Tag: wine

  • September’s Toast with Champagne Robert Barbichon Blanc De Noirs

    This month we are chilling a bottle of Robert Barbichon Blanc De Noirs. It's an organic, biodynamic, grower Champagne from a small producer. You may have noticed that we toast with a lot of wines similar to this one. Like many of you, there are flavor profiles, business philosophies, importers, and regional terroirs that we prefer over others. This wine checks a lot of boxes on our preference list.

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    Humboldt Importers describe this wine maker well, "Located in the Cote des Bar in the Aube region to the southeast of the Marne, the Barbichon family have been growing Champagne grapes for 4 generations. Today Robert Barbichon produces a range of elegant, stylish Champagnes with bright mineral-driven fruit and just a hint of toast."

    And (here's the part we especially like) Humboldt Importers characterize the Blanc de Noirs Brut NV as, "Crafted of pure Pinot Noir, it exhibits a creamy nose filled with bright white fruit, chalk/mineral notes and a crisp, elegant finish. 100% Pinot Noir from the Cote des Bar."

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    One of the fun things about this bottle is that it's a "Transatlantic Bubbles Selection." This is a new import category to us. But reading about their love of sparkling wine and the places where their selections are served makes us open to other wines from their portfolio. 

    They say:

    "Transatlantic Bubbles LLC. specializes in finding and importing grower-producer Champagnes that offer superior quality at a better cost to the customer. We are a trusted supplier in the growing niche market for recoltant-manipulant Champagne."

    We're looking forward to raising our glasses to the extension of this lovely summer that we have declared, "… will not end until October 15th, at the earliest!"

    We purchased our bottle of Champagne Robert Barbichon Blanc De Noirs Brut at City Liquors in Cambridge for ~ $45.

    IMG_4250UPDATE: (09.02.17) We had such high hopes for this Champagne and, well … at the risk of stooping to a cliché, "It exceeded our highest expectations!" We chilled the wine to ~ 55ºF and began tasting while enjoying some thinly sliced pork loin, pepper-flavored boursin, Jasper Hill Moses Sleeper (cows milk cheese inspired by French Brie), figs, and local cherry tomatoes – why skimp?

    This combination added to the enjoyment of the Barbichon Blanc De Noirs Brut which only improved as it warmed.

    Penny was haunted by a flavor she was experiencing tasted in the fruit of this wine. Then she realized it was like the charred, caramelized pineapple served with our Jamaican jerk chicken wings plate at Little Donkey. I liked the wine's yeasty character and hints of chalk.

    We both agreed that the full, rich, round, "elegant finish" remained throughout our meal. And, the best news, we saved some more of this lovely bottle of bubbles for today. 

    We are buying another bottle the next time we find this little gem! 

    Cheers!

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post: Join Us as We Toast …

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite wine books …

    The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

    The New Wine Lover's Companion

    The Wine Bible

     

     Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Screengrab from Transatlantic Bubbles LLC

  • Spending Time with a Sparkling Old Friend This July – Argyle Vintage Brut

    Well look who stopped by to help us ring in July – a sparkling old friend from Oregon who goes by the name of Argyle Vintage Brut 2013!

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    While we’ve had a long, happy relationship through the years, it’s been awhile since we’ve shared each other’s company.  

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    This Pinot-forward sparkler comes from Argyle’s Grower Series and promises a rich, round peach nature helped along by “… the complexity of honey, cherry kernel and lingering anise.”

    The balance and focus of the finish is said to come from the wine’s “… dynamic acid backbone and edgy minerality.”

    Just this past April, Wine Spectator awarded the 2013 Argyle Vintage Brut 89 Points, praising it as “Crisp and precise, with apple and pomelo aromas and sleek, tangy flavors that finish with vibrancy. Drink now. T.F.”

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    Hmm … Sounds a lot like the old friend we remember. We also remember meeting Argyle's Founder Rollin Soles (in the Argyle photo above) at Bauer Wine & Spirits. (Check out: "Argyle's Rollin Soles Talks Wine with BostonZest" in Related Posts below.)

    Catching up after time apart can mean a bit of uncertainty. Maybe one or both of you have changed? We’ll let you know how it goes.

    Until then, “Here’s to July!” and our Sparkling Resolution!

