After six holiday-free weeks on the calendar, the red and pink hues of Valentine’s Day can be a welcome diversion from grey skies and winter’s chill. In addition to bouquets of roses and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate to celebrate your love, bubbles are a welcome addition to the festivities. When it comes to bubbly, Champagne is always at the top of our list, but there are wonderful sparkling wines made in regions around the world, including California and Spain, especially the style known as Cava.
Sparkling wine is a terrific way to start off any meal, either on its own or with caviar, oysters or popcorn dusted with a bit of truffle salt. Citrus, apple, light floral and rising bread flavors also work well with seafood starters such as sautéed shrimp or broiled lobster tails, pasta dishes like carbonara or cacio e pepe, or fried fare such as fried chicken or veal Milanese. On a day that’s all about celebrating romance, there’s nothing we recommend more than a well-chilled bottle of bubbles and a special evening with the one you love.
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Gloria Ferrer 2012 Carneros Cuvée Sonoma
Image Credit: Gloria Ferrer A blend of 54 percent Pinot Noir and 46 percent Chardonnay this delicious cuvée is aged seven and a half years on the lees. In the glass it has persistent bubbles with alluring aromas of lemon preserves, beeswax and toasted hazelnut. It is bright and lively with flavors of white peach, custard apple and Granny Smith apple with a strong backbone of minerality and a touch of saline in the finish.
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Champagne Thiénot X Penfolds 2012 Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cuvée France
Image Credit: Champagne Thienot Aromas of white flowers, baked apples and pipe tobacco draw you into the glass for flavors of green apple, brown baking spices and toasted hazelnuts. This delightful French Champagne made in collaboration with Penfold’s of Australia is very soft on the palate with great freshness and a long, long finish.
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Champagne Taittinger 2015 Brut Millésimé France
Image Credit: Champagne Taittinger Pale gold colored in the glass with fine bubbles, this enticing Champagne has aromas of white peach, baked apple and toasted brioche. When you taste, there’s a sturdy backbone of minerality with flavors of apple and pear and a full-bodied finish.
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Champagne Krug 2008 France
Image Credit: Champagne Krug Aromas of Granny Smith apple, lemon pith and rising bread dough lead you to a zesty palate with brilliant acidity and flavors of toasted almond and freshly baked brioche. The 2008 vintage has bright notes of fall orchard and winter citrus fruits and beautiful mouthfeel with a long hazelnut scented finish.
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L’Ermitage by Roederer Estate 2015 Brut Anderson Valley
Image Credit: Roederer Estate Roederer Estate in Anderson Valley is owned by the French Champagne house Louis Roederer. The 2015 L’Ermitage has aromas of roasted nut mix, Fuji apple and brown baking spices. This bottle of bubbles has racy acidity and flavors of baked apple and Bartlett pear with creamy mouthfeel and a crisp, clean finish.
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Frank Family 2015 Blanc de Blancs Napa Valley
Image Credit: Frank Family This enticing Blanc de Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay grown on the Frank Family Lewis Vineyard in Carneros. It has aromas of toasted almonds, lemon curd and Granny Smith apple. This Blanc de Blancs is creamy and full bodied with flavors of ripe pear, baked apple and toasted hazelnuts with a pleasant splash of acidity in the finish.
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Champagne Laurent-Perrier NV La Cuvée Brut France
Image Credit: Champagne Laurent Perrier This classic Champagne has very fine bubbles and aromas of green apple, freshly baked bread and toasted hazelnuts. The Champagne’s fruit flavors really come alive with excellent mouthfeel and bracing yet pleasant acidity.
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Gramona 2014 III Lustros Brut Nature Cava Spain
Image Credit: Gramona This enticing Cava has excellent perlage with aromas of freshly baked bread, candied citrus and green apple. In the mouth there are flavors of butterscotch, roasted hazelnuts and Winesap apple. The finish is crisp and clean and goes on and on for what seems an eternity.
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Llopart 2010 Cava Original Brut Espumos Spain
Image Credit: Llopart This delicious Cava has very fine bubbles and aromas of apricot preserves, rising pizza dough and honeysuckle. On the palate there are flavors of Bartlett pear, Honeycrisp apple, vanilla custard and crushed jasmine before the bright acidic and floral scented finish.
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Champagne Veuve Clicquot NV Brut Rose France
Image Credit: Veuve Clicquot Pale pink in the glass, this rosé Champagne has aromas of strawberries and cream, red raspberry and brown Christmas baking spices. In the mouth it has delightful creaminess with flavors of ripe red fruits, a touch of pink grapefruit peel and bright acidity in the finish.
