W and I got married at the end of June! These are the awesome wines we served at the reception at Park Tavern – Halls of Fine Wines in Inman Park carries some of the Valdivieso wines, as well as Hop City Beer & Wine in West Midtown. Of course, your favorite wine shop could easily order them for you if you don’t want to track them down.

Valdivieso Extra Brut Champenoise Sparkling Wine, Chardonnay, 2008 Malbec

Their sparkling wine is made in the style of Champagne – toasty, yeasty, and absolutely delicious with a billion tiny bubbles! Their Chardonnay is not oaky and not buttery, just the way a good white wine should be – with the perfect amount of acid for a refreshing taste. And their Malbec… YUM! Seriously, get a case of their Malbec. It’s insanely fabulous. They have a broad variety of wines in almost every type of grape, as well as reserve labels and single vineyard labels.

Origin: Lontue Valley, Curico Valley, Chile
Next time: Get a case!

Estampa 2008 Sauv Blanc/Chard/Viognier Reserve

This wine was so yummy – the absolute perfect summer wine! This is what I drank throughout the wedding reception, in case I had any spills (you have to watch out for slightly spastic, potentially drunk huggers!). Estampa also has a delightful Carmenere Reserve (2007 vintage, blended with Cab Sauv and Cab Franc), which we didn’t serve since we already had a Malbec… but their Carmenere is one of my new favorites. It’s spurred a recent Carmenere-buying and tasting craze at my house lately – results on that soon now that I’m back to catching up on my wine blogging. Like Valdivieso, this winery also has several collections – Gold, Reserve, and Estate with lots of varietals in each line. And, they get an A+ on a really well-done English version of their website – very savvy and beautiful photos!

Origin: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Next time: Get a case!

Santa Chiara Pinot Grigio

Unfortunately, I can’t find any information about this wine online, except that it is from the Veneto region of Italy. I know it’s less than $20 retail, definitely. Good luck finding this one… If you do, get a bottle, it’s great!
Catalpa Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir was good but I’d like to taste it again after these few months. I’m doubtful this would be a new favorite Pinot. But it was definitely tasty.

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
Price: Approx. $12
Next time: Get a glass!

To tag along with my Fave Red Wines of 2009, here are my star whites from this past year:

• Man Vintners Chenin Blanc – $9
• Minini Orvieto – $9
• Le Chat Rouge Chardonnay – $11
• Starborough Sauvignon Blanc – $12ish?
• Luna Argenta Prosecco (bubbly) – $12
• Kiona Vineyards Riesling – $12
• Cavas Hill Brut Rose Reserva Artesania Cava (bubbly) – $12
• Borgo Boschetto Pinot Grigio – $13
• Terra Antiga Vinho Verde – $13
• Pascual Toso “Toso” Brut (bubbly) – $13
• 071 Prosecco Veneto (bubbly) – $14
• Villa Cornaro Prosecco – $14 (this is the bubbly that went with Wyatt’s marriage proposal!)
• Fonty’s Pool Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon – $14
• Fonty’s Pool Chardonnay – $16
• Holly’s Garden Pinot Gris – $20
• Wolf Mountain Vineyards Plenitude Chardonnay-Viognier blend – $20
• Wolf Mountain Blanc de Blanc Brut (bubbly) – $25

Tonight’s “Summer Champagne Extravaganza” with Food 101 Morningside and Highland Wine & Crystal was so fascinating. It was really fun to try a variety of “bubblies” – sparkling wines, champgnes, proseccos, etc. and see which ones stood out as favorites. I’ll be the first to admit that I have tasted very little in this category and none of it has been anything I’d be comfortable ordering or suggesting to other people. So I admit I am almost as close to a champagne-sparkling wine newbie as you can get. One more disclaimer – I was tasting the bubblies on their own, not paired with anything, so that might make a big impact on any final decisions. With that said, here’s my (very initial) verdict.

The tasting started with the light and sweet to heavy and dry.

NV Marquis De La Tour Brut Loire France – this first tasting was one of my top 5 favorites. It was lightly sweet, not too dry and just overall very enjoyable.

NV Louis Pedrier Rose Cote D’Or Burgundy France – compared to the first one, this wine was drier than I expected. Not bad, but I still preferred the first one.

NV Torley Grande Cuvee Hungary - Wasn’t a big fan of this one. Not really sure why…

Parxet Cava Brut Cuvee 21 Spain – Another favorite!

NV Novecento Extra Brut Argentina – Another favorite!

NV Gratien & Meyer Brut Rose Saumur France – very nice, light and sweet with nice fruit (wow… I’m realizing I’m really bad at describing the differences between most of the champagnes I like.. they’re similar but they weren’t all the same… okay, gotta work on descriptions in the future!)

NV Villa Cornaro Prosecco – AWESOME!

071 Prosecco Veneto Italy – AWESOME!

NV Jeio Bisol Prosecco Brut Italy - AWESOME! and less sweet than the first two proseccos

2004 Gruet Blanc de Blancs New Mexico – a firm and solid dislike for this one. Smelled like fermented honey… think middle ages, mead.

NV Taltarni Brut Tache Victoria Australia – TOP FAVORITE OF THIS TASTING!

NV Maxim’s Brut Chigny Les Roses Champagne - Wasn’t a big fan of this one… this will become a trend… liked almost all proseccos but hardly any of the champagnes. I’m eager to discovery why I disliked champagnes… was it just the lack of food or a very beginner palate? To be determined!

NV Beaumount Crayere Brut Epernay Champagne – Just okay…

NV Mandois Brut Origine Epernay Champagne – Nope…

NV Beaumont Brut Rose Epernay Champagne – Very nice! One of the few champagnes in positive territory for me!

NV Mandois Brut Nature Epernay Champagne – Nope…

2002 Mandois 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Epernay Champagne – Nope…

NV Maxim’s Rose Chigny Les Roses Champagne – Yes!

NV Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut Salon Sur Champagne – The driest of the bunch and apparently a stellar wine according to those in the know. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan. We’ll see if that changes over time.