    The Facts:

    Vintage Brut | 2013 Willamette Valley AVA

    Bottle Fermented, Aged on the Yeast,

    60% Pinot Noir 40% Chardonnay, ABV: 12.5%

    We purchased our bottle of Argyle Vintage Brut 2013 on sale for $20 at Bauer Wine & Spirits.

    * (07.04.2017) Update: As spectacular as ever! Great body with nice Pinot-forward character. Shared with friends as we all raised our glasses to toast the arrival of July! Already have another bottle on-ice and ready to go!

     

    Related Posts:

    Argyle’s Rollin Soles Talks Wine with BostonZest

    March Sparkles with Argyle’s 2001 Extended Tirage Brut – It’s a Sure Thing!

    Oregon’s Argyle Brut to Light-Up July!

    Our Sparkling Resolution

    Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List
     

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

    Photography: © 2017 Penny Cherubino   

     

  • Spending Time with a Sparkling Old Friend This July – Argyle Vintage Brut

    Well look who stopped by to help us ring in July – a sparkling old friend from Oregon who goes by the name of Argyle Vintage Brut 2013!

      IMG_0050

    While we’ve had a long, happy relationship through the years, it’s been awhile since we’ve shared each other’s company.  

     IMG_0049

    This Pinot-forward sparkler comes from Argyle’s Grower Series and promises a rich, round peach nature helped along by “… the complexity of honey, cherry kernel and lingering anise.”

    The balance and focus of the finish is said to come from the wine’s “… dynamic acid backbone and edgy minerality.”

    Just this past April, Wine Spectator awarded the 2013 Argyle Vintage Brut 89 Points, praising it as “Crisp and precise, with apple and pomelo aromas and sleek, tangy flavors that finish with vibrancy. Drink now. T.F.”

    Screen Shot 2017-06-30 at Friday  June 30  20173.51.49 PM

    Hmm … Sounds a lot like the old friend we remember. We also remember meeting Argyle's Founder Rollin Soles (in the Argyle photo above) at Bauer Wine & Spirits. (Check out: "Argyle's Rollin Soles Talks Wine with BostonZest" in Related Posts below.)

    Catching up after time apart can mean a bit of uncertainty. Maybe one or both of you have changed? We’ll let you know how it goes.

    Until then, “Here’s to July!” and our Sparkling Resolution!

    The Facts:

    Vintage Brut | 2013 Willamette Valley AVA

    Bottle Fermented, Aged on the Yeast,

    60% Pinot Noir 40% Chardonnay, ABV: 12.5%

    We purchased our bottle of Argyle Vintage Brut 2013 on sale for $20 at Bauer Wine & Spirits.

    * (07.04.2017) Update: As spectacular as ever! Great body with nice Pinot-forward character. Shared with friends as we all raised our glasses to toast the arrival of July! Already have another bottle on-ice and ready to go!

     

    Related Posts:

    Argyle’s Rollin Soles Talks Wine with BostonZest

    March Sparkles with Argyle’s 2001 Extended Tirage Brut – It’s a Sure Thing!

    Oregon’s Argyle Brut to Light-Up July!

    Our Sparkling Resolution

    Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List
     

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

    Photography: © 2017 Penny Cherubino   

     

  • We Toast June with Sparkling Rosé “Turbullent” Domaine Serol

    The shopping is done and Sparkling Rosé “Turbullent” Domaine Serol is our choice to toast the month of June.

    Translate the word "Turbullent" from French to English and you find that it means: boisterous and unruly. "Is that a good thing to say about a wine?" you ask. "Why not?" we reply.

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    Grab some happy time beads and your own bottle of a boisterous and unruly sparkler and join us as we say goodbye to May and hello to June.

    We'll be clinking glasses of this well-regarded 8.5% alcohol by volume wine. So while the wine may be a bit rowdy, our June 1st group should be good-natured and fine to walk home.

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    Well Regarded!

    Here are a couple of opinions on this wine:

    Wineauthorities.com says:

    "This is Robert Serol's most fun take on Gamay, but its delightful effervescence belies some serious thought and effort. Made in the méthode ancestrale, this lovely sparkling wine comes from 100% hand harvested grapes, followed by natural fermentation with no chaptalization (added sugar). …so pour it generously to kick off your next dinner party. It's electric pink lemonade for grownups, and a great introduction to Pet-Nat."

