Budgeting and belt-tightening don’t mean you have to skimp on quality bubbles. The region’s sparkling wine offerings have exploded in kind and quality, making it easy and affordable to celebrate the New Year. These wines will serve as the catalyst for some long-delayed winter parties and family gatherings, allowing all that pent up comfort and joy to pop like a cork out of a Champagne bottle.
Treveri Cellars Blanc de Blancs NV | Yakima Valley AVA
Inspired by the classic wines of Champagne, this sparkler made of 100 percent Chardonnay exhibits an effervescent floral nose, a rich palate of green apple and brioche, and a clean, lingering finish. Serve with everything from roast chicken to smoked salmon canapes.
$15 | 12% ABV
Underwood 2018 Bubbles | Oregon
Unpretentious is the name of the game with this sparkler made from 40% Pinot Gris, 32% Pinot Noir and 28% Chardonnay. This affordable bubbly, which also comes in a can, delivers a lemon drop nose, grapefruit on the palate and crisp, food-friendly acidity for a clean, bright finish. Pair with a fruit salad.
$15 | 11% ABV
Domaine Ste. Michelle 2016 Luxe | Columbia Valley
Chateau Ste. Michelle sparkling wines continue to evolve and innovate. This standout 2016 sparkler is a great example, showing off a yeasty, citrus nose, a palate brimming with hazelnuts and green apple, and a long, lingering finish. Serve with seared scallops.
$25 | 10.5% ABV
Sokol Blosser 2019 Bluebird Cuvee Brut Sparkling | Willamette Valley
This tasty sparkler pays homage to Western Bluebirds through the company’s support of the Prescott Western Bluebird Recovery Project and 15 birdhouses on its organically farmed property. With citrus and lychee nut on the nose, the palate balances pear with crisp acidity and a complex, floral finish coming from a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Muscat. Pair with crab cakes.
$30 | 12% ABV
Argyle Winery 2017 Blanc de Noirs | Willamette Valley
Light as gossamer, this blend of 50 percent Pinot Noir and 50 percent Pinot Meunier comes from the high, windy Eola-Amity Hills, exhibiting a delicate nose of grapefruit, a lithe, creamy palate, and a minerally finish reminiscent of a ballet dancer performing a pirouette. Pair with caviar and lox for a sumptuous New Year’s Eve celebration.
$30 | 12.5% ABV
Bio – Nicholas O’Connell, MFA, Ph.D. is the author of the forthcoming, Crush: An Apprenticeship as a Wine Maker and the founder of www.thewritersworkshop.net
