Dozens of sparkling wines enjoyed by 25 amateur wine tasters

My annual sparkling wine tasting turned out to be a very bubbly affair.

For this event, I invite 25 longtime friends, politicians, wine lovers, teachers, scientists, my former nanny, and they get to taste and vote for their winners.

This time, we had 48 bubblies, so wine author pal Carolyn Hammond and my wine-savvy daughter Sarah came and bravely shared sommelier duties.

All 48 were open on the extended dining room table. As you can imagine, the initial murmur of the first brave guests swelled rapidly into a festive boisterous atmosphere. What was remarkable is our scores agreed with my guests’ final ballots.

Among the bottles was the first Mexican sparkler I had tasted, Sala Vivé Brut, made by Spanish cava producer Freixenet. It’s not here yet, but is coming for the Pan Am games. No worries, it was not one of the magical five winners.

All the folk’s choice winners are shown with bottle images and full reviews here. The Proseccos from Italy were popular this year for the first time. The Spanish Cavas fared less well than previous years, though the Segura Viudas Brut Heredad was still elegant. However, the regular Segura Viudas won out at half the price.

Served last were the real Champagnes, which by French law must come from that region. Nicolas Feuillatte Brut was the standout winner, and Cattier Brut Champagne (#325720, $43.25) also garnered votes along with Champagne Tsarine (#369637, $54.95) which Carolyn and I had found oxidative. Hey, who cares about us experts?

Big surprise was a French sparkler made outside the Champagne region. As some of you know, these are called Cre- mant, and are widely produced in Alsace, the Loire and Burgundy. They are made using the same methods as “real” Champagne. Well, Gruhier Extra Brut (#375428, $20.95) a 2010 Crémant from Burgundy was raved about with its toasty lemon lime and apple elegance. It was a runaway winner, but sadly only a handful of bottles are left on LCBO shelves.

Among my personal choices, both rating 90, are Gloria Ferrar Sonoma Brut (#192898, $27.95), a California sparkler with roast apple and citrus notes just released at Vintages, and the Aussie Wolf Blass Yellow Label Brut (#649996, $17.95) with its toast and ginger and lemon zest nuances.

May your holidays sparkle! Next week: Top 10 wines of the year under $10. stimmell@sympatico.ca