Sparkling summer days

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I have imagined that my very first wine post should be something special. I was planning to kick off this blog with a fancy 20 years old Tawny Port but I am still waiting for the occasion to open it. Then I found something else interesting and also rare so it will be my star, together with some others.

In the middle of the May, I had some days off from work so I had a nice long 4-day weekend. We drove to my boyfriend’s parents summerhouse on one Estonian island. I love this place! It’s green, fresh air all around, sea 100 meters from house, only sounds are waves, wind in the trees and birds. The weather was finally sunny, no work either, so perfect time to enjoy some sparkling wines already before lunch.

Piccini, Prosecco, Extra Dry

Piccini winehouse tradition started at 1882 as a small family enterprise. Now, five generations later, the company has five wine estates in Tuscany.

The wine is made 100% out of Glera grape.



I learned that this type of bottle is called Venetian Dress but when searching, I only find wines from Piccini in bottles like that. Anyway, it looks great and eye-catching.

We had several wines with us and boyfriend asked me to guess blindly, which one could it be (Prosecco, Crémant, Asti, English sparkling wine). I discarded Asti immediately. I also did not want to believe that he would open 20-euro UK sparkler without asking me. My guess was that this is Crémant as it did not smell nor taste anything as Proseccos I have had before. False! This was Prosecco, very unusual Prosecco.

The colour was pale yellow, no surprises here.

But the nose…. I could smell aromas of farmyard, chicken coop, honey, lemon peel and toast.

Farmyard flavors were even more intense in the palate, together with hints of sweetness. High acidity was in balance with honey and sweet lemon flavors, bitter citrus peel in aftertaste.

Usually I expect Prosecco to have delicate aromas and flavors of citrus, green apple, pear, and melon. Farmyard aromas and flavors were very surprising (but pleasantly so).

Vivino score: 3.9. I rated with 4.

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Then there was time for a late brunch and to open another bottle.

Barton & Guestier, Crémant de Bordeaux, Brut

Barton & Guestier was founded in 1725 by an Englishman Thomas Barton in Bordeaux. His grandson teamed up with a Frenchman Daniel Guestier and as of 1802, the house carries the name. Today, it is the oldest still active winehouse in Bordeaux.

Crémant de Bordeaux is 60% of Cabernet Franc, 40% of Semillon.

 


B&G wines have not disappointed me so far. I had not yet tried their sparkling wine though. It did not disappoint either.

The colour was medium yellow.

Aromas were light. I could smell lemon, buttery toast, baked apple peel, hints of vanilla.

Flavors were similar: baked apple, lemon peel, toast, cream and butter.

The price was decent. I do not remember exactly but something around 6-7 euros.

Vivino score: 3.6. I rated with 4.

Drinking sparkling wine under the sun without food can make you tipsy and tired quite fast. I forgot to mention that we started the day with Aperol Spritz cocktails. After the brunch, there was time for an afternoon nap, sauna and some beers.

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Next day, we experimented with homemade Mojitos (mineral water does not substitute club soda! Unless you like sweet-salty cocktails) and opened the very first UK sparkling wine that either of us has had.

I have read about English sparkling wines and their supposedly high quality but I have never seen any in Estonia nor Luxembourg. I have not thought about them much either. Of course it would be interesting to try but I have not looked deeply into where could I find them.

 Some weeks ago, I was chatting with Berit who while being in London, has not seen those wines either.  Then another week later, another friend of mine, Pille, told me about one amazing sparkling wine from UK that she had gotten from her workplace. In the beginning of May, I checked eDrinks online shop monthly offers and saw that they are selling Henners (the same brand that Pille tried but non-vintage) sparkling wine for 20 euros. In general, I would not buy unknown sparkling wine for that money but I was really curious. Moreover, it seemed like a sign after discussing UK wines so recently with several people.

Henners, Brut, NV

Henners vineyard was established on 2007 in East Sussex. The grapes planted there are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (also Champagne grapes).

Our sparkling wine was a mix of all these three grapes.


The colour was beautiful medium golden.

Wine had aromas of baked apple, lemon peel, buttery toast, brioche, cream.

Flavors were same, only rawer than nose suggested.

I could sense the similarities with Champagne (Henners sparkling wine is made using the same method) but it was definitely more tart and sour.

I am glad that I tried. Would I buy the same wine again? No. I would however want to try the vintage wine that Pille had.

Vivino score: 3.9. I gave 4.

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We had quite diverse sparkling wine days. Asti, that we also had, we brought back to the city with us and I drank it while writing this entry. So I’ll throw in a bonus.

Gancia, Asti NV

Gancia winehouse was created in 1850 in Piedmont.

Asti is made 100% out of white Muscat grapes.



I love Asti! I have yet to try one that I do not like. It’s light, sweet yet fresh, delicate. The alcohol is quite low, only 7.5% but that’s for the best.

The colour was pale yellow, nose slightly aromatic with aromas of grape juice, lychee, white flowers and fresh honey.

It’s a simple wine and here, the beauty lies in simplicity. J

Goes well on it’s own, as well as with light desserts (fruit salad for example)

Vivino score: 3.8. I rated with 4.

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By the time I am posting this story, over a month has passed. There have been other wines, both good and bad. I have been both lazy and busy (excuses-excuses) but I hope that making this blog finally public will motivate me more to write about wines, not just drink them :)

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