Bubbles for every budget

Posted by Joelle Thomson on

Did you know that sales of pink wine outstripped white wine sales in France way back in 2009? It seems like a surprising statistic but there you go; pink wine has been on a roll for over a decade, globally, and now it's the turn of pink bubbles.

Here are three top notch sparkling wines made from a mixture of red and white grapes, all treated to a light pressing or, in the case of the champagne, a little red wine blended in to provide the colour.

Pink bubbly three ways - how they are made

The following is an overview of the grape varieties and methods of production.

Champagne

Can only come from the Champagne region (note the capital C as it's a proper place name) in northern France. The drink champagne (small c because it's a generic name for a category) can only wear the 'c' label if it made from grapes grown in the region of the same name, produced and bottled there. It is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; used in any proportion and occasionally with other local grape varieties but usually not. It also has to be fermented for the second time in the same bottle in which it is sold. This means the carbon dioxide bubbles from the fermentation dissolve naturally into the wine as they can't escape the bottle during this fermentation.
The wine is then aged on the decomposing yeast cells, which are known as lees. All champagne must be aged on it lees for a minimum of 15 months (and three years for vintage champagnes, which are made from a single year). This lengthy time is costly for producers because it means they miss out on income during this time as their wines mature. 
The wines are then 'disgorged'. A complicated process where the yeast lees are gently encouraged into the neck of the bottle, which is frozen and the cap removed to render the remaining wine clear and clean. It is then topped up with reserve wine and swiftly sealed with cork, cap and muselage (the cage to keep the pressure in the bottle and stop the cork from popping out). And, hey presto, you have a beautiful champagne; a wine with aged character but which remains very fresh in taste. Stunning and innovative. And fun.

Cava

This is the Spanish name for wine made using the traditional method used in the champagne region, only in this case it is generally made in higher volumes and often from indigenous grapes. These can now be blended with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, if producers wish to. 
Cava goes through the exact same production methods as outlined above for champagne, but it generally spends only nine months aging on the decomposing yeast cells. This provides some degree of character and that freshly baked bread dough aroma but nowhere near the level of complexity as found in champagne.

Prosecco

Is made from the Glera grape in north east Italy's Veneto and Friuli regions. Prosecco must be made 85% from Glera and can also contain other local grape varieties, including - as from 2020 - red grapes which can be added to produce pink bubbles.
High volumes of prosecco are made by giving the wine a second fermentation in a pressurised tank where the bubbles dissolve into the wine, but due to the high volumes, the amount of bubble is far less than for champagne. 

 

Three top pink sparkling drops

Pink champagne

Champagne Lallier Rosé (RRP $71.99) Special $64.99/magnums RRP $151.99

Champagne Lallier Grand Rosé combines two of our favourite things; bubbles and tasty pink wine. This is next level rosé champagne, made from 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, with depth and smoothness from partial malolactic fermentation, supported by the complexity of 8% reserve wines.

This non vintage champagne was aged for twice as long as the minimum aging time required in the Champagne region. It spent three years on tirage (lees) which adds noticeable richness and toasty notes to the dry, refreshing flavours. It has 8 grams of dosage, making it technically off dry but this is most definitely a sparkling wine that tastes dry from start to finish. 

Buy Champagne Lallier Rosé here 

 

Pink Prosecco - dry

2019 Sartori Rosé Prosecco RRP $23.99

Sartori is one of the best wineries in the Veneto in north east Italy, the home to prosecco and Amarone - two polar opposites ends of the wine spectrum; one accessible and everyday while the other is rare and pricey. This is vintage 2019 pink Prosecco from Sartori is a new fave here in store at Regional. It's all about dry flavours of red berries and a crisp apply aroma, layered with notes of white peach and pear along with a refreshingly long finish. Pink Prosecco is a new category which we think Satori has nailed ahead of many competitors. It has to be made from one year, hence it includes the vintage year on the label. The colour comes from Pinot Nero; that's Pinot Noir, to us, which typically makes up 10% of the wine.

Buy here

 

Pink Spanish Cava

2019 Privat Rosé Cava RRP $30.99 - certified organic

This tasty pink sparkling Spanish wine is made from the Mataró grape, organically grown, hand harvested and aged for 15 months on lees following the second fermentation. That's the same time frame as the majority of champagnes but this lovely dry sparkling wine comes to us all at a mere fraction of the price. It has zero dosage so it's bone dry in taste and is bursting with delicious berry flavours, a medium body and lingering finish.

Buy here


Share this post



← Older Post Newer Post →