Fizzy wine comes in all shapes and sizes, from famous champagne all the way through to affordable Prosecco and cava (Spain’s answer to champagne, only a lot less pricey). Then, of course, New Zealand’s best bubbles. Here are four fab, festive bubbles to enjoy over this joyous season, all widely available and each one offering a different bite at the bubbly cherry, so to speak. We hope you enjoy them, says wine writer Joelle Thomson.
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Chilled Piper Heidsieck Cuvée (meaning the first-pressed and best juice) will be the highlight of any festive table. It helps it has a touch of classic red on the label, but it is also one of the world's oldest and most respected Champagne houses. This Champagne has a touch of spice with fruity flavours, including crisp apple and zesty pear. Precisely what you expect from the most awarded Champagne House of the Century. Not only is it ideal for Christmas day, but it’s also a Champagne you can sip all summer.
Graze with: warm, baked cheese and salty crackers
Serve with: Roast turkey with all the trimmings
Rating: 19/20
This grand-sounding Champagne aged for much longer than most bubblies we stumble upon. It spent an impressive four years ageing in the bottle, and as it is made entirely from Pinot Noir, the flavours are all rich, deliciously toasty and complex, which is impressive to find at this price. So, how does Pinot Noir make a white wine? Easy. The grapes are very gently pressed when they arrive at the winery so that there is no skin contact because the skin is where the colour of red wine comes from. A fun fact is that this wine is made with grapes grown in the village of Bouzy, which is one of the Champagne region’s Pinot Noir strongholds. I love this wine and especially love how affordable it is. Perfect served with flavoursome festive food.
Graze with: hot smoked salmon on crackers
Serve with: fresh salmon, lightly cooked with black olive tapenade
Rating: 18.5/20
Brilla Prosecco DOC, $23
Brilla is a beautiful aromatic Prosecco with fresh, fruity flavours, like an apple followed by a light floral body and an almost dry taste. You only need to chill it lightly and enjoy its refreshing qualities.
Brilla in Italian means to shine, and this fizz is a sparkler on the palate, which lives up to the bling on the bottle - something Italians do so brilliantly -pardon the pun.
Drink with: aged cheese
Meal match: antipasto platters
Rating: 17.5/20
Number 1 Rose NV Marlborough, $50
Is this New Zealand’s best sparkling rosé? It certainly gains the crown for the top drop in my taste test. This is dry, toasty, full-bodied and made entirely from Pinot Noir grapes, which were given a light skin contact to bring this fresh pale pink colour to the glass. It is an outstanding wine.
The Le Brun family make this wine every year, bringing the immense experience of high-quality sparkling winemaking to the table, both here in New Zealand and in the Champagne region in France, where Daniel Le Brun comes from.
Drink with: chicken liver paté with crackers
Meal match: sashimi with yuzu oil and green salad
Rating: 18/20
How to layer texture and colour to create a sleeping haven.