    K&L Wines describes it as:

    "Light, bright pink, with a frothy mousse spicy red currant, blood orange and rhubarb on the nose. Juicy, expansive red berry preserve flavors are given a dry edge by a slow-building talc-y note. Manages to be both sweet and nervy, and finishes with very good thrust and lingering raspberry and strawberry notes. This would be great with stinky washed-rind or blue cheeses."

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    We picked up our bottle at Formaggio South End for just under $20. Their description is above.

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    Post Toast Update:

    We both enjoyed this highly sippable wine. It goes down easy with a summery, fresh fruit opening note. As your glass empties, you sniff the lingering aroma and find yourself reaching for the bottle to pour a bit more. 

    June 1st turned out to be one of the best weather evenings this spring. We gathered a group of friends on the roof deck to join in our toast to June. Everyone brought a favorite beverage to lift a glass.

    Naturally, we wanted to have more opinions of our wine of the month, so we passed out samples and even those who preferred different types of wine seemed to like this one. Fans of sparklers were happy to take a second glass and this was one of the bottles the group emptied before the evening was done.

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post: Join Us as We Toast …

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here Are All the Wines We've Covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite wine books.

    The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

    The New Wine Lover's Companion

    The Wine Bible

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

    Photography: © Top photo 2017 Penny Cherubino, Corks photo courtesy of Domaine Serol 

     

  • Provincetown Shopping Primer

    We have been visiting Provincetown for many, many years and we've seen the town change over the years. On a recent morning, Penny took photos of some of the places we are always recommending to friends when they travel to our favorite home away from home.

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    We often sing the praises of Utilities If you find the place you rented doesn't have good wine glasses, a sharp knife, a cutting board or any home essential, this is the place to find a quality item that you will be happy to take home with you.

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    You will often see us wearing shirts and hats with fabulous Provincetown graphics. Those all come from Birdie Silkscreen Studio. Once upon a time, we owned a company that created silkscreen designs. We know how difficult it is to do that well and we are long time fans of this graphic artist.

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    If it is something odd that you need or if you are looking for a way to spend a bit of time inside on a rainy day, make your way to Marine Specialties.  This year we found and bought some fish net that we could use to block off the stairs to the deck and keep our dog Poppy contained.

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    We both have shoes that we've bought at Cape Tip Sportswear. Ed swears by them as the source of his running shoes and the sales they have before and after the prime season are always great.

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    Supporting independent bookstores is important so make sure you visit and make a purchase at Provincetown Book Shop.

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    Forgot to pack a sun hat? Visit Mad As A Hatter and you'll find exactly what you want.

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    There was a time when we brought the wine we wanted to P-town. Now we have two favorite wine shops in town. Glass Half Full is in the center of town.

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    Perry's Wine and Liquors is in the West End. Now we bring wines back to Boston with us because both these shops have excellent.

    This is not a complete list. We shopped at both hardware stores in town and made a couple of supermarket visits. Later in the season more places will be open and will win some of our trade. Our full collection of articles on Provincetown can be found here.

    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: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • Our October Sparkler Is Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises!

    Another month means another wine to keep Our Sparkling Resolution to enjoy a glass of bubbles on the first of every month. This time Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises (Perles Grises = Grey Pearls) offered us both a winemaker and a grape we had never tried.

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    This food friendly rosé from France's Loire Valley is made from 100% Pineau d’Aunis. (This grape is also known as Chenin Noir but bears no resemblance to Chenin Blanc.) The production is biodynamic and the vineyard has been in the same family since the 1800s.

    Here are a few comments about this sparkler that we found in our tasting research:

    Carolyn Joy wrote, "Perles Grises is perfect on its own or with food. Its mid-bodied structure and balanced acidity allows for pairing with light white meats, seafood and shellfish as well as appetizers and desserts."

    Palate Press says, "Very light, almost clear, copper color. The nose is interesting, a bouquet of white flowers and pencil shavings. On the palate it has huge flavors of pencil shavings with flint, rose water, pepper, and red currants. Smoke lingers on the finish. Pair with a fruit tart dessert."

    Europa Wine Merchant wrote, "This bubbly made with the Pineau d’Aunis grape this has the varietal’s tell tale peppery quality along with scents of rose blossom, lilac, white raspberry, mirabelle plum and lanolin, firm, mineral, stony palate presence with pretty notes of small red berries, fresh herbs and a peppery finish all in Colin’s elegant style."

