Wine 988

Domaine Histoire D’enfer, L’enfer Du Calcaire Pinot Noir 2019,

Six Pinot Noir wines won Platinum medals at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA). The competition is the largest wine competition in the world and is considered among the most prestigious. Over 18,000 wines were entered in the recently completed 2024 judging. Below are tasting notes on the six winners and some background on their producers. All six medalists had identical scores of 97/100 points.

Domaine Histoire D’enfer, L’enfer Du Calcaire Pinot Noir 2019, 13.9% ABV, 750 ml

Domaine Histoire D’enfer is a boutique winery in Salquenen, Valais, Switzerland. Established with a focus on high-quality, small-batch production, the winery’s name, “Histoire D’enfer,” translates to “Hell’s History,” reflecting their region’s challenging but rewarding viticulture. The winery is dedicated to expressing the unique terroir of Valais through its wines.

The vineyards are characterized by limestone-rich soils, contributing to the wines’ minerality and elegance.

This Pinot Noir reveals a stunning ruby color with a bouquet that features aromas of ripe red cherries, cranberries, and subtle floral notes. The palate is nuanced and complex, with layers of red fruit, minerality, and a hint of spice. The texture is silky, with fine, well-ripened tannins and a balanced acidity that leads to a long, elegant finish. The limestone influence is evident, adding a distinct minerality and freshness to the wine.

The DWWA Judging panel described the wine as featuring:

Enchanting raspberry, strawberry, and freshly picked cherries charm and delight with a delicious infusion of sumptuous red licorice, clove, and star anise rippling alongside. Capacious and warming with a simmering gravelly undertone of mineral tannin. Superb!

Audeant Wines, Luminous Hills Pinot Noir 2021, 12.9% ABV, 750 ml

Audeant Wines, located in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, is a small family-owned winery dedicated to crafting premium Pinot Noir wines. The winery emphasizes sustainable farming practices and minimal intervention in the winemaking process to preserve the fruit’s purity and the vineyard’s distinct characteristics.

The vineyards are situated on a mix of volcanic and sedimentary soils at an elevation of approximately 700 feet above sea level.

Luminous Hills Pinot Noir is a vibrant and expressive wine with a deep garnet hue. The nose is filled with aromas of black cherries, raspberries, and a touch of earthiness. It offers a rich texture on the palate with flavors of dark fruit, cocoa, and a hint of spice. The wine is well-structured with fine tannins and a bright acidity, culminating in a long, nuanced finish.

The DWWA Judging Panel described the wine as exhibiting:

Ripe crushed cherries and perfumed red flowers leap out of the glass and cascade over the crunchy, youthful palate; with an immersive texture, silky smooth tannins and a squeaky-clean acidity. Impressively long and memorable.

Bay of Fires, Pinot Noir 2022, 13.6% ABV, 750 ml

Bay of Fires, Pinot Noir 2022, 13.6% ABV, 750 ml

Bay of Fires is a prominent winery in Tasmania, Australia, renowned for its cool-climate wines. The winery’s location provides ideal conditions for growing high-quality Pinot Noir, characterized by intense flavors and balanced acidity. The vineyards feature sandy loam and volcanic soils, which help to produce wines with great finesse and complexity.

This Pinot Noir from Bay of Fires is elegant and refined, showcasing a beautiful translucent ruby color. The nose reveals aromas of violets, blackberries, and a hint of spice. The palate is silky and smooth, with flavors of dark cherries, plums, and subtle oak undertones. The wine has a vibrant acidity and fine-grained tannins that provide structure and length, leading to a graceful finish.

In describing the wine, the DWWA Judging Panel noted:

Prior to 2024, we’ve never had a Tasmanian Pinot in our Best In Show selection. This year we have two. Was it because 2022 was a sensational vintage? Not exactly – the east coast of the island suffered from a spectacularly cool, wet season; elsewhere on the island, though, conditions did indeed vary from good to outstanding.

The first wine in our pair is a pan-Tasmanian blend with source fruit from several regions. It is a translucent dark red in colour, with warm, settled aromas of plum, cherry, and raspberry just teased towards sweetness with subtle oak. It is warm, soft and mouth-filling, built on the same core of subtly mingled fruits with muted, natural acidity and fine tannins, the combination giving an almost silky charm to the wine. This considered, restrained winemaking lays the groundwork for a Pinot which is hugely easy to drink yet at the same time deeply satisfying and highly amenable – a Pinot to sip on its own, to chill with fish or to serve at a cool room temperature for white meats and salads.

Yarra Yering, Pinot Noir 2022, 13% ABV, 750 ml

Yarra Yering is one of the most iconic wineries in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1969, it has a long history of producing exceptional wines that reflect the region’s terroir.

The vineyards are planted on a mix of sandy clay loam and volcanic soils, which enhance the aromatic complexity and structure of the wines.

The Yarra Yering Pinot Noir is a wine of great elegance and complexity. It is a light ruby color. It features fragrant aromas of red berries, roses, and a hint of forest floor on the nose. The wine is finely textured on the palate with flavors of strawberries, cherries, and delicate spice. The tannins are soft and silky, complemented by a refreshing acidity that enhances the wine’s length and balance.

The DWWA Judging Panel described the wine as being:

Alive with bright red cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit with just a subtle hint of five spice oak. Solid and smooth with velvety tannins and a melting spine of acidity. Long and lingering with a vanilla plum finale.

Lowestoft, Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir 2022, 13.5% ABV, 750 ml

Lowestoft, Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir 2022, 13.5% ABV, 750 ml

Lowestoft is a premium wine producer in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania, Australia. The winery focuses on single-vineyard expressions that highlight the distinct characteristics of their unique terroirs. The vineyards are characterized by sandy loam over clay, which helps to produce wines with depth and complexity.

This Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir is a testament to the exceptional quality of Tasmanian Pinot Noir. It displays a brilliant ruby color with a bouquet of red cherries, wild strawberries, and subtle floral notes on the nose. The palate is rich and layered, offering dark fruit flavors, earthy undertones, and a touch of spice. The wine is well-structured with refined, well-integrated tannins and vibrant acidity, leading to a long, elegant finish.

In describing the wine, the DWWA Judging Panel observed:

The second of this year’s outstanding 2022 Tasmanian Pinot Noirs comes from the Derwent Valley, just north of Hobart and in the rain shadow of Mount Wellington. The region can be drought-susceptible in warm summers, but in the wetter season of 2022 its site stood it in good stead.

This is a darker wine than its pan-Tasmanian peer, but beautifully crafted: singing red fruits without any shadowing from oak and with the intrinsic grace and charm of the Derwent Valley’s fruit well to the fore. On the palate, it is pure, bright, and mouth-filling, packed with juicy raspberry; both tannins and acids are soft and sustaining. They nourish and ease the gorgeous fruit core through the palate to a gently subsiding finish. There’s just a touch of tarry complexity behind those fruits. Virtuoso work from a Pinot region of extraordinary promise.

McArthur Ridge, Southern Tor Pinot Noir 2022, 13.5% ABV, 750 ml

McArthur Ridge is in the Alexandra Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand. The winery is known for its high-altitude vineyards, which produce Pinot Noir with distinctive character and depth. The vineyards feature schist, gravel, and sandy loam soils, which contribute to the wines’ concentration and minerality.

Southern Tor Pinot Noir is a beautifully crafted wine with a deep ruby color. The nose is expressive, with aromas of blackberries, dark cherries, and a hint of spice. The palate is rich and concentrated, featuring layers of ripe fruit, earthy notes, and well-integrated oak. The tannins are firm yet velvety, and the wine’s bright acidity provides balance and length, resulting in a complex and satisfying finish.

In commenting on the wine, the DWWA Judging Panel noted:

We may not have found any Burgundian Pinot Noir wines to feature in this year’s Best In Show selection, but three Pinots from the Southern Hemisphere goes some way to compensate. This example from the Alexandra Basin sub-region shows why there is so much excitement about Central Otago.

It’s translucent dark red in color, with articulate aromas of warm red berries, red cherries, and root spice. It’s softly articulated on the palate and sweet-fruited, with great grace and poise. The wine’s structure comes more prominently from its acidity than from its relatively discreet tannin profile. In just two years, it has already begun to soften and open; look out for stones and an herbal complexity, as well as root spice, on the finish.

