Not just for New Year’s Eve, sparkling wines have romance and moxie, and work with intense and often contradictory food flavors. Ranging from bone-dry to significantly sweet, sparkling wines function as aperitif, intermezzo or dessert wine. The wine scene here offers a variety of interpretations for traditional bubble lover and neophyte alike.
L. Mawby Talismon Brut NV ($30)
Reminiscent of fine grower Champagnes, Talismon shows rich, toasty aromas and dry creaminess on the palate with small, persistent bubbles.
M. Lawrence Wet Sec NV ($15)
Pure pleasure made entirely from Pinot Gris, the poem on the bottle says it all: not sweet, not dry—but wet she is.
Shady Lane Cellars Sparkling Riesling 2007 ($22)
The peach and green apple aromas of Riesling effervesce with a tease of sweetness and a mostly dry finish. Shady Lane recommends dosing the wine with a splash of peach nectar for a yummy Bellini.
Black Star Farms Be Dazzled 2007 ($12.50)
An Old Mission cuvée of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, you will indeed be dazzled by this cheerfully uncomplicated expression of fruit and its fat, lively bubbles.
Wine Tips, Tours and Travel in Traverse City, Old Mission and Leelanau
- Savor Leelanau’s Wine Country
- Making Ice Wine in Northern Michigan
- Old Mission Peninsula Wine Country
- 8 Northern Michigan Ice Wines
- Video: Sit Back and Tour Northern Michigan Wine Country
- Northern Michigan Sparkling Wines
- Water and Wine Weekends
- Video: Tapas and Wine Touring at Old Mission’s Chateau Chantal
- Four Pinot Noir Picks from Old Mission and Leelanau Wineries
- Video: Chateau Grand Traverse Talks Rieslings
- Michigan Beer and Wine Dinners at Boyne
- Video: Mark Johnson of Chateau Chantal Demonstrates Wine Tasting
- Traverse City’s Urban Winery
- See Wine Country by Bike
- Subscribe to MyNorth’s Food & Wine Newsletter: It’s free!
- Romancing the Riesling
- Video: Sommeliers Come to Northern Michigan to Taste Leelanau Wines