Sofia Sparkling Wine

The other night I was looking for a good wine to go with the baby back ribs I slow cooked in a ginger-y Asian sauce. Though I normally don't drink a lot of white wines, I was thinking I wanted something a little fun and fruity. So for just a shade over $15, I grabbed a bottle of Niebaum Coppola's Sofia Blanc de Blancs.

Billed as a wine that pairs well with chicken or pork, it had smooth citrus and melon notes that were a perfect complement for the hoisin sauce-based marinade I had slathered all over the ribs. What's more, for someone who has been slacking since joining this esteemed collection of drinkers, I am proud to report that it counted for three-in-one research: It's a California wine, it's a sparkling wine and it's a wine I'd give as a gift or serve during the holidays.

And just look at this packaging (captured poorly with my cell phone's camera):

Cute pink plastic! A delicate floral label! You know you want to grab a few bottles of this and get the girls together for a mani-pedi (and drinking a ton of this) night! You'll also find this sold in smart red cans (each of them with their own straw), a perfect solution for serving guests at holiday parties. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel

Darren doesn't want me to blog this. I bought a Beringer sparkling white zinfandel for the extra credit assignment, and we drank it last weekend. He made fun of it's pink color and asked if we would be drinking it from a shoe, and did he need a smoking jacket?

This is a non-vintage sparkling wine (can't call it Champagne because it's not from the Champagne region of France). It was pink, and bubbly. The cork had the fun "pop" action of all sparkling wine/champagne bottles - it felt celebratory even though we weren't really celebrating anything.

It was difficult to find a sparkling wine/champagne within the price guide here (ok, maybe I'm just a Champagne snob). This one was $9.99 