These six wines have been recognized for their exceptional quality, reflecting their respective producers’ unique terroirs and winemaking expertise. They are, without question, among the very best Pinot Noir wines in the world.

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In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site’s Terms of Service. We’ve summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

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Domaine Histoire D’enfer, L’enfer Du Calcaire Pinot Noir 2019,

Six Pinot Noir wines won Platinum medals at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA). The competition is the largest wine competition in the world and is considered among the most prestigious. Over 18,000 wines were entered in the recently completed 2024 judging. Below are tasting notes on the six winners and some background on their producers. All six medalists had identical scores of 97/100 points.

Domaine Histoire D’enfer, L’enfer Du Calcaire Pinot Noir 2019, 13.9% ABV, 750 ml

Domaine Histoire D’enfer is a boutique winery in Salquenen, Valais, Switzerland. Established with a focus on high-quality, small-batch production, the winery’s name, “Histoire D’enfer,” translates to “Hell’s History,” reflecting their region’s challenging but rewarding viticulture. The winery is dedicated to expressing the unique terroir of Valais through its wines.

The vineyards are characterized by limestone-rich soils, contributing to the wines’ minerality and elegance.

This Pinot Noir reveals a stunning ruby color with a bouquet that features aromas of ripe red cherries, cranberries, and subtle floral notes. The palate is nuanced and complex, with layers of red fruit, minerality, and a hint of spice. The texture is silky, with fine, well-ripened tannins and a balanced acidity that leads to a long, elegant finish. The limestone influence is evident, adding a distinct minerality and freshness to the wine.

The DWWA Judging panel described the wine as featuring:

Enchanting raspberry, strawberry, and freshly picked cherries charm and delight with a delicious infusion of sumptuous red licorice, clove, and star anise rippling alongside. Capacious and warming with a simmering gravelly undertone of mineral tannin. Superb!

Audeant Wines, Luminous Hills Pinot Noir 2021, 12.9% ABV, 750 ml

Audeant Wines, located in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, is a small family-owned winery dedicated to crafting premium Pinot Noir wines. The winery emphasizes sustainable farming practices and minimal intervention in the winemaking process to preserve the fruit’s purity and the vineyard’s distinct characteristics.

The vineyards are situated on a mix of volcanic and sedimentary soils at an elevation of approximately 700 feet above sea level.

Luminous Hills Pinot Noir is a vibrant and expressive wine with a deep garnet hue. The nose is filled with aromas of black cherries, raspberries, and a touch of earthiness. It offers a rich texture on the palate with flavors of dark fruit, cocoa, and a hint of spice. The wine is well-structured with fine tannins and a bright acidity, culminating in a long, nuanced finish.

The DWWA Judging Panel described the wine as exhibiting:

Ripe crushed cherries and perfumed red flowers leap out of the glass and cascade over the crunchy, youthful palate; with an immersive texture, silky smooth tannins and a squeaky-clean acidity. Impressively long and memorable.

Bay of Fires, Pinot Noir 2022, 13.6% ABV, 750 ml

Bay of Fires, Pinot Noir 2022, 13.6% ABV, 750 ml

Bay of Fires is a prominent winery in Tasmania, Australia, renowned for its cool-climate wines. The winery’s location provides ideal conditions for growing high-quality Pinot Noir, characterized by intense flavors and balanced acidity. The vineyards feature sandy loam and volcanic soils, which help to produce wines with great finesse and complexity.

This Pinot Noir from Bay of Fires is elegant and refined, showcasing a beautiful translucent ruby color. The nose reveals aromas of violets, blackberries, and a hint of spice. The palate is silky and smooth, with flavors of dark cherries, plums, and subtle oak undertones. The wine has a vibrant acidity and fine-grained tannins that provide structure and length, leading to a graceful finish.

In describing the wine, the DWWA Judging Panel noted:

Prior to 2024, we’ve never had a Tasmanian Pinot in our Best In Show selection. This year we have two. Was it because 2022 was a sensational vintage? Not exactly – the east coast of the island suffered from a spectacularly cool, wet season; elsewhere on the island, though, conditions did indeed vary from good to outstanding.

The first wine in our pair is a pan-Tasmanian blend with source fruit from several regions. It is a translucent dark red in colour, with warm, settled aromas of plum, cherry, and raspberry just teased towards sweetness with subtle oak. It is warm, soft and mouth-filling, built on the same core of subtly mingled fruits with muted, natural acidity and fine tannins, the combination giving an almost silky charm to the wine. This considered, restrained winemaking lays the groundwork for a Pinot which is hugely easy to drink yet at the same time deeply satisfying and highly amenable – a Pinot to sip on its own, to chill with fish or to serve at a cool room temperature for white meats and salads.

Yarra Yering, Pinot Noir 2022, 13% ABV, 750 ml

Yarra Yering is one of the most iconic wineries in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1969, it has a long history of producing exceptional wines that reflect the region’s terroir.

The vineyards are planted on a mix of sandy clay loam and volcanic soils, which enhance the aromatic complexity and structure of the wines.

The Yarra Yering Pinot Noir is a wine of great elegance and complexity. It is a light ruby color. It features fragrant aromas of red berries, roses, and a hint of forest floor on the nose. The wine is finely textured on the palate with flavors of strawberries, cherries, and delicate spice. The tannins are soft and silky, complemented by a refreshing acidity that enhances the wine’s length and balance.

The DWWA Judging Panel described the wine as being:

Alive with bright red cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit with just a subtle hint of five spice oak. Solid and smooth with velvety tannins and a melting spine of acidity. Long and lingering with a vanilla plum finale.

Lowestoft, Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir 2022, 13.5% ABV, 750 ml

Lowestoft, Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir 2022, 13.5% ABV, 750 ml

Lowestoft is a premium wine producer in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania, Australia. The winery focuses on single-vineyard expressions that highlight the distinct characteristics of their unique terroirs. The vineyards are characterized by sandy loam over clay, which helps to produce wines with depth and complexity.

This Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir is a testament to the exceptional quality of Tasmanian Pinot Noir. It displays a brilliant ruby color with a bouquet of red cherries, wild strawberries, and subtle floral notes on the nose. The palate is rich and layered, offering dark fruit flavors, earthy undertones, and a touch of spice. The wine is well-structured with refined, well-integrated tannins and vibrant acidity, leading to a long, elegant finish.

In describing the wine, the DWWA Judging Panel observed:

The second of this year’s outstanding 2022 Tasmanian Pinot Noirs comes from the Derwent Valley, just north of Hobart and in the rain shadow of Mount Wellington. The region can be drought-susceptible in warm summers, but in the wetter season of 2022 its site stood it in good stead.

This is a darker wine than its pan-Tasmanian peer, but beautifully crafted: singing red fruits without any shadowing from oak and with the intrinsic grace and charm of the Derwent Valley’s fruit well to the fore. On the palate, it is pure, bright, and mouth-filling, packed with juicy raspberry; both tannins and acids are soft and sustaining. They nourish and ease the gorgeous fruit core through the palate to a gently subsiding finish. There’s just a touch of tarry complexity behind those fruits. Virtuoso work from a Pinot region of extraordinary promise.

McArthur Ridge, Southern Tor Pinot Noir 2022, 13.5% ABV, 750 ml

McArthur Ridge is in the Alexandra Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand. The winery is known for its high-altitude vineyards, which produce Pinot Noir with distinctive character and depth. The vineyards feature schist, gravel, and sandy loam soils, which contribute to the wines’ concentration and minerality.

Southern Tor Pinot Noir is a beautifully crafted wine with a deep ruby color. The nose is expressive, with aromas of blackberries, dark cherries, and a hint of spice. The palate is rich and concentrated, featuring layers of ripe fruit, earthy notes, and well-integrated oak. The tannins are firm yet velvety, and the wine’s bright acidity provides balance and length, resulting in a complex and satisfying finish.

In commenting on the wine, the DWWA Judging Panel noted:

We may not have found any Burgundian Pinot Noir wines to feature in this year’s Best In Show selection, but three Pinots from the Southern Hemisphere goes some way to compensate. This example from the Alexandra Basin sub-region shows why there is so much excitement about Central Otago.

It’s translucent dark red in color, with articulate aromas of warm red berries, red cherries, and root spice. It’s softly articulated on the palate and sweet-fruited, with great grace and poise. The wine’s structure comes more prominently from its acidity than from its relatively discreet tannin profile. In just two years, it has already begun to soften and open; look out for stones and an herbal complexity, as well as root spice, on the finish.

