Barefoot Cellars Bubbly

Just in the event you haven’t noticed, it’s June, and in spite of all of the storms that have kept us inside for the beginning of the month, there is plenty of sunshine in our future. With June comes the time for marriages, sports events, outdoor parties and gala celebrations of all kinds.

Because of its elegance, Champagne has become the traditional drink for celebrations. Unfortunately, French Champagnes are expensive and all too often, consumers will shy away from them because of their cost. An alternative are the really inexpensive sparkling wines which sell in the three to five dollar range, but they have little at all to recommend them except their low price. Barefoot Cellars comes to the rescue with their very affordable Barefoot Bubbly line of decent sparkling wines.

Barefoot Cellars Bubbly Brut Cuveé ($9.99). Brut indicates that the wine is dry and made in the French style. This wine, although dry, is a fresh, bright and an extremely enjoyable sparkler that has been made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. The wine displays the classical yeast and bread aroma with hints of citrus which then carry over to the flavor and even beyond, ending in a long finish. French Champagnes beware; you may have met your match.

Barefoot Cellars Bubbly Premium Extra Dry Chardonnay Champagne ($9.99). Leave it to the French to misname a wine. In their infinite wisdom or perhaps sense of humor, they refer to this style as extra dry; it’s not. There is an added sweetness that is not often found in Chardonnay sparkling wines, which helps to propel this wine to new heights of fun and enjoyment. The wine features green apple and citrus in the aroma and flavor, ending in a delightfully creamy, soft, toasty, summer fresh fruit finish. This wine is not the typical nose in the air, raised pinky style of sparkler but rather a wine that can be served in glass tumblers, amid noisy friends and relations and can in no way be diminished by any lack of pomp or snobbery.

Barefoot Cellars Bubbly Moscato Spumante Champagne ($9.99). It appears that the Italians are not as finicky as the French are about the names of their wines. For years the French have griped about anybody using the name Champagne for anything but a genuine French Champagne, while the Italians took absolutely no interest in the name interlopers. Barefoot Bubbly uses both of the names for this wine, invoking the American tradition of “who cares.” If you like the Italian Asti Spumante, wait until you taste its California cousin. As with all Spumante wines the flavor is sweet, accenting the aroma of jasmine, orange blossoms and honey along with a delightful raisin-like component which is further enhanced by the carbonation. This is truly “the” party wine.

Barefoot Cellars Bubbly Pink Moscato Champagne ($9.99). This bubblers attractive pink color heralds the traditional aromas of jasmine and Mandarin oranges complimented by red raspberry, strawberry and cherry. Here too, the aroma migrates to the flavor. This is not really a wine; it is more of an experience that you will surely enjoy.

Barefoot Cellars Bubbly Red Moscato Champagne ($9.99). Once again, it is the traditional Moscato flavors and aromas of jasmine and Mandarin oranges that dominate, but in this case they are joined by the typical red wine flavors of cherry, pomegranate and raspberry. Now you can pick the wine to not only delight your palate and/or the palates of your guests but to also enhance the color of the table you are presenting.

We would like to insert a final thought. Sparkling wines and/or Champagne SHOULD NOT be reserved solely for celebrations. They are wines and can function anywhere a wine is called for, up to and including meals. There is no reason not to serve a sparkling wine with a dinner. No matter how simple or ornate the dinner may be, a sparkling wine can raise even the lowly meatloaf to the heights of a gourmet dinner.