5 Bottles to Drink on New Year’s Eve: Sommelier’s Picks
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5 Sparkling Wines to Celebrate the New Year
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The countdown to celebrate the arrival of the new year begins. and like every self-respecting December 31st, there is no toast without a glass of sparkling wine to overflow. Tho, choosing a good bottle of bubbles is not always simple. Thanks to price variations, the difficulty of reading labels and, in certain specific cases, a good dose of indecision, orientation is not immediate, especially below a certain spending threshold. That’s why we asked Louis Turano, a French-American sommelier from New york, to help us select 5 bottles of sparkling wine to uncork with friends and family, focusing on lesser-known and well-known territories. After New York experiences at Racines and at the two Michelin stars SAGA, Turano moved to Italy in 2023: he worked as a sommelier at the Osteria Fratelli Pavesi in Piacenza for two years, before joining the opening team of Flower Milan.
Stephane Tissot - cremant du Jura Blanc de Noirs
“Stéphane Tissot is one of the Jura’s pioneering winemakers in terms of regenerative agriculture and natural winemaking. Since the 1990s he has been producing reference wines in his small company in Arbois” Turano explains. As well as its usual range of still wines, it also produces a few different bottlings of Cremant, the highlight of which is the Blanc de Noir. “This wine is made of 100% Pinot Noir, first aged in wood and then spent 30 months on the lees before being disgorged. It offers a generous palate, with a bold and opulent gastronomic persistence, together with a nose guided by delicate red fruit and a smoky hint“. Price: 35€.
Bodet-Herold Cremant De Loire Brut Nature les Greffiers 2021
Etienne Bodet is a young and talented winemaker from Saumur. “With a CV that reads like the wine list of a “greatest hits of the Loire”,he is also one of Clos Rougeard’s winemakers.At the same time he has his own project with his vineyards and, in addition to some still wines, he also produces sparkling wines with the intentionality of a Champagne producer”. This Cremant 100% Chenin Blanc is aged in stainless steel before being bottled unmeasured and spending 28 months on the lees. On the nose it is fresh and savory, while on the palate it offers both linear acidity and sufficient consistency to appeal to the palate. “etienne himself believes
Further Exploration
| Wine | Region | Grape Variety | Aging | Price (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephane Tissot - cremant du Jura Blanc de Noirs | Jura, France | 100% Pinot Noir |