These six wines have been recognized for their exceptional quality, reflecting their respective producers’ unique terroirs and winemaking expertise. They are, without question, among the very best Pinot Noir wines in the world.

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site’s Terms of Service. We’ve summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

So, how can you be a power user?

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site’s Terms of Service.

Best sparkling wine, overall:

Best sparkling wine, runner-up:

Best budget sparkling wine:

Best splurge-worthy sparkling wine:

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Indulging in a tall glass of chilled sparkling wine can be a blissful experience. Refreshing, refined and crisp all at once, a good bubbly is bound to elevate any meal or celebration. That’s why, along with friends and family, a bottle of sparkling wine is always waiting to be uncorked during life’s big moments. At the very least, it can provide a few ounces of cool relief in the muggy summertime heat.

From rosé and cava to champagne and prosecco, the sparkling wine varieties on the market are vast. Deciphering and differentiating the varieties of sparkling wine can be an intimidating experience. To make matters worse, finding a good bottle at a fair price without help can make your head spin.

Our adventurous team at CNN Underscored is here to make wine shopping less isolating. That’s why we ventured to the West Village’s favorite restaurant and bar, The Noortwyck. Here, we met expert sommelier, Cedric Nicaise, who guided us through an in-depth tasting. Along the way, he gifted us many pearls of wisdom about wine and, in return, we found our new favorite picks.

To be clear, we all have different preferences when it comes to wine. Some of us are sparkling wine enthusiasts while others would rather sip on a canned cocktail. That’s why we had a trusty sommelier to chime in with his expertise.

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This exceptional, editor-favorite sparkling wine is grown and harvested in California’s renowned Napa Valley. Most of us thought this buttery, bubbly cuvée had the perfect balance of sweetness with a hint of fruitiness and freshly baked pastries. We all agreed on one thing; this elegant bottle was worth the price.

We were lucky enough to sample this vintage sparkling blanc de noirs from 2018 by Etude Wines, which was one of the pricier picks in our testing pool. We appreciated the fresh citrus notes from this delightful bubbly, which we all thought was comparable to a great champagne. 

If you love rosé and a good price tag, this vibrant pick from Domain Ste Michelle will be your new favorite sparkling wine. We appreciated the ripe citrus notes and affordability of this wine, sourced from premium grapes in Washington state’s Columbia Valley. 

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Although we concluded a good bottle of wine doesn’t have to break the bank, we couldn’t help but love this refreshing, almost creamy chardonnay-esque sparkling wine from the certified women-owned and Black-owned McBride Sisters Wine Company. According to its website, it’s best paired with oysters and shellfish, caviar with kettle chips, sushi, french fries, popcorn or berry desserts. 

Although California’s Napa Valley is home to the Mumm Napa vineyard, it has a distinctly French influence. Mumm Napa follows in the footsteps of GH Mumm and its classic French heritage with its traditional wine-making techniques.

We agreed this wine was more delightful than we anticipated. Pale gold and bubbly upon first glance, this wine had a ripe and fruity scent we all found endearing. According to the Mumm Napa website, this wine has aromas of red apple, cherry, orange, and, surprisingly, bread. Senior travel and money editor Andrew Kunesh described this wine as having a “bakery-like smell.” Nicaise confirmed our suspicions, explaining that brioche or buttered toast notes are common in some sparkling wines. Bread flavors “bake” when sparkling wines undergo a second fermentation and yeast consumes sugar.

Associate editor Jillian Tracy found this wine the perfect balance of sweet and yeast-like bread notes, adding: “This one lends itself to be sipped and enjoyed.” Senior tech editor Mike Andronico thought this wine had a hint of apple flavors but found it “smooth and easy to drink.” Meanwhile, photographer Molly Flores described this cuvée as “nutty and oaty,” adding it “opens to sweeter maple on the nose.” Reviews editor Tobey Grumet Segal noted the tart notes from this wine that gave it more flavor and added it had mid-level carbonation, describing it as “almost effervescent.”

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Etude wines were founded on the philosophy that winemaking begins in the vineyard long before the harvest, according to Etude winemaker Jon Priest. Etude is also passionate about sustainable winemaking, and two-thirds of their Grand Benoist Ranch estate vineyards comprise wildlife corridors.

This wine was a close winner for one of our favorite wines, which we moved down the ranking for the higher price point. According to Etude’s website, this bubbly was made via the classically styled brut méthode traditionelle to make pinot noir and chardonnay. This wine has delicate notes of magnolia, Meyer lemon citrus, and orange peel, all with the toasty brioche and vanilla créme notes from the fermentation process. The palate also includes notes of white peach and Golden Delicious apples that would pair well with aperitifs or various cuisines.

Nicaise was impressed by the wealth of information on this label, which was certified sustainable. We all loved this crisp, fine sparkling wine that we felt was comparable to champagne. Flores ranked this wine as her favorite due to its crisp texture and fine carbonation. Tracy wrote this wine had much more minerality and felt tart, with mellow and balanced flavors. Andronico described this wine as fizzy but champagne-like and pleasant overall. Kunesh thought this wine was unobtrusive and added he was “a big fan of this one,” due to its fruitiness and strong apple notes.

It’s hard to resist an elegant rosé, even more so when it’s under $15. This brut rosé crafted by Domaine Ste. Michelle was made in Washington’s Columbia Valley. Home to a lesser-known and underappreciated wine region, the winery has finessed traditional French-style sparkling wines for nearly 40 years, now headed by female winemaker Paula Eakin.

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According to its website, this refreshing rosé has tasting notes of ripe strawberries, with hints of apple and citrus. It has a subtle spice and sweet finish that pairs well with sweet-and-tangy food combinations. Domaine Ste Michelle recommends sipping this rosé with spicy jalapeño and artichoke dips, mixed baby greens, coconut shrimp with sweet chili sauce and fried chicken and waffles.

Although most editors noted that this rosé was floral and on the more acidic side of the sparkling wine spectrum, we thought this citrus-packed option would be great to sip on in the summertime. Senior digital content strategist Hannah Lauson described this wine as “very sweet and floral” and added she loved the light taste and perfect amount of bubbles. Senior testing editor Rick Stella thought it had “a dry taste” but found it mellow and easy to drink. Testing writer Joe Bloss even compared this wine to lemonade, but added that he wasn’t a fan of the prominent bubbles and carbonation. Kunesh was not a fan and added that it reminded him of a simple syrup.

Sisters Robin McBride and Andréa McBride released this limited production of McBride Sisters Collection Reserve wines in 2021, after creating quality canned wines SHE CAN, Black Girl Magic Wines and others. This line embodies their extraordinary origin story, considering they were raised on opposite corners of the globe in the world’s most iconic wine and farming regions of Monterey, California and Aotearoa, New Zealand. As fate would have it, they reunited and realized their shared love of food and wine to create the McBride Sisters Wine Company with the mission to empower women and Black winemakers in the industry.

According to the McBride Sisters’ website, this sparkling wine packed with “fresh fruit intensity” was made using the méthode traditionelle to make a sparkling chardonnay from a single vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. This means it was barrel fermented with a secondary fermentation and tirage aged 20 months in the bottle before disgorging. This neutral barrel fermentation creates a soft and creamy texture, which all our testers took note of. The additional aging also created a yeasty aroma, similar to the . The sisters recommend pairing this wine with oysters and shellfish, caviar with kettle chips, sushi, french fries, popcorn or berry desserts.

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One of the many lessons we learned from Nicaise was to be on the lookout for the amount of information on a wine label. Typically, the more information there is, the better. We were impressed with the McBride Sisters’ striking label, which listed the vintage — unlike most sparkling wines we tested.

We all found this tasteful champagne had buttery and creamy flavor notes thanks to the fermentation process. Bloss compared the aroma wafting from this sparkling wine to “freshly boiled pasta” and added that it tasted like it was worth the splurge. Tracy agreed with the pasta analogy due to the wine’s buttery texture and added that the smell made her salivate. She thought it would pair well with a sweeter dish since it “felt more acidic and tart.” Andronico felt this wine was “solid” due to its smooth, rich taste and fine carbonation.

