Lke famed fashion icon Coco Chanel, I only enjoy Champagne on two occasions, “When I am in love and when I am not.”
But unlike Coco Chanel, my Champagne taste stands at odds with my beer budget.
Some of you may relate to this.
And the cool thing is, so do some of Orlando’s top wine professionals.
In wine shop/bars like Digress Wine in College Park, Quicksand Wine Bar in Mills 50 and Modest Wine in Winter Park, there’s lots to taste, and though they’re happy to sell connoisseurs the priciest of bottles, they’re far more interested in education than intimidation, which can be a factor when one steps into their parlors.
People show up for all different reasons during the holidays, many with bubbles on the brain. But where to start? I asked a handful of Orlando’s top pros for their favorite fizzy picks and found a range of options for every budget, whether you’re looking to bring something to the party, gift a client or loved one, or simply have something a little extra special to open as you celebrate all the winter holidays, in big gatherings or intimate ones at home.
Claude Manciat Cremant de Bourgogne ($26) is a blend of 1/3 each Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Aligoté grape varietals. You’ll find it at Tim’s Wine Market in Orlando. (Courtesy Tim’s Wine Market)
Tim Varan, Tim’s Wine Market
His pick: Claude Manciat Cremant de Bourgogne, $26
During Varan’s first trip to France in 1993, his group stopped at Manciat-Poncet, then an up-and-coming Macon producer.
“The family had been growing grapes and making wine since the 1930s, but sold their wines to the local cooperative,” Varan explains. “Then in the 1980s, Claude Manciat made the decision to begin selling under their own label.”
Today, the wines are made by his daughter, Marie-Pierre, who Varan says has raised the stature of the domaine to one of the top in the Macon region.
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“This terrific Crémant is a blend of 1/3 each Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Aligoté, fermented and aged in bottle for two years. It is a frothy, mouth-filling sparkling wine that gives you the complexity of Champagne but is not as austere. It’s really easy to drink without food, but also works great with smoked or tinned fish, stone crab claws or shrimp scampi. While I still love Champagne, I serve this when company comes because it is far better than most inexpensive Champagnes and still half the price.”
If you go: 1223 N. Orange Ave. in Orlando, 407-895-9463; timswine.com
Heather LaVine, natural wine lover and owner of two wine shops/bars here in town, strikes a pose with a bottle l’Air du Paradis ($39), “the wine you can bring to any holiday party,” she says. (Courtesy Quicksand Wine Bar)
Heather La Vine, Quicksand Bar à Vin, Mills 50
One of Orlando’s leading ladies in natural wine, Heather LaVine’s two venues — each with its own personality — offer different experiences. Golden Hour is more shop than bar, Quicksand is the opposite, but either offers guests superb sips and, for those interested, a deeper dive into the world of low-intervention vino.
LaVine’s pick: Les Hautes Terres, l’Air du Paradis Limoux Méthode Ancestrale (Non-Vintage), $39 to-go/$59 on-premise
“I stack the list and shelves at Quicksand with bubbles,” she says. “Some might think the percentage is unreasonable, but that’s what [the team] likes to drink, and it’s what many of our guests come in for.
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Often, when people hear natural wine, they think of pet-nats (pétillant naturel: the oldest method for making sparkling wine) in clear bottles with beer caps (instead of corks). We do have some of that, but honestly, it’s not what you’ll see us most often drinking, bringing to dinner parties or sharing with guests.”
At Quicksand, they enjoy bubbles with layers, with depth, which LaVine says can mean a natural-growth Champagne or a German Sekt or even a Lambrusco.
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“As in the case of the l’Air du Paradis Limoux Méthode Ancestrale, we also enjoy really tasty bubbles from lesser-known regions/places that overdeliver in quality for the price.”
LaVine calls it “the wine you can bring to any holiday party. It’s a wine for everyone at the table: grandma, your natural wine nerd friend and all of those in between. And guess what? It actually is a pet-nat, just in a dark bottle, topped with a cork and cage, and disgorged like it is done with Champagne, so there is no sediment.”
Fun fact: This wine is made from a white varietal called Mauzac, native to the Limoux region of France.
“You don’t find it in many other places in the world, and even in Limoux, the grape is being replaced by chardonnay.”
It’s obscure, she says, but the taste is compelling, “with complex and familiar notes of white flowers, brioche, green apple and a hint of honey. And as always: organically farmed, hand harvested, with no additives, including yeast or sugar.”
No added sulfites, either. Cheers!
