Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Cava

Varietal: 50% Macabeo; 35% Parellada; 15% Xarel-lo
Region: Spain
Cost: $10 (SRP)

Fresh, toasty nose with flavors of citrus, green apple, and mineral with a clean, crisp finish.  Pairs well with caviar, sushi, seafood, fried foods, and Asian dishes.

Recommendations: This bottle showed up quite unexpectedly at my office one day, but once I opened the packaging, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to checking it out.  This past Friday, after a long week, my wife and I decided it was time to toast the weekend and popped open the bottle.

The nose was very subtle, without the typical yeasty aroma I associate with sparkling wines, but I did get a hint of the toast and it was certainly a fresh, clean aroma.  Mineral flavors were the most dominant on the palate, with citrus and green apple showing, but not dominating.  The wine was crisp and the bubbles were small enough to make it easy to drink without feeling like you were drinking a soda.

We finished the wine with our dinner, a meal of oven baked chicken and a pasta side, and while it wasn’t a terrible pairing, I’d much rather have just enjoyed the wine by itself or with a plate of sushi or fried finger foods.  Yes, this may actually be the perfect Super Bowl party wine – it pairs great with fried foods.

For the price, if you’re looking for a bottle of bubbles to open for New Years, you’d be hard pressed to find one that’s got this quality for the cost.  I’d be lying if I said I was a connoisseur of sparkling wines, but I do know the difference between good and bad, and this was certainly good, and one I’d drink again and would recommend to anybody looking for a bottle of sparkling wine.