Although wine tasting may seem like an easy experiment, many crucial factors are needed to ensure a thorough test. We researched and landed on 12 sparkling wines at various prices and variations. We brought them to The Noortwyck and chilled them before our tasting because nothing is worse than tepid wine. As advised by our sommelier, we used tall stem glasses to taste a healthy dose of each one. He also taught us to smell our glass and to really “breathe in” all of the flavors to understand the complexity and composition of each bubbly. As we tasted each wine, we made sure to take notes on each wine’s:

We were also mindful of the unseen elements making each wine unique, including:

If we could summarize this wine in one word, it would be “glamorous.” Like the wine itself, this California-derived sparkling brut comes in a golden, sparkly bottle that stands out from the shelf. According to its website, it features notes of green apple, luscious pear and other tropical aromas. One Hope recommends pairing this wine with tropical fruits, cheese kabobs, scallops, halibut and lemon tarts. Bloss summed it up best when he noted: “The fruit is winning here.” 

Blanc de Blancs translates to “white of whites,” meaning the Mumm Napa winery only used white grapes to make this wine. Nicaise informed us this term typically indicates a wine is almost always a chardonnay. According to Mumm Napa’s website, this Blanc de Blancs has notes of lemony citrus and aromas of pear, pippin apple and toasted biscuits. We all found this sparkling wine to be extremely carbonated with strong notes of apples. 

This unique bottle from Segura Viudas combines the freshness of cava with the elegance of rosé. According to its website, this “cava rosado” features intense fruitiness, lively color and is made from three black grape varieties: Trepat, Pinot Noir and Garnacha. Winemaker Manel Quintana even described it as having youthful fruit aromas of strawberry, redcurrant and grenadine. They recommend pairing this rosé with seafood or enjoying it as a standalone drink. Rosé isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but we all agreed this rosé had a delightful fruity aroma. Our testers found this rosado very fruit-forward and powerful, but we especially appreciated the $10 price tag.

We couldn’t stop at just one rosé. That’s why we picked up Santa Margherita’s brut sparkling rosé that can typically be found for around $25. According to its website, this wine has floral aromas and hints of red berry and a blend of white wine made from Chardonnay and Glera grapes, in addition to a red varietal, Italian malbec. This rosé is “predominantly white with just a kiss of red,” according to the Santa Margherita experts. Their winemakers recommend pairing this rosé with strong flavors, like paella, spicy dishes or savory appetizers. We found this rosé to be intense and piercing to all the senses. Tracy described this wine as “very sharp” and Stella found it to “taste better than it smells.” 

Believe it or not, there’s such a thing as sparkling red wine. It’s not as common as rosé or cava, so we felt compelled to taste a classic sparkling red. According to the Rosa Regale website, this wine derives from the Piedmont region of Italy and has aromas of freshly crushed strawberries with just a hint of rose petals. Their experts recommend pairing this luscious red wine with chocolate desserts or simply sipping this on its own. We all found this decadent wine to be fruity, smooth and rich — to the point where some of us could only stomach a few sips. Kunesh felt it was bubbly but not intrusive, reminiscent of Welch’s grape juice. Grumet Segal concluded it was “way too sweet” while I enjoyed the sangria-like intensity. Tracy even wrote, “Texture and flavor-wise, this feels more like juice than wine.”

This rosé from Oregon-based A to Z Wineworks is a blend of pinot noir with white wine, all with notes of tropical fruits including passion fruit, orange, guava, starfruit, luscious pear, honeydew melon, and bruised strawberries. According to the A-Z Wineworks website, this wine also has notes of a tangerine creamsicle and rose petals. Their experts recommend pairing this aromatic rosé with barbequed foods, fruit salads, popcorn or mixed nuts. Nicaise found this to be a respectable rosé, although he was curious to know where the grapes were sourced from. Regardless, we thought this wine was a great, “everyday” rosé packed with flavors, and many testers said this smelled like bubblegum.

We were intrigued by this zero-sugar sparkling wine from Avaline, founded by celebrity Cameron Diaz and friend Katherine Power. According to Avaline’s website, it’s on a mission to craft wines from organically farmed grapes without unnecessary additives and elevate transparency in the wine industry. In addition to the low-calories and no-sugar content, it boasts vegan options in various varieties: red, white, rosé and more. This dry sparkling wine is made with four grape varieties: Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada, and Malvasía for a blend of floral and fruit notes. The winemakers at Avaline recommend pairing this wine with “the sound of laughter and moments to remember.” Nicasise was skeptical of this wine because, as he put it, there’s not much you can do to remove calories from wine. Some testers found this wine to be sour, with less carbonation and excessive foaminess.

This adventurous wine is made by firecracker winemaker Penelope Gadd-Coster, an avid motorcyclist, fly-fisherman, and 90-point sparkling winemaker. This California sparkling wine is made from chardonnay grapes and contains a 12.5% alcohol content. Some found this wine to be on the acidic side, with an almost metallic finish. Others thought it was very fruit-forward with a strong apple aroma but others felt this wine had a similar texture to a beer. Stella noticed this pick was sweet and dry with an “interesting bubbly quality.” Nevertheless, Nicaise was certain this blanc de blanc was the best value pick at just $23 for a bottle.

What is sparkling wine and how is it different from non-sparkling wine?

‘Here’s the most simple and obvious answer,” said Nicaise. “Sparkling wine has bubbles in it and non-sparkling wine doesn’t,” he put bluntly. “Today, in more technical terms, sparkling wine is a decision a winemaker makes,” he added. “It could possibly be a wine of terroir, whereas still wines (non-sparkling) are wines of terroir.” A wine of terroir is a wine that expresses the unique qualities of the region (the “terroir”) where it was grown. It’s comparable to the way a vegetable can taste like the environment it was grown in.

“There are many types of wines,” expanded Ana Fabiano, founder of RiojaTrade and Brand Ambassador for the DOCa Rioja. “There’s table wine, fortified wine and sparkling wine. The latter has carbonation from carbon dioxide,” she said, echoing Nicaise’s point. “This happens naturally (traditional method) in the same bottle or by Charmat, also known as the tank method. Champagne and Cava are made by the traditional method,” she said. “Sparkling wine starts with a still (non-sparkling) wine and then undergoes a secondary fermentation,” clarified dynamic duo Jeff Jenssen and Mike DeSimone, a.k.a @worldwineguys.

What are the different kinds of sparkling wine?

“There are three basic ways of making sparkling wine,” explained Nicaise. “First is the method ancestral, also known as the ancient way. In modern times, producing sparkling wine is a decision a winemaker makes, but as is implied by the name, in ancient times it was sort of an accident.

“Wine that was not fully done fermenting was bottled, and when that wine would start fermenting again, the bubbles would be trapped in the bottle, and therefore make the wine sparkling. Many know this today as Pet-Nat,” he added. “Second, is what is called the Charmat method, which is often used to decrease costs and make large amounts of sparkling wine. To achieve this, fully fermented wine is placed in large stainless steel tanks that are pressurized and a solution of yeast and sugar is added to the tank, that solution then ferments creating CO2; that CO2 is trapped in the tank and makes the wine sparkling, then the wine is bottled.”

“The third and last method is called the champagne method,” said Nicaise. “Here the second fermentation described above takes place in individual bottles, instead of in a large tank.”

What are the most popular kinds of sparkling wine?

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“I believe there are four main categories of sparkling wine,” said Nicaise. “Prosecco, Cava, Champagne method sparkling wines (Cremant in France, some higher end Cavas, some New World Sparkling wines), and Champagne.”

Do you have a favorite brand or variety of sparkling wine?

“I like Champagne,” the Noortwyck sommelier and co-founder shared. “If I had to pick a favorite non-champagne I would pick Bruno Dangin from Burgundy as my favorite,” he added.

“I love premium Champagne, especially Dom Perignon P2, Alfred Gratien, and Boizel,” shared the World Wine Guys. “I live in Spain for part of the year so I am a big fan of Cava. Segura Viudas Heredad Reserva Brut is one of my favorites and the beautiful bottle makes it a great gift to bring to a dinner party.”

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Fabiano agreed and added she loved Cavas. “I have worked with and enjoyed many Cavas so they are my favorite,” shared Fabiano. “I also love Billecart Champagne.”

“It’s impossible to choose just one,” said Dana Beninati, food & wine educator and host of Dine with Dana.” I can highlight some of my favorites from the countries known for awesome sparkling production. Segura Viudas Cava from Spain, specifically the Brut Rosé and the Icon Brut Vintage. Mionetto Prosecco from Italy, specifically the Prestige Brut and Berlucchi Franciacorta, specifically the Black Arrow Brut25. Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs from the U.S. and Champagne Drappier Carte d’Or Brut from France.”