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    We sampled a bottle of this wine with friends and a table full of delicious seafood. The comments were positive and at the $15 price point it is certainly one we'll buy again. 

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    Finding new wines to toast each new month keeps us on a constant treasure hunt. We seldom pass a wine shop without stopping in to explore its offerings. This wine came from City Liquors on one of our favorite blocks of Cambridge Street in Cambridge. (map)

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    Penny was pleased with both the selection and service when she stopped in while making routine visits to Mayflower Poultry, Petsi Pies, and New Deal Fish Market. It looks like she'll pack an extra quarter for the parking meter in future visits to this food and wine lovers block. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino, City Liquors photos from own site.

  • Our October Sparkler Is Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises!

    Another month means another wine to keep Our Sparkling Resolution to enjoy a glass of bubbles on the first of every month. This time Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises (Perles Grises = Grey Pearls) offered us both a winemaker and a grape we had never tried.

    IMG_2962

    This food friendly rosé from France's Loire Valley is made from 100% Pineau d’Aunis. (This grape is also known as Chenin Noir but bears no resemblance to Chenin Blanc.) The production is biodynamic and the vineyard has been in the same family since the 1800s.

    Here are a few comments about this sparkler that we found in our tasting research:

    Carolyn Joy wrote, "Perles Grises is perfect on its own or with food. Its mid-bodied structure and balanced acidity allows for pairing with light white meats, seafood and shellfish as well as appetizers and desserts."

    Palate Press says, "Very light, almost clear, copper color. The nose is interesting, a bouquet of white flowers and pencil shavings. On the palate it has huge flavors of pencil shavings with flint, rose water, pepper, and red currants. Smoke lingers on the finish. Pair with a fruit tart dessert."

    Europa Wine Merchant wrote, "This bubbly made with the Pineau d’Aunis grape this has the varietal’s tell tale peppery quality along with scents of rose blossom, lilac, white raspberry, mirabelle plum and lanolin, firm, mineral, stony palate presence with pretty notes of small red berries, fresh herbs and a peppery finish all in Colin’s elegant style."

    IMG_2103

    We sampled a bottle of this wine with friends and a table full of delicious seafood. The comments were positive and at the $15 price point it is certainly one we'll buy again. 

    12377539_948546018549029_2464496194576862981_o

    Finding new wines to toast each new month keeps us on a constant treasure hunt. We seldom pass a wine shop without stopping in to explore its offerings. This wine came from City Liquors on one of our favorite blocks of Cambridge Street in Cambridge. (map)

    12491850_948552668548364_5815234730730087674_o

    Penny was pleased with both the selection and service when she stopped in while making routine visits to Mayflower Poultry, Petsi Pies, and New Deal Fish Market. It looks like she'll pack an extra quarter for the parking meter in future visits to this food and wine lovers block. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino, City Liquors photos from own site.

  • Notes on a New Year’s Eve Toast with Bollinger Rosé

    We couldn’t let New Year’s Eve get too far out of sight without some quick notes on the spectacular bottle of Bollinger Rosé Champagne that helped us ring in 2015.

     

    Empty Bollinger rose  - Version 22014-12-31Bollinger-rose-cage-empty-bottle-cork-© 2014 Penny Cherubino

     

    This champagne was even lovelier than we’d remembered from our December tasting. Here are some thoughts:

    •  nicely balanced with just enough Pinot to accompany our pâté mousse truffée … 
    •  the wine matched well with aged cheddar, each enhancing the other …
    •  even chicken parmigiana bites couldn’t trip up this sparkler …
    •  we dared to pair these blushing bubbles with a moist chocolate cupcake … yes!

    BOLLINGER & Cupcake - Version 22014-12-31Bollinger-rose-chocolate-cupcake-empty-bottle-cork-© 2014 Penny Cherubino

    • for us, this Bollinger was at its best when not over-chilled …
    • we allowed it to warm in our glasses …
    • drank it through temperatures from chilled to room and found our sweet spot …

    Speaking of sweet, we loved photographing this bottle. Bollinger gave it a label redesign recently, and we’re making it an early leader for our “Most Enchanting Empty Bottle Award of 2015.”

    Are you ready to join our Sparkling Resolution movement?

     

    More About Our Sparkling Resolution     

     

    Check Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List  (It will include this one, so be sure to scroll down.)

