I want to bring something in a fizzy wine for the people hosting Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and would prefer that it be American-made, in keeping with the menu. Got any recommendations?
Dinner will be the usual turkey plus trimmings.
Thanks in advance.
It’s hard to go wrong with anything by Schramsberg.
Good and inexpensive:
Gruet - made in New Mexico, reasonably priced ($10-$15 or less), and delicious.
Domaine Ste. Michelle - California, quite easily the best QPR (Quality/Price ratio) for sparkling out there. I’ve seen it on sale for less than $9/bottle. This is my go-to sparkling for everyday drinking. (Gruet would make that cut as well, but I can’t get it reliably around here.)
Other than that:
California Roederer or Mumm Napa (French companies, made in California)
Mawby (gotta plug the Michigan sparkly - a bit more Appley/Peary than most sparkling but plenty yummy. Would go nice with Turkey since it’s usually a bit richer/sweeter than a lot of sparklings)
Gloria Ferrar is decent, as is Iron Horse. But the ones I list above are my favorites.
Yum! Sparklies!
If you can get to a Whole Foods today, they should have Argus Cider on the shelves. Apples, not grapes, but 100% Texas. And it tastes pretty good too.
A second vote for Gruet. Inexpensive and yet really tasty.
If you’re feeling spendy, I’ve liked J. Schram a touch more than I’ve liked L’Ermitage in the past. Really, any on Athena’s list should serve you well. If you can find it—good luck—this sparkling Moscato from Bonny Doon should be absolutely delicious. I’ve liked previous versions that, admittedly, were quite a bit sweeter. Surprised they still make a sparkling Muscat.
You’ve a gazillion choices if you want your sparkling American beverage to be beer.
I second Roederer, Iron Horse, and Gruet (in that order).
In our neck of the woods (OR), we have Argyle Brut, which is quite good.
But my favorite is actually from the Finger Lakes (NY)–Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Chateau Frank Brut. His Blanc de Noirs is also good (sometimes better… depends on the year). Skip the Blanc de Blancs.
I’ve ended up with Gruet Blanc de Noirs. We’ll see how it goes over.
Thanks everyone, for your recommendations.
Here’s a second (or third, fourth, whatever.) for both of these. Great bang for the buck, meaning that they’re 95% of the way to Veuve Cliquot or Moet & Chandon White Star , for 1/4 the price.
Stick with New Mexico in general for reasonable American sparkling wines.
I opened this thread with the express purpose of suggesting Gruet, since they’re made just down the road from me, essentially, and I see it’s already been thoroughly endorsed! Have they hit the big time nationally? Hurrah!
I drank Gruet all the time when I lived in Colorado. It’s just in the past few months made it to Michigan. Was VERY happy to see it on the shelves, even at ~$5 more per bottle than I paid in Colorado.