What popular cocktails feature sparkling wine?

“There are many, including the French 75, Aperol Spritz, ‘champagne cocktail’ Kir Royal, and then, of course, the Bellini and Mimosa,” shared Nicaise.

“Nothing says happy hour like a Limoncello or Amaro Spritz, which perfectly pair Prosecco with lemon or herbal liqueurs,” said Beninati. “Of course, the internet sensation of a negroni sbagliato went viral for good reason. I also love how a French 75 plays the fruity flavors of sparkling wine against the bite of gin. My absolute favorite cocktail, when ripe summer fruit is in season, is a sparkling sangria, studded Cava with cherries and stone fruits.”

How should you best enjoy sparkling wine?

“Sparkling wine is often identified as a celebratory wine which is positive and wonderful!” shared Fabiano. “However, they can also be enjoyed for solo sipping or with a meal. They do not have to be relegated to a special occasion and are especially refreshing in warm weather with the bubbles’ bright acidity and flavor profile. They can be enjoyed in a flute, tulip-shaped glass or what is currently trending a traditional still wine glass. Chilling in an ice bucket should include both ice and water. A favorite for me this season is the Cava Vilarnau Reserva Rose.”

The World Wine Guys agreed, adding: “With meals or as an aperitif but always with people you love!”

Maria Concetto Winery won’t have to pay $1,800 in fines for pouring wine at its outdoor tables in front of its Calistoga tasting room. But the issue prompting the fines has not been fully resolved.

The winery, known for its robotic server, was fined for promoting and serving wine on the sidewalk off Lincoln Avenue, along which the Napa Valley thoroughfare Highway 29 runs.

City officials said in levying the fines, they were responding to citizen complaints, and abiding by municipal code and California government guidelines, since that sidewalk is part of a state right-of-way, enforced by Caltrans. City code also restricts alcohol consumption in “public.”

Maria Concetto owner Maria Reznikova appealed the ruling during a June 5 hearing, requesting the city cancel the fine, of which she paid $100.

The city agreed to do so on July 11, while handing over jurisdiction on the matter to the state, Calistoga Police Chief Mitch Celaya confirmed. It remains uncertain whether the winery will be reimbursed the $100 already paid.

“The conclusion is we don’t have the standing to enforce what Caltrans has made extremely clear. They could call the California Highway Patrol to pick up the stuff,” Celaya said, referring to the prohibition of alcohol and food service in its right-of-way. “Now, they have a lot of priorities. Who’s going to do something about it is the question.”

Some complaints against the tasting room were submitted to the city over months. Last October, one person emailed a complaint about the winery’s signs posted on a truck out front taking “parking away from locals and visitors wanting to eat and shop downtown.” Other complaints involved noise and “patio furniture on the sidewalk.”

If the city receives additional complaints, officials plan to “forward them onto Caltrans.”

“This was allowed during COVID. That’s over,” said Celaya, the police chief, referring to the period when businesses were allowed to expand outdoor service. “That was then. This is now.”

In the meantime, Reznikova has kept her planter, table and chairs on the sidewalk.

“I don’t know what to expect. I don’t have permission, but that still belongs to Caltrans,” she said.

In June, a regional spokesman for the state transportation agency confirmed an encroachment permit would have to be secured through the city in a lease agreement. But Caltrans stopped short of saying it would send out officials to police the streets, Caltrans North Bay district spokesman Bart Ney said at the time.

He sympathized with merchants attempting to do something “enterprising” at best.

As of Tuesday, Caltrans spokesman Vince Jacala said his agency pledged to work with the California Highway Patrol if a business is in violation of the policy.

“If they violate encroachment permits, the state can legally cite them. Caltrans writes guidelines but is not law enforcement,” Jacala said.

It’s unclear whether Caltrans plans to look into the matter.

From a local level, Calistoga Councilmember Kevin Eisenberg also voiced some understanding for Resnikova’s move, but stressed rules are rules.

“I’ve told her to conform to what everybody else is doing. Don’t be an exception,” Eisenberg said. “But I will say, an overwhelming majority want Lincoln Avenue to be a place to sit outside and eat. Our problem is our street is a state highway, and it shouldn’t be a state highway.”

Preston Mohr, Managing Director, Wine Scholar Guild

Like many who move to Paris, Preston Mohr found himself besieged by people asking him for advice on where to eat.

At the time, says Mohr, it felt like you had to be part of a secret club to crack the code.

Officially in France to study art history, he began to work in tourism and hospitality—and answering plenty of questions—prompting him to learn more about wine. Eventually, he took all four levels of the noted Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) program.

Today, Mohr is the Managing Director of the Wine Scholar Guild, the world’s fastest-growing wine education program for non-professionals.

And what they’re doing may launch a whole new way of thinking about wine.

Julien Camus, a graduate of the Strasbourg Management School, became the trade attaché for wines and spirits at the French Embassy in Washington at just 23. After organizing a successful series of events in different cities, he created the French Wine Society, with the support of 25 importers of French wine. In 2008, he launched the French Wine Scholar certificate, followed by the Italian Wine Scholar certification, and then the Spanish.

The organization became the Wine Scholar Guild in 2015, and now consists of 130 schools spanning 30 countries on five continents, offering three levels of instruction in the wines of France, Italy, and Spain and some specialist areas, like Sherry.

The timing couldn’t have been better, as the rise of the company coincided with the growth of “gastronomy tourism,” where people travel specifically to experience the food.

And as people come into contact with the great food and wine of the world, they want to learn more about it.

“Wine encapsulates so many things in one topic,” says Mohr.

Camus wasn’t the only person to spot the need for wine education. Along with the professional certifications offered by bodies such as the WSET and The Institute of Masters of Wine, there are countless courses now produced by regional bodies, who often create them as a form of marketing. Mohr says what the Wine Scholar Guild offers is “extremely deep and in-depth certification and education on regions.” So far, France is the most popular country by a long way, with Italy in second place.

The curriculum is devised by the internal education team, consisting of seven or eight members, before an e-learning team adapts the content for the interactive platform. It takes about two years to create each program. Currently, they’re working on a German program set to launch in 2025.

The courses are published in print books, complete with maps and graphics, and are updated approximately every 18 months.

“We are essentially getting alerts from the regional bodies and they’re saying, ‘you can’t do 75% Syrah any more — it’s 70%’ and we just keep a running list,” says Mohr.

Classes can be completed in person or online, and once students have finished one program, they gain access to the alumni space, or community platform, along with updated materials.

What people don’t get is long lists of arcane grapes to memorize, as Mohr says too much detail can be a stumbling block. “We have to be really specific with students to make they’re they don’t think they need to memorize the name of 300 indigenous grape varieties. That type of knowledge doesn’t serve anybody—even a Master of Wine.”

Preston Mohr, Managing Director of the Wine Scholar Guild, in the vineyard.

What the Guild doesn’t insist on is a tasting test, though students who take the classroom courses do taste wines from the region being studied. Online students are given a list of wines they can buy and taste on their own, if they’re so motivated.

Increasingly, the way wine tasting is taught is being questioned. One major issue is that students are often tested on classic wine styles, at a time when it’s getting harder to find wines that fit the mold, as climate change and new viticulture and winemaking techniques have changed those taste profiles.

“We can’t put things in appellation boxes any more,” says Mohr.

Just as significantly, it’s become apparent that the formal descriptors applied to wine —blackcurrant, white flowers, gooseberry—may be meaningless to people from outside Europe. Mohr says it’s something the Wine Scholar Guild has considered deeply.

“We are in the process of creating a revolutionary tasting diploma that will challenge the systematic approach to tasting,” he says. It’s due to be released in 2025.

It’s being developed by wine writer Simon Woolf, and Dr. Gabriel Lepousez, a neuroscientist at the Perception and Memory Laboratory at the Institut Pasteur.

“He’s looking at the empirical scientific evidence of how brains process wine,” says Mohr. “What we’re trying to do with this program is actually show how terroir and origin and winemaking influence a wine much more than where it comes from. The system we’re trying to create is very personal, but also essentially giving the student the keys to understand why the wine tastes this way.”

If the new course lives up to the claims, it could revolutionize the way that wine is taught.