     

    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: © 2014 Ed Cherubino  

  • Bollinger Rosé Champagne Is Our Choice for Our New Year’s Toast!

    This year, our choice of a wine to welcome in 2015 is Bollinger Rosé Champagne. This lovely pinot forward wine comes from one of our favorite Champagne houses. We’ve featured the Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut many times across the years. Thanks to a tasting at Brix Wine Shop, we were able to taste three wines from the Bollinger line: The Special Cuvee (to remind ourselves why we like it), the Rosé, and the 2004 Grande Annee.

    DSC_5116 - Version 22014-12-18bollinger-rose-champagne-new-years-eve-© 2014 Penny Cherubino

    While we don’t go to a lot of wine tastings, we are tempted when we can sample wines that are seldom available by the glass or when we can meet a great winemaker, importer, or another of our heros of the wine world. Thank you to Brix for the number of times they have delivered such an opportunity. 

    DSC_5103 - Version 22014-12-18-Bollinger-Rose-champagne-© 2014 Penny Cherubino

    We start each month with a glass of bubbly and each year we search for a very special wine for the first sip of the new year. Since we are definitely part of the stay at home on New Year’s Eve contingent, we have been known to splurge on this annual tradition. 

    Without tasting the line, we might have selected the Grande Annee based on the wonderful tasting notes we’ve read and its reputation as one of the truly great Champagnes. It is! And we enjoyed every sip as this wine showed what careful aging can do to add je ne sais quoi to Chardonnay forward Champagne. Making it our sparkler for a new year was tempting.

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    But, the Rosé hit our sweet spot. With more pinot in the mix and just the right note of fresh fruit and acidity, it won our hearts. 

    Make no mistake, we loved all three Bollingers, but sitting here on New Year’s Eve, we know that the Rosé will keep us smiling from the first pop of the cork to the final drip as we hold the bottle upside down over a glass to slide out the last drop.

    We’re posting this early so that you have time to buy a bottle if you are tempted by our choice this year. 

    Here’s More About Our Sparkling Resolution

    And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

    Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite wine books.

    The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine

    The New Wine Lover’s Companion

    The Wine Bible

     

     Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino, 3rd photo courtesy of Bollinger
    Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • December Sparkles with Chateau de l’Eperonniere, Crémant de Loire

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    We’re celebrating the arrival of December with an exceptional sparkler. Chateau de l’Eperonniere, Crémant de Loire 2009 is from the vineyards of Mathieu Tijou, the latest in his family to carry on the tradition of winemaking.

     

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    Mathieu Tijou (Foreground), Neal Rosenthal (background left)

    As with his father, Mathieu has continued to work with importer Neal Rosenthal, a name you will know well from reading our BostonZest wine posts. Through the years, we have come to trust and rely on wines that display the Rosenthal name. And, this Crémant reinforces that claim.

     

    Photo - Version 22014-11-28Tijou Chateau-de-L'Eperonniere-Cremant-de-Loire© 2014 Penny Cherubino

     

    Penny thinks, “this Cremant is addictive!”

     

    Ed says, “very balanced, and food friendly.”

     

    We had it with Neals Yard Dairy Berkswell (sheeps milk cheese), Landaff (cows milk cheese/aged at Jasper Hill), Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Sardinian parchment crackers.

     

    Penny says, “when you sip, it’s sweet and tart at the same time – usually I taste one followed by other.”

     

    DSC_4868 - Version 22014-11-28Tijou Chateau-de-L'Eperonniere-Cremant-de-Loire© 2014 Penny Cherubino

     

    One of our sparkling wine/champagne mottos is to “drink slowly and sip through the temperatures,” to experience all the wine has to offer. That advise certainly applies here.

     

    If you’re a Crémant fan, we think you’ll be impressed with this wine. If you’ve never tried a Crémant, this would be a memorable introduction to the sparkler.

     

    Here’s to December! May it be as wonderful as our bottle of Chateau de l’Eperonniere, Crémant de Loire.

     

     

    Discover more about Our Sparkling Resolution   

     

    And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

    We purchased our bottle of Chateau de l’Eperonniere, Crémant de Loire 2009 at Bauer Wine & Spirits.   

    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: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Image of Mathieu Tijou & Neal Rosenthal courtesy of www.madrose.com