Sparkling wines: taste test

2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 19:13

Here we are, it is holiday period. And Italy, as we know, is a country of large families. So, if one or two bottles of Champagne, Metodo Classico or Prosecco can be uncorked for small tables (perhaps after reading the Dissapore guide), when the entire team of relatives gathers, including your aunt who is unpleasant and the cousin you see once a year and drinks like a sponge, you can also opt for some cheaper labels.

The ones you uncork just because there must be a bang. The sparkling wine of the holidays, in conclusion.

And then, under the "sparkling wine" label, you can find a bit of everything on the large-scale distribution counters: varieties, prices, different qualities.

To tell you which one is the best, then, we have kept the price indicator: in the last Tasting Test of 2016 here are some bottles that you can find at the supermarket at affordable prices (4 or 5 euros to the utmost).

What bubbles can you drink at that price? Let's find out together.

CONTENDENTS

Duchess Lia - Pinot Brut

Rocca dei Forti - Brut sparkling wine

J. P. Chenet - Blanc de Blancs Brut

Muller Turgau - Brut sparkling wine

Martini Riesling

Gancia - Pinot di Pinot Brut

JUDGMENT CRITERIA

Visual analysis

Packaging

Gustatory Analysis

The test took place blindly, tasting the cold sparkling wines.

# 6 Muller Turgau - Brut Sparkling Wine (C)

- Judgment: a very different product from the other contenders, because it comes from a single variety with semi-aromatic characteristics. A not very sapid and persistent wine, very easy and drinkable.

- Visual analysis: greenish-yellow color. Less fine perlage among all the contenders and a bit scarce.

- Packaging: I don't know what's wrong with it (maybe a slightly dated taste?) But the label looks a bit so-so.

- Taste analysis: floral scents are distinguished on the nose, while in the mouth it is a bit scarce. It hardly looks like a sparkling wine, but more like a lively white wine.

- Price: 5, 06 €

- In short: Little reveler

VOTE: 5 +

# 5 Gancia - Pinot di Pinot Brut (E)

- Judgment: a pleasant sparkling wine, but which seems to me to show less character than other contenders.

- Visual analysis: greenish-yellow color. A little coarse and very dense perlage.

- Packaging: one of the most elegant labels. The more rounded shape of the bottle is promoted.

- Taste analysis: The nose is more mineral than other contenders. In the mouth it gives a very balanced taste without great complexity.

- Price: 4, 17 €

- In short: Not very decided

VOTE: 5 ½

# 4 Duchessa Lia - Pinot Brut (B)

- Judgment: a wine that we do not mind in the mouth, with a very dry flavor. However, if we go and see, it is the bottle that we have paid the most expensive among the contenders.

- Visual analysis: greenish-yellow color. Quite fine perlage.

- Packaging: it needs a restyling

- Taste analysis: the nose is fragrant and more complex than other contenders. In the mouth it is very fresh and quite savory. A certain citrus scent remains persistent.

- Price: 5, 68 €

- In short: Inexpensive

VOTE: 6 +

# 3 Rocca dei Forti - Brut Sparkling Wine (A)

- Judgment: a sparkling wine that gives more than it promises, exceeding expectations.

- Visual analysis: greenish-yellow color. Very fine perlage.

- Packaging: very classic but elegant.

- Taste analysis: the nose shows a hint of white flowers. In the mouth it has a balanced, fresh, savory and soft flavor. There is a slightly fruity sweet residue.

- Price: 2, 54 €

- In short: Excellent value for money

VOTE: 6 ½

# 2 Martini Riesling (D)

- Judgment: a wine clearly recognizable as a riesling. A product that in general convinces me a lot.

- Visual analysis: straw yellow color. Nice perlage.

- Packaging: Modern and very successful.

- Taste analysis: the nose has a pronounced scent that makes it different from the other contenders. It seems to me the freshest wine of all the contenders, with a certain fruity aftertaste of green apple, pleasant because it is aromatic without being too sweet. Long enough.

- Price: € 4, 81

- In short: Promoted

VOTE: 7-

# 1 J. P. Chenet - Blanc de Blancs Brut (F)

- Judgment: an interesting and completely convincing wine, with characteristics reminiscent of champagne.

- Visual analysis: intense yellow color. Nice perlage.

- Packaging: beautiful bottle, very elegant.

- Taste analysis: the nose has a very pungent scent which is undoubtedly characteristic. In the mouth it is rather balanced and fairly persistent.

- Price: € 4,80

- In short: An unexpected good figure

VOTE: 7+

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED

The panorama of wines is –- fortunately-– immense. There is everything: incredibly different varieties, prices, qualities, even offered at the same price. In this, sparkling wines for holidays are no exception: the choice is wide and not always easy.

The principle, as when buying a table wine, or a bottle as a gift, is always the same: what do I want to drink? If I have no spending limits, and I want to give myself a gift, I know what kind of choice to make. If, on the other hand, I want to uncork something simpler, more daily and cheaper, I can also find decent products that allow me to make a good impression and drink a satisfying glass after all.

This is what happened to us with the sparkling wines we tasted: the expectations were not very high, but in general they seemed to us all bottles suitable for a party toast without too many pretensions. Cin!