If you go: 1903 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando; quicksand.wine
“Franciacorta is Italy’s answer to Champagne,” says Golden Hour Wine owner Heather LaVine, “and Alessandra Divella is considered by many, including me, to be the queen of grower Franciacorta.” Consider it among your sparkling options this season. (Courtesy Golden Hour Wine)
Heather La Vine, Golden Hour Wine, Baldwin Park
LaVine’s pick: Alessandra Divella, Blanc de Blancs 2021, $70
Franciacorta, LaVine opines, is Italy’s answer to Champagne, “and Alessandra Divella is considered by many, including me, to be the queen of grower Franciacorta. Prosecco was probably the first Italian sparkling wine we were introduced to, but if you enjoy Champagne, Franciacorta is what you should be drinking next.”
Divella’s wines are some of the very few from the Lombardy region made naturally, and to LaVine’s knowledge, she is the only female winemaker there, as well.
“I’ve been lucky enough to spend time tasting with and talking to her over the years: she is smart, thoughtful and cares deeply about being great at her craft. We love her and her wines!”
LaVine calls the Blanc de Blancs the perfect starting point for guests, “and if you’re curious, we can take you on a journey from there!”
These wines always have a place at her holiday table, and what’s more, the staff at Quicksand will be pouring them by the glass very soon.
If you go: 1560 Lake Baldwin Lane in Orlando, 689-444-6072; goldenhour.wine
Rob Chase sips a favorite from Red Tail Ridge Winery at Digress Wine, his College Bar wine bar/shop. (Courtesy Digress Wine)
Rob Chase, Digress Wine
His pick: NV Red Tail Ridge Perpetuelle Change, $40
Located in the Finger Lakes region of New York state, Red Tail Ridge Winery has been at the top of Chase’s list of fun discoveries in the past several years, a place where he says some of the most exciting wines are being crafted.
“And you couldn’t find a better example than Red Tail Ridge,” Chase says.
Owner Nancy Irelan and her partner in both business and life, Michael Schnelle, purchased the property in 2002, as a recovery of sorts from the corporate world, he reports. This, after attaining her PH.D. in Grape Genetics and spending years working in California for E&J Gallo, spearheading their quality control programs.
After their move, says Chase, they planted Riesling, Pinot Noir and some off-the-path varietals, including Dornfelder, Teroldego and Blaufränkisch.
Digress’ Rob Chase said he’d put this bottle up against Champagne any day. (Courtesy Digress Wine)
“The Perpetuelle Change from Red Tail Ridge beautifully showcases their deviation from the norm,” he notes. “This wine is produced using méthode champenoise, but with a twist. The base is created using the solera method, commonly found in Sherry and Madeira.”
It’s a kind of fractional blending, he explains, where the base is amended year and wine is drawn to be bottled from the previous blend. Thusly, it is ever-evolving.
“That means you’re going to find several vintages in this bottle — 2019 through 2023 to be exact — and this lends to consistency in style, as well as additional depth in flavor and aroma.
“The first taste will greet you with a creamy, savory character, followed by a citrus component — burnt orange. As that rich, brioche-like flavor melts away, the senses are treated to layers of fresh flowers, honeysuckle, saline… This wine is just all about tension and balance, the interplay of salt and fruit. Just picture an electric Orangesicle, and you’re almost there. I’d put this wine up against Champagne any day.”
If you go: 1215 Edgewater Drive in Orlando, 407-426-7510; digresswine.com
Kyle Ridington of Modest Wine pours a bottle of Champagne Gounel + Lassalle, Les Agneaux, Premier Cru at his Winter Park wine shop/bar. (Courtesy Modest Wine)
Kyle Ridington, Modest Wine
His pick: Champagne Gounel + Lassalle, Les Agneaux, Premier Cru, 2020; $200
Kyle Ridington’s Winter Park shop certainly has its share of moderately priced pours, but his impressive wall of Champagne showcases his most profound passion as a sommelier.
He calls this pour singular — mood-altering.”
“On a recent visit to this small, family-owned house, virtually unknown in the U.S., I stood with the winemaker within the steep vineyard of Les Agneaux, surrounded by 70-year-old vines.”
The Champagne, he says, represents less than 1% of its kind.
“This 2020 vintage Les Agneaux yields just 1,600 bottles annually,” he notes.
“[It is] organic, zero-dosage purity at its finest — raw, righteous and seductive as Cinderella’s hips.”
If you go: 544 W. Fairbanks Ave. in Winter Park, 407-960-3857; modestwine.com
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.