Sparkling wines can fit budget
June is a month for celebration -- end of school, beginning of summer and weddings.
Nothing celebrates as well as a cool sparkling wine, Champagne if you can afford it or, if you can't, a more affordable bubbly.
Champagnes can cost $30 to $100 or more, but if you want a sparkling wine under $15, you can find those, too -- American-made or from countries such as Spain whose cava is enjoying nice popularity.
Other areas of France make affordable sparklings, too.
My wine-tasting group compared affordable sparklings. The results:
• Domaine Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Brut, $12.99. This wine had clean smells of citrus, apricot, dried fruit and hints of floral notes. It was lemon-lime on the finish. Lively in the mouth without being too aggressive, this wine ranked first in our tasting.
• Codorniu Original Cava, $11.99. We found scents of apricots, nectarines and stone fruit plus hints of grapefruit and petrol. The was really dry in the mouth, with considerable alcohol and fresh tastes. This sparkling, which reminded us of a vouvray, finished second in our balloting.
• Louis Perdrier Brut, $8.99. The nose started out toasty and then gave way to scents of golden apples. It was easy on the tongue, yet rich and full until a delicate citrus finish. This French bubbly, made from a blend of white grapes, is a superb value for the afflicted pocketbook.
• Charles Lafitte Brut Prestige, $11.99. Scents included pears, cream soda, marshmallows and tin. We found tastes of pears and crab apples on the tongue. This bubbly from Pommery had a pleasant metallic edge to it.
• Leon Palais, Blanc de Blanc, $14.99. The aroma reminded us of yellow apple peel, core and seeds with a touch of matchstick. Yeasty, bread dough tastes appeared on the tongue, with apple skin flavors following through to the end. The apple skins gave the wine a slightly bitter edge.
• Yarden Brut, $14. This wine from Galilee, Israel, had a muted nose of vanilla, baked apples, cooked pears and pineapple juice. The chalky fruit taste dried out the mouth. The wine, which is kosher, was the foamiest of the group.
Surfing the shelves
• 2007 Matanzas Creek Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc, $24. Aggressive aromas of grapefruit and melon erupted from the glass like a perfume. The grapefruit and melon were gentle on the palate, with a spicy finish with a perfect crispness.
• 2004 Valiano Chianti Classico Poggio Teo, $27.99. This was a single-vineyard Chianti that showed raspberries and blackberries on both the nose and the palate. A luscious texture.
• 2005 Gundlach Bundschu Rhinefarm Vineyard Sonoma Merlot, $24. The palate mirrored the nose with black cherries, blueberries, plums and tea. The wine was bright on the middle of the tongue with lots of acidity.
• 2006 Kenwood Sonoma County Zinfandel, $14. Blackberries, pepper and spice filled the aroma. More intense on the palate. Aging a year or so might be helpful.
• 2006 Windsor Sonoma Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, $24. The bouquet showed scents of blackberries, licorice and pepper. The palate showed the same as the aroma, with nice acidity.
Frank Sutherland, former editor of the Tennessean, has a wine-tasting panel that includes representatives from five wine distributors in Nashville, a wine collector, a sommelier and food writer Thayer Wine.