And there are plenty of people who will want it. The Guild’s students are a diverse group, with men and women signing up in roughly equal proportions—and their number is growing. Mohr says some people are just after the wine information and sign up, “because our study manuals and the material provided are some of the best books out there on regions.”

Then there are people who will immerse themselves in the study and even re-sit exams if they don’t pass them the first time. This group wants the certificates and lapel pins, and will do whatever it takes to get them.

The biggest challenge that education teams now face is how to cater to different age groups. “We’re now starting to see this next generation of people coming in, and younger people of 35 or below don’t just want all this content. They want it delivered in shorter formats.”

For those who want the certificates, there will soon be more options. There will be the German course, not to mention the new tasting course, and no doubt there will be many more after that. After all, wine is now produced in dozens of countries, including the major producing countries of the US, Australia, New Zealand and Portugal. Just keeping up with it all could see the Guild expanding for years to come.

And for those who can unlock the tasting side, there is a feast of wine waiting to be tried.

As for Mohr himself, he says he still goes to art galleries and that art is a personal passion in his private life. But right now there’s a wine education revolution to attend to—which is more than a full-time occupation.

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There are people who like bookshops. Then there is Andrew Sivak, who once used a bookshop — Santa Cruz’s now-shuttered Logos Books & Records — to run an underground and only one-year college he claims had a 100 percent success rate in placing people into graduate schools.

Bad Animal’s name is an oblique reference to “The Bacchae” by Euripides. The swollen collection veers toward wild, radical, design-minded and avant-garde books, with a heavy emphasis on poetry, art, Californiana, continental philosophy, the occult and the classics. Pair these with the bar’s excellent “raw wines” — natural, low-intervention wines — and Thai food, and you’ve got everything you need (in the owners’ words) to “travel the Dionysian path.”

One more bit of exciting news: This year, Bad Animal plans to expand into the space next door to sell art and vintage material, with a focus on print history and art such as broadsides, photographs and posters.

INTRODUCTION: Bad Animal opened in 2019 as a natural outgrowth of Sivak and LoPrete’s interests. She had cheffed in San Francisco and had expertise in wine. He had a Ph.D from UC Santa Cruz in the history of consciousness and worked as a rare-book scout.

When Logos Books shut down, they grabbed up its massive collection and started winnowing it down in a process they took “way too seriously.” “For every one book we put on the shelf,” Sivak says, “we’ve probably said no to a thousand.”

Their website’s FAQ clarifies how devoted they are to books. Question: “Why should I read a book?” Answer: “Anyone who doesn’t read books is doomed.” Question: “Is it okay to sleep with someone who doesn’t read books?” Answer: “No.”

Despite the serious mission, Bad Animal is a fun place – instead of a self-help section, for instance, it has a disco ball.

“If you were to go to the great used bookshops in the middle of the century, they were very stuffy places where you were going to be feeling at least a little uncomfortable to handle the rare volumes on the shelf,” says Sivak. “They were sort of suffocating environments to be in, as beautiful as they were.”

Bad Animal is going for the opposite kind of atmosphere, one pleasantly lubricated with good conversations and intoxicating wine.

“We’re trying to operate in the same way that these antiquarian shops did in the middle of the 20th century, but in a radically different environment,” he says. “We want to encourage people to see books not just as a form of self-improvement or intellectual bodybuilding, but as actual pleasure experiences. It is pleasurable to walk around a used bookshop with a glass of wine in your hand, in the same way it is pleasurable to read a novel and enjoy a bottle of wine.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Unlike the special tomes that age well in Bad Animal’s rare-book room – a signed copy of Camus’ “The Stranger,” a beautiful spread of lithographs by painter June Wayne – the raw wine is generally not aged and is meant to drink soon after bottling.

A selection of wines is on display at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Peter Wright browses the selection of books at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Customers enjoy wine and Thai cuisine at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

A selection of books, new and old, at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Peter Wright browses for books at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Peter Wright reads “Complete Poetry and Selected Prose and Letter” by Walt Whitman at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

A copy of “On the Nature of Things” by Lucretius sits open on display at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 18, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group) at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Diners drink wine and eat Thai cuisine at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Jimmy Hsieh browses through a book by art historian Dr. Joachim K. Bautze at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Hayden Myrick, bartender, stands next to a selection of books at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Brianna Goodman enjoys dinner with Nathan Goodman of Felton at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

The rare book cellar and dining room at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Cydney Romano browses through a selection of books at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Diners drink wine and eat Thai cuisine at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

A selection of books, new and old, at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Andrew Singleterry of San Jose browses the shelves for books at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 18, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

Jess LoPrete and Andrew Sivak are opening Bad Animal on Cedar Street in downtown Santa Cruz. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Andrew Sivak and Jess LoPrete are reflected in a light fixture at Bad Animal, their new full-service restaurant and independent bookstore on Cedar Street in downtown Santa Cruz that opens on Wednesday. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel)

A selection of books, new and old, at Bad Animal in Santa Cruz, Calif., on May 17, 2024. (Thien-An Truong for Bay Area News Group)

The lovingly curated wine selection hails heavily from California and Europe and on any given day, might include an orange Wavy Wines “Sunshine” Skin Contact from Sonoma, a sparkling Rodica “Col Fondo Malvasia” from Slovenia or a Farm Cottage Pinot Noir from right here in the Santa Cruz mountains.

The beer and cider list has both tap and bottle options and leans toward interesting local suds like a Pelayo apple cider from Watsonville or a “Socks and Sandals” from Humble Sea Brewing. Zero-proof options might include apple-cucumber kombucha, phony Negronis and Coke and Fanta from Mexico.

After the pandemic, Bad Animal’s kitchen shifted to a residency program for up-and-coming restaurants. Right now it’s Hanloh, which cooks Thai cuisine inspired by the seasons and California’s local abundance. Recent appetizers have included Tomales Bay Hatsu oysters with bird’s-eye chili and lime and mieng kham (wrapped-leaf snacks) with apples, shallots, toasted coconut and tamarind-caramel dressing, served over nasturtium leaves. On the heartier side: white-coconut curry with shrimp and oyster mushrooms and chili jam, and charcoal-grilled Boxing Chicken with Crying Tiger Sauce and cucumbers.

EPILOGUE: Sivak just finished Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy and found “Blood Meridian” to be, you know, kind of bloody. “I don’t know how much of this is mythmaking, but (Yale literary critic) Harold Bloom famously said that he tried to read it and stopped two times, like he couldn’t get past page 80,” Sivak says. ”But then he considered it if not the great American novel, certainly in the top three and a definitive part of the Western canon, and you’d be hard-pressed to argue against him.”

DETAILS: The bookshop is open from noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; the bar and kitchen are open from 5 to 9 p.m. at 1011 Cedar St., Santa Cruz; badanimalbooks.com.

This is the first in a series of three articles about wineries in Nuits-Saint-Georges, France visited by the author earlier this year.

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES, FRANCE – Two green street signs stand near a busy intersection on a two-lane road running through this small village.

One sign says “BEAUNE” and points south.

The other sign says “DIJON” and points in the opposite direction.

In a sense, those two street signs reflect Nuits-Saint-Georges’ position as an important crossroads within the Cote D’Or, the name of the legendary, 50-mile-long wine region in Burgundy.

North of Nuits-Saint-Georges to Dijon contains the Cote D’Or subregion known as the Cote De Nuits, which is famous for its out-of-this world pinot noir red wines.

South of Nuits-Saint-Georges you’ll find the other Cote D’Or subregion known as the Cote De Beaune, which has world-class chardonnay white wines and many outstanding reds.

Even so, many motorists quickly drive through this busy intersection in Nuits-Saint-Georges on their way to better-known places in Burgundy.

They also probably don’t even notice the winery tucked behind the nearly one-story-high, white stone wall located there.

Although if you’re a cycling fan, you may have recently caught of glimpse of Dufouleur Freres’ beautiful, two-story stone building just to the left of the starting line of Stage Seven of the Tour De France.

But this winery and the village it’s located in definitely deserve more attention.

That’s because many of the wines produced by Dufouleur Freres and other wineries in Nuits-Saint-Georges consistently taste great year in and year out. And while the prices have gradually started to increase like many other wines throughout Burgundy, you can still find outstanding bargains from Nuits-Saint-Georges and especially from Dufouleur Freres.

