If you usually just grab any bottle of mass-produced sparkling wine at the grocery store for your New Year’s Eve celebration, ring in 2012 by popping open a bottle of “bubbly” made closer to home instead.
A surprising number of Central Coast wineries produce sparkling wine; all are available in nearby wine tasting rooms, and a few are stocked on local supermarket shelves.
Laetitia Estate Vineyards and Winery in Arroyo Grande has a long history of making sparkling wine and has half a dozen varieties to choose from.
Since 1982, Laetitia has harvested estate-grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc for award-winning sparkling wines.
Laetitia’s sparkling wine maker, Dave Hickey, even traveled to France to supplement his training by observing the techniques of producers in the Champagne region.
Hickey makes 7,000 cases of sparkling wine a year in the traditional méthode champenoise, using Coquard basket presses—“the only two European wooden basket presses of their kind in North America,” he said.
“They are expensive to build and expensive to run because they are very labor intensive,” he explained. “In spite of that, we continue to use them because they are engineered for the making of sparkling wines, and the juice that flows from them is of the highest quality. The presses are very gentle; this means that fewer of the harsh elements are extracted from the grapes. That gives us the very best starting point for the making of our sparkling wines.”
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The Laetitia Brut Cuvée ($22) is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc resulting in a “complex, elegant, and youthful wine.”
The 2007 Laetitia Brut Rosé ($28) is a traditional salmon-colored sparkling wine with its floral and strawberry aromas. This sparkler has a “crisp and clean finish, a versatile wine for any occasion.”
The Brut Cuvée and Brut Rosé are available nationally and in local grocery stores. Several other types of sparkling wine can only be found in Laetitia’s tasting room along Highway 101, south of Arroyo Grande.
In Santa Barbara County, Flying Goat Cellars has a new label this year for its “Goat Bubbles” sparkling wine.
The Lompoc winery is named after winery owner/winemaker Norm Yost’s “kids”—two pygmy goat pets whose antics inspired him and made him laugh.
The winery’s “Mission of Merriment” is to handcraft small quantities of great wine that’s reasonably priced and ready to drink upon release.
Why add Goat Bubbles sparkling wine to his lineup of premium Pinot Noir?
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“Well, I like to celebrate the big and little things in life, and for that you need bubbles,” Yost said.
The 2009 Blanc de Blancs is 100 percent Chardonnay from Sierra Madre Vineyard in Santa Maria.
The winery’s tasting notes state: “Citrus characteristics with the freshness of an ocean breeze and subtle underlying yeast aromas: sophisticated elegance that conjures up Grace Kelly at Monaco. It’s good for ‘first toasts’ and ‘last suppers.’”
The Goat Bubbles Blanc de Blancs ($38) is available at the Flying Goat Cellars tasting room and various retail shops such as Old Town Market in Orcutt, El Rancho Market in Solvang, and Los Olivos Café.
Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards have produced four vintages of sparkling wine, made in the traditional method.
Their 2008 Brut sparkling wine ($30) is 50 percent Chardonnay and 50 percent Pinot Noir from their Los Alamos vineyards.
The winery tasting notes describe it as “crisp apple and ripe peach and pineapple … [it] sits softly and elegantly on the tongue, delighting the palate with a subtle mélange of fruit and flowers.”
This wine is available in the Lucas & Lewellen tasting room in Solvang and at Nielsen’s Market in Solvang, Los Olivos Café, and Albertsons grocery stores.
In Santa Maria, Riverbench Winery started making sparkling wine in 2008.
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Their 2009 Cork Jumper Blanc de Blancs is made with 100 percent estate grown Chardonnay and is Santa Barbara County’s first certified sustainable sparkling wine.
The winery describes it like so: “This devilish little wine might just trick you into thinking you’re enjoying a French Champagne with its toasty, yeasty finish.”
So, why not pour some local bubbly into your Champagne flute this New Year’s Eve and toast to 2012 with sparkling wine made by one of your neighbors in Central Coast wine country.
And don’t forget that sparkling wine isn’t just for Dec. 31. The acidic, fizzy wine is very food friendly. Enjoy it year round, pairing it with spicy food like Thai cuisine, seafood, sushi and fried foods. Cheers!
Sun wine and food writer Wendy Thies Sell always has sparkling wine on hand for ordinary occasions. Contact her at wthies@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 29, 2011 – Jan 5, 2012.