It is nearing Thanksgiving and I would like to declare how
grateful I am for pink bubbles. I can enjoy brut rosé all year long, but there
is something about a bottle of bubbly that makes any occasion feel more festive.
With a whisper of sweetness, most brut rosé wines are quite
pleasant on their own and pair well with soft lighter cheeses (think goat chèvre or
burrata), seafood (particularly smoked salmon), and even turkey. Any of these pretty
sparklers are sure to impress your dinner guests this Thursday and throughout
the holiday season:
Le Grand Courtâge Grand Cuvée Brut Rosé NV is a French
sparkler made of Chardonnay, Ugni Blanc and Gamay. Thanks to the addition of
the Gamay, this wine has a lovely fruitiness to it with a delicate sweetness.
Fresh and vibrant, it offers aromas of ripe strawberries and white flowers
while the palate extends flavors of wild strawberry and white peach. It can be
found locally for as low as $20 a bottle at Three Birds Wine Bar & Bottle
Shop in Corte Madera and Vintage Wine & Spirits in Mill Valley. Great
value!
J Brut Rosé Russian River Valley NV ($38/bottle) has long
been one of my favorite California bubblies. It is 66% Pinot Noir, 33%
Chardonnay, and 1% Pinot Meunier. It has a bright coral hue to it and a lovely
perfume of strawberry and freshly baked bread. The palate is layered with notes
of rose petal, strawberry and raspberry. As you can see, it disappears quickly!
On the higher end of the sparkling spectrum, the
Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut Champagne NV ($85/bottle 750 mL; mainstreetwinebar.net) is made from 100% Pinot Noir. It is a glorious magenta hue with powerful notes of black currant, sweet cherry, and raspberry. Rivals Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé in complexity and richness (and price!).
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled
with friends, family, and amazing wines like these - and maybe a good book?! The hardback edition of Where I Want to Be is now available for purchase at authorcortney.com/novel. If you have another wine
you like to pair with turkey dinner, please leave a comment here, on Facebook,
or Twitter. Gobble gobble!
Cheers,Cortney
