne styles: ours and that of some of our wine-loving friends. The right wine is the wine you like! Besides, anytime you’re able to justify opening multiple bottles of these French jewels, the happier the occasion becomes.

However, in the interest of full disclosure, we actually opened our Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra-Brut at the beach, last summer. Extra Brut is the driest designation of Champagne styles containing less than 0.6% sugar per liter. While this Billecart-Salmon contains the big three: Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, they point out that, “No sugar has been added to the dosage.”

Billecart-Salmon says, “A Champagne full of brightness and purity … harmonious minerality … balanced finish” Download More about Billecart-Salmon Etra Brut.

We say, “tight … a bit stern … but, focused”

As for the Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve, we lifted our glasses to welcome August 2013, took our first sips, and couldn’t stop grinning!

We say, “round … mellow … friendly … magical … drink slowly through the temperatures” (allow to warm in your glass)

Billecart-Salmon says, “harmony … balance … persistent and abounding mousse … freshness … rich bouquet Download More about Billecart-Salomn BRUT RESERVE.

We began our love affair with Billecart-Salmon many years ago by falling for their Brut Rosé. Since then, we’ve come to appreciate the depth of this outstanding Champagne house and continue to try their many other offerings.

Whatever your taste in sparkling wine, we hope you’ll join us in a toast to month number eight, à votre santé!

Here’s More About

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

August 1, 2013
Toasting August with Billecart-Salmon: A Tale of Two Bruts

We can’t think of a better way to ring-in a new month than by toasting with two glasses of bubbly from one of our favorite Champagne houses, Billecart-Salmon! No, wait. Actually, that would be four glasses and two bottles.

In this post, we explore two Champagne styles: ours and that of some of our wine-loving friends. The right wine is the wine you like! Besides, anytime you’re able to justify opening multiple bottles of these French jewels, the happier the occasion becomes.

However, in the interest of full disclosure, we actually opened our Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra-Brut at the beach, last summer. Extra Brut is the driest designation of Champagne styles containing less than 0.6% sugar per liter. While this Billecart-Salmon contains the big three: Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, they point out that, “No sugar has been added to the dosage.”

Billecart-Salmon says, “A Champagne full of brightness and purity … harmonious minerality … balanced finish” Download More about Billecart-Salmon Etra Brut.

We say, “tight … a bit stern … but, focused”

As for the Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve, we lifted our glasses to welcome August 2013, took our first sips, and couldn’t stop grinning!

We say, “round … mellow … friendly … magical … drink slowly through the temperatures” (allow to warm in your glass)

Billecart-Salmon says, “harmony … balance … persistent and abounding mousse … freshness … rich bouquet Download More about Billecart-Salomn BRUT RESERVE.

We began our love affair with Billecart-Salmon many years ago by falling for their Brut Rosé. Since then, we’ve come to appreciate the depth of this outstanding Champagne house and continue to try their many other offerings.

Whatever your taste in sparkling wine, we hope you’ll join us in a toast to month number eight, à votre santé!

Here’s More About

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

August 1, 2013
Toasting August with Billecart-Salmon: A Tale of Two Bruts

We can’t think of a better way to ring-in a new month than by toasting with two glasses of bubbly from one of our favorite Champagne houses, Billecart-Salmon! No, wait. Actually, that would be four glasses and two bottles.

In this post, we explore two Champagne styles: ours and that of some of our wine-loving friends. The right wine is the wine you like! Besides, anytime you’re able to justify opening multiple bottles of these French jewels, the happier the occasion becomes.

However, in the interest of full disclosure, we actually opened our Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra-Brut at the beach, last summer. Extra Brut is the driest designation of Champagne styles containing less than 0.6% sugar per liter. While this Billecart-Salmon contains the big three: Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, they point out that, “No sugar has been added to the dosage.”

Billecart-Salmon says, “A Champagne full of brightness and purity … harmonious minerality … balanced finish” Download More about Billecart-Salmon Etra Brut.

We say, “tight … a bit stern … but, focused”

As for the Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve, we lifted our glasses to welcome August 2013, took our first sips, and couldn’t stop grinning!

We say, “round … mellow … friendly … magical … drink slowly through the temperatures” (allow to warm in your glass)

Billecart-Salmon says, “harmony … balance … persistent and abounding mousse … freshness … rich bouquet Download More about Billecart-Salomn BRUT RESERVE.

We began our love affair with Billecart-Salmon many years ago by falling for their Brut Rosé. Since then, we’ve come to appreciate the depth of this outstanding Champagne house and continue to try their many other offerings.

Whatever your taste in sparkling wine, we hope you’ll join us in a toast to month number eight, à votre santé!

Here’s More About

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

August 1, 2013