This week, you can learn all about this winery as well as about Nuits-Saint-Georges in general in this first story in a series of three articles about this charming, hard-working French winemaking village in the heart of Burgundy. You can also find tasting notes for 12 wines tasted at the winery this past January with Jean Dufouleur.

Hope you enjoy.

History of winemaking in Nuits-Saint-Georges

Like many winemaking villages in Burgundy, Nuits-Saint-Georges has been making wine for hundreds of years. Exactly when people started growing grapes here to make wine remains unknown.

References to wine from here date back to the late 1600s, but people were making wine in Nuits-Saint-Georges long before then. And it wasn’t until 1892 that winemakers in Nuits-Saint-Georges were finally able to put the name of the village on the labels of wines from here.

This was also the same year (1892) when the village changed its name from Nuits to Nuits-Saint-Georges. Like many other villages in Burgundy, the name was changed to add the name of one of the best-known wine vineyards in the village, which in this case is Les Saint Georges.

Wine classification in Nuits-Saint-Georges

In 1930, winemakers and officials who regulate wine in Burgundy began classifying certain vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges and other villages. There are three classifications based on the quality of the wine from particular vineyards:

History of Dufouleur Freres

The Dufouleur family can trace its roots back in Nuits-Saint-Georges to the 1500s and began making wine at its current location in 1596. The family name, Dufouleur, means “grape crusher” in French and that’s what family members reportedly did more than four centuries ago.

The winery’s beautiful two-story house dates back to the 1800s, when the Dufouleur family formally entered the wine-making business in 1848. Soon after, the family began buying parts of various vineyards in Nuits-Saint-Georges and throughout Burgundy.

Dufouleur Freres remains a relatively small wine producer in Burgundy. They own 14 acres of vineyards throughout Burgundy. The winery also purchases a small number of grapes from other vineyards to produce many outstanding, mostly red wines.

Wine Tasting Notes

(Writer’s tasting notes for three white wines and nine red wines, all tasted at the winery this past January with Jean Dufouleur.)

White Wines

2021 Dufouleur Freres Le Fouleur Vin De Bourgogne Chardonnay

Winemaker’s comments: “Humble wine, easy to open, easy to understand, straightforward chardonnay, pure, unoaked.”

Tasting notes: Made with chardonnay grapes, this bright, lively wine has a light, mineral-like finish with hints of peach, lemon and citrus-like flavors. Very refreshing, easy drinking, delightful chardonnay.

2021 Dufouleur Freres Bourgogne Aligote

Winemaker’s comments: “Has a little bit of oak, just 5 to 10 percent, just to make it a little more noble.”

Tasting notes: Made with 100 percent aligote grapes, this wine has a slightly tart finish with hints of green apple and just a touch of oak. Great food wine that beautifully brings to life this lesser-known white wine grape.

2020 Dufouleur Freres Nuits-Saint-Georges Recolte Cuvee Du Chateau

Winemaker’s comments: “Definitely more oak. The biggest surprise is it’s a blend of different grape varieties, which is really almost never the case in Burgundy. It’s really nice.”

Tasting notes: Made with a blend of 70 percent chardonnay and 30 percent pinot blanc, this outstanding white wine has subtle finish with hints of butter, sea salt, popcorn, lemon and fresh cream. Floral, fragrant aromas and flavors abound in this blended white wine that’s a real treat.

Red Wines

All made with pinot noir grapes

2022 Dufouleur Freres Le Fouleur Bourgogne Pinot Noir

Winemaker’s comments: “Regional wine. The purpose is to create a simple, humble, interesting pinot noir.”

Tasting notes: Give this wine a few minutes to open up in the glass. Initially, it’s intense and a bit tight. But give this red wine a few minutes and those flavors become more open and fruit like with hints of cherry and blackberry.

2018 Dufouleur Freres Les Fourches Cotes De Nuits Villages

Winemaker’s comments: “Humble, complex, with fresh berries, a little tannin, maybe a hint of cherry pits.”

Tasting notes: Well-rounded, dense red wine with hints of roasted cherries, tobacco, dark chocolate and almonds. Not a sharp edge at all to this wine filled with compact flavors that last several seconds after each sip.

2020 Dufouleur Freres Le Vaucrain Cotes De Nuits Villages

Winemaker’s comments: “The tannins are a bit more abundant, tobacco, well rounded, a bit of power.”

Tasting notes: Big, beautiful, well-rounded wine with hints of dense blackberry flavors and other graceful, well-rounded fruit flavors. Really opens up nicely in the glass without sacrificing the initial power and intensity straight out of the bottle.

2018 Dufouleur Freres Fixin Les Foussotes

Winemaker’s comments: “This is very classic, very traditional, old style, just right.”

Tasting notes: Fixin is the name of the outstanding, often-overlooked winemaking village located north of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Powerful, precise flavors, including big ripe fruit flavors (especially blackberry) mixed with hints of leather and fresh-roasted coffee.

2021 Dufouleur Freres Nuits-Saint-Georges

Winemaker’s comments: “Well-balanced, rich and satisfying.”

Tasting notes: Delightful, light fruit flavors with a delicate hint of raspberry, cherry, strawberry and blackberry. Very friendly, approachable wine that tastes great straight out of the bottle and remains consistently wonderful in the glass.

2020 Dufouleur Freres Nuits-Saint-Georges Cuvee Du Chateau

Winemaker’s comments: “Sophisticated, delicate, a bit of muscle, a bit of white pepper.”

Tasting notes: Round, subtle fruit flavors that have a bigger finish and impact compared to the previous red wine. There’s also not a sharp edge at all in this wonderful, well-rounded red wine with delicate berry fruit flavors.

2019 Dufouleur Freres Vosne-Romanee Les Jacquines

Winemaker’s comments: “Very velvety and licorice and soft. Definitely one of my favorites.”

Tasting notes: Big, bold, intense red wine from the neighboring village of Vosne-Romanee just to the north. Voluptuous, velvet-like fruit flavors with a dense, concentrated texture that lasts 10 to 15 seconds after each taste. Magnificent.

2020 Dufouleur Freres Chambolle-Musigny

Winemaker’s comments: “Ours is a kind of a strong, robust one. Firm and straightforward.”

Tasting notes: This wine from Chambolle-Musigny, another village north of town, has a flinty yet fleshy finish with intense, dense aromas and flavors. This wine needs 10 to 15 minutes to open up in the glass. That’s when the dense, complex fruit flavors with hints of leather emerge.

2020 Dufouleur Freres Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Les Saint Georges

Winemaker’s comments: “This is clearly the best plot of the village. We are blessed to have a slice of it.”

Tasting notes: There’s a reason why the town of Nuits added Saint-Georges to its name and this wine from that famous vineyard illustrates why. Soft, subtle, delicate fruit flavors (especially raspberry) somehow manage to also be big and powerful without being overpowering. This high-wire act teeters between intense and gentle and delivers an amazing wine-drinking experience you will never forget.

Cheers!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.

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Summertime is about many things: outdoor activities, music festivals, sports, holidays, celebrations and gatherings. For foodies, summer signals the start of barbecue season. It’s nothing fancy, just friends and family gathering in the backyard or on the rooftop, sharing delicious food and memorable moments. Like any good gathering, a barbecue isn’t complete without the perfect drinks. While cold beer is a common choice, wine lovers may ask: what’s the best wine for a summer barbecue?

What sommeliers would recommend
Whether you are hosting a barbecue party or attending one but wonder what wine to serve or bring, both traditional human sommeliers and innovative AI sommeliers like VinoVoss, generally recommend bold reds for barbecue. Grenache, Syrah, and GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blends) are at the top of the list for pairing with barbecue foods. The rich flavors of charred meat, combined with spices, harmonize beautifully with fruity, round red wines that have spicy, smoky, or oaky notes. Zinfandel and Primitivo pair wonderfully with caramelized foods, while other bold reds like Malbec, oaked Tempranillo, or a Bordeaux blend are also popular choices.

Summer wine and barbecue: An unlikely pair?
From a food and wine pairing perspective, bold reds are indeed suitable for barbecue. However, bold reds can taste heavy and often have high alcohol content, which might not be the best fit for hot summer days. This is why many people opt for cold beer instead. In summer, we crave refreshing white wines to cool us down, but does that mean summer wines and barbecue are incompatible? The answer is no. There are plenty of summer wines that pair perfectly with barbecue.

