Bubbly on a Budget

Here are some low-cost suggestions for holiday bubbly from Wine Review Online's Michael Franz.

Segura Viudas, Cava (Spain) Brut "Aria" NV ($10, Imported by Freixenet USA): Sparkling wine or "Cava" from Penedes near Barcelona in Spain can offer a lot of bubbly fun for not a lot of money, but rarely does it offer much sophistication. This is a very notable exception. It is admirably dry and restrained, with fine effervescence and just a little whiff of the wet straw earthiness that is distinctive to Cava. Impressive!

1 + 1 = 3, Cava (Spain) Brut NV ($14, Imported by Grapes of Spain): This excellent Cava shows lots of class and very little of the rustic, wet straw character that mars many wines in the category. Toasty, nutty aromas and flavors are very pleasant, with lots of bright acidity lending freshness to this quite dry sparkler. The effervescence is unusually fine for a Cava, and the whole package offers a lot of flavor and fun for the money.

Canella, Prosecco di Conegliano (Veneto, Italy) NV ($16, Imported by Empson USA): This is one of the two best bottles of Prosecco I've tasted all summer, featuring juicy, playful aromas and flavors of fresh flowers and ripe fruit. The effervescence is abundant but gentle, and the acidity is sufficient to let the wine show some fruity sweetness without becoming cloying or obvious. There's nothing not to like here, except that this wine might remind you that summer is drawing to a close.

Bortolomiol, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene (Veneto, Italy) Brut NV ($17, Imported by Dreyfus, Ashby & Co.): This lovely wine shows terrific delicacy in weight, flavor and texture. Fluffy and fun but not unserious, it starts off with exceedingly subtle floral aromas and follows up with equally subtle fruit notes. Soft effervescence is very nicely done, and the finish is dry and clean but not remotely bitter, as can be the case with truly dry Prosecco.

Maschio dei Cavalieri, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene (Veneto, Italy) Brut NV ($19, Imported by VB Imports): This is close to as good as Prosecco gets, and high-end Prosecco can be very good indeed. Many winemakers in the Treviso region where Prosecco is king believe that the grape is at its best when finished with significant sweetness at the Extra Dry level or as an outright sweet wine under the Cartizze designation. Although this is the majority opinion, it is not a unanimous one in the district, and this is a wine that presents a very strong argument for the school of thought that believes Prosecco can succeed as an essentially dry wine. Prosecco is an aromatic grape like Muscat or Gewurztraminer, though it is at the subtle end of the spectrum of aromatic grapes, along with Riesling. The aromas of this wine show delicate floral notes that accentuate the fruitiness of the wine and lend a suggestion of sweetness, yet the palate and finish are really only fruity rather than overtly sweet. With generous but fine-grained effervescence, this offers appealingly creamy mousse, and yet fresh acidity provides a refreshing edge to the creamy impression. Rich and foamy but surprisingly taut and focused at once, this is a complex and interesting wine that belies the notion that Prosecco is simply an unserious wine for poolside sipping—though it would serve that purpose quite nicely.

Bortolomiol, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene (Veneto, Italy) “Bandarossa” Extra Dry NV ($25, Dreyfus, Ashby & Co.): Never had a bottle of Prosecco that went beyond being fun to achieve real excellence? Your ship has come in, and this is it: A wine of very impressive depth and dimension, with vivid floral aromas and great fruit, all tied together with fresh acidity. A frothy version of the best apple you've ever tasted, this is not sweet but fruity, and will work wonders with all sorts of antipasti.

Michael Franz is the editor and managing partner of Wine Review Online