Tis' the Season to Sparkle!

As we head full tilt into the holiday season, most of us are busying ourselves with shopping, cooking and entertaining-or being entertained. Christmas and New Years are a time of great celebration and we tend to imbibe in special wines, namely sparkling wines - also known as champagne. (Only sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France can be called champagne). While America is the largest consumer of wine we have a relatively low consumption rate of sparkling wines. In accordance, we'd like to introduce you to a few of our favorite sparkling cocktails that include this maligned wine.

A couple of tips for enjoying Sparkling Wine...

1. Don't overdo it. Sparkling wine contains the same alcohol content as table wine however, it absorbs into your bloodstream much faster, like beer, because of the bubbles or carbon dioxide. The result is a wicked hangover...come on, you know what we're talking about!
2. Should you decide to enjoy it straight, sparkling wine is best served at 42-45 degrees.

Sparkling Wine Cocktails

Here are some of our favorite concoctions using sparkling wines. We hope that you enjoy them too!

Kir Royale - Pour iced sparkling wine into a large chilled glass, add 1/2 ounce of Black Currant Dessert Wine and stir gently. Garnish with a twist of lemon. Any of our 3 sparkling wines will work well.

Poinsettia - Into a champagne flute, stir together 1/2 ounce of Grand Marnier with 1 ounce of Cranberry wine. Squeeze in juice of 1 small wedge of fresh lime and fill with any of our sparkling wines.

Mimosa - Our Sunday morning favorite! Be sure to use fresh orange juice and pour the sparkling in on top so that the OJ doesn't weigh down the bubbles. This is important as it completely changes the flavor. Again, any of our sparkling wines will do.