Pork-based barbecue favorites like sausages and short ribs, seasoned with flavorful spices, not only pair well with red wines like Grenache, Syrah or Zinfandel but also shine with high-acidity white wines like Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. The acidity cuts through the grease and adds freshness. Riesling is known to complement savory sauces, while Grüner Veltliner, with its herbaceous, white pepper notes, is perfect for sausages. In their home countries, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are preferred wines for pork-based German and Austrian cuisine. Additionally, these high-acidity white wines, by nature, pair well with vegetables.

All-rounder barbecue wines
If you’re concerned about going to extremes between bold reds and refreshing whites, don’t worry. There are versatile barbecue wines for your summer gatherings. Barbecue covers a range of foods from vegetables to mushrooms, from fish to meat skewers, so it’s ideal to have a master solution.

Light-bodied, chillable reds
If bold reds feel too heavy, light-bodied red wines are perfect summer reds. Wines like Gamay, certain Pinot Noirs, Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, Frappato, Schiava, and many carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration reds are excellent choices. They have enough body to pair with meat but the fruit-forward character makes them food-friendly, so they won’t overpower vegetables or grilled fish. Most importantly, they are best enjoyed slightly chilled, bringing freshness to a hot summer afternoon.

Orange wine
Some say orange wine is a white wine that tastes like red. It combines the vibrant acidity and refreshing character of white wines with the depth and structure of red. Orange wine is an all-rounder for food pairing, matching perfectly with well-seasoned, spicy foods, grilled asparagus or sausages.

Pet Nat
For some, bubbles and barbecue are the ultimate pairing. Champagne and other traditional method sparkling wines are good choices, but Pet Nat (pétillant naturel) is even better. Its refreshing acidity and bubbles enhance the summer vibe, and its yeasty flavors and slight residual sugar add body, making it suitable for a variety of foods and barbecue seasonings. Plus, Pet Nat is ideal for casual, fun moments with friends. It’s an approachable wine to enjoy without giving it too much thought.

Are you ready to spice up your summer barbecues with the perfect wines? Share good moments, delicious food, laughter, and exceptional wines with your loved ones!

About Sylvia Ba, Wine consultant, Special to lassennews.com

Wine consultant Sylvia Ba is a vinicultural expert with the “VinoVoss” AI Sommelier wine search engine and recommendation system developed by BetterAI. The user-friendly online platform picks the perfect wine every time, for any occasion courtesy of a highly advanced artificial intelligence assist. With a master’s degree in wine business from Burgundy School of Business, as well as diverse background and experiences in Europe and Asia, she currently offers expertise in marketing, research, purchasing, and copywriting for clients in the wine industry all over the world. Sylvia’s experience includes working as a junior editor for a leading Chinese wine media outlet and as a fine wine salesperson for ASC Fine Wines, the largest fine wine importer in China. She also served as Export Manager for Vinum Hadrianum, an artisanal winery in Abruzzo, Italy. Reach her at vinovoss.com

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A month of learning about wine began with a beer.

I had no idea what I was looking at. I had no idea what I was looking for, but Amy Snow at Breathe Wine & Culture in Cross Lanes tolerated my questions and tried to help as best she could.

I wound up at Breathe on a Monday afternoon, on the outer fringe of drive time. People were coming home from work in Charleston and the road coming through town was choked with cars.

Breathe Wine & Culture felt like a cute little oasis, slightly off the main drag. I’d come for the wine but knew absolutely nothing about buying wine.

“Is there something I can help you find?” Amy asked.

I shrugged. I had no idea.

Less than a week before, I’d been sitting at a table with my family at the Watauga Lake Winery near Watauga Lake in Tennessee.

We were waiting on pizza and drinks. Everyone was having a good time, enjoying lunch out on a hot summer day, while I groused about not having any idea what to write about in the coming month.

This is routine for me. About half the time, I’m not entirely sure what comes next after I finish a project, but I’d had plans this summer, all of which had been upended after the hernia.

There had even been some concern that I wouldn’t be able to make the annual reunion in Tennessee. I’d worried that I might not be cleared to drive that far or, if I made it, I’d be pretty much marooned on my sister’s couch.

The trip was important to me. It’s one of the few times I see most of my family, and my sister Laura and her husband Bart are gracious hosts at their spacious home by the lake.

Laura has a fleet of kayaks, and Bart bought a pontoon boat a few years ago, which seems like the equivalent of a lake-bound minivan.

This is what I call my vacation. Most years, I show up, eat, drink, laugh, and goof around near the water with my nieces and nephews. The older relatives are already wise to my brand of silly and give me a wide berth.

Everyone has a blast, though I usually only manage to last a day or so. Inevitably, I get an awful sunburn. Then, I spend the rest of the week sulking indoors, near Bart’s mostly stocked bar.

I try not to drink the expensive stuff. I’m only a brother-in-law.

Still, getting away for the reunion this year was hard. Between recovering from surgery and a second round of COVID, I’d gotten so behind on everything. A new topic to write about in July eluded me.

“So, what am I supposed to do?” I asked anybody and everybody. But workable topics were scarce and a lot of people I might get help from were on vacation — like me.

At the restaurant, the waitress came around and took our order. Bart ordered a mountain of food for the table and then checked on what we wanted to drink.

He asked about sangria.

“We have that in bottles,” the waitress said.

He shrugged. That seemed fine.

“How many glasses do we need?” Bart looked down the length of the table.

People raised their hands. He counted six, seven people. He looked at me, the guy who’d been raiding his beer fridge all week.

“I’m going to stick with water,” I said. “It’s hot. I’m thirsty. This is good.”

Bart nodded. No wine for me.

Laurie, my stepmother, asked if I was sure. I was an adult, after all, and sitting at the grownup table. The grownups were drinking sangria.

“Yeah,” I said. “I can pass. I’m a beer and whiskey guy. I don’t know anything about wine. I’ve had wine, sure, but I don’t know …”

I could count on one hand the number of times I’d had wine. Always, somebody gave me something. I never ordered it.

Remembering when I’d had wine was easy. Wine, I thought, was refined, cultured. I read books. I watch public television. I own a vest. I liked culture. I could be refined.

But wine did nothing for me.

“What kind of wine is supposed to go with pizza?” I asked.

Pizza was Italian. Sangria, I thought, was Spanish? That didn’t make any sense.

Laurie, who’d been listening to me harp about not having a project, looked at me and said, “Do wine.”

It made sense, and I knew people who knew things about wine.

Before we got our appetizer, I’d sent texts out asking for help. Before Bart picked up the check (he’s really a decent guy), I’d received three responses — not bad for a national holiday.

One of those who’d gotten back to me was Cheryl at Breathe in Cross Lanes. So, on Monday evening I stumbled in looking for a place to start.

Cheryl wasn’t there when I rolled in. Instead, it was just Amy and me going through the shelves, while I tried to come up with questions.

Amy was eager to help, even though she mentioned that the owner knew much more. Undeterred, we discussed the different varieties of wine. There was red, white, rosé, and something called rosato, which was a mix of red and white.

There was moscato, a sweet, white wine that Amy mentioned they sold a lot of, although not as much as cabernet sauvignon.

“It’s an earthy, red wine. Very popular,” she said.

In the back of my mind, I vaguely recalled television commercials for it, but I couldn’t pronounce cabernet sauvignon clearly. The words jumbled in my jaw, highlighting why I struggled with high school French.

There was also pinot grigio, a white wine, and pinot noir, a red wine.

Neither of us knew what pinot meant. Maybe grape?

Breathe had malbec, zinfandel and chianti, which I correctly guessed was red because I figured Hannibal Lector in “Silence of the Lambs” would probably drink red wine with his fava beans.

The alcohol by volume for the wines varied from around 5% to well past 14%, which put it on par with the “black out juice” beers I sometimes buy.

The wines ranged in price from about 14 bucks to just under $113, though I’ve seen wines in stores that cost as much as my mortgage payment.

I had no idea what any of it meant, what wine went with what food or whether that even mattered. I thought about buying the first bottle that caught my eye, but that seemed like a bad place to start.

So, I got a four pack of beer with a cat on the can and figured I’d work it out over the next couple of weeks.

Bill Lynch can be reached at 304-348-5195 or lynch@hdmediallc.com.

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Wine & Travel Expert Daniela Garrido joined host Jessica Wills to teleport us to some top summer wine destinations. Watch the clip to get some inspiration for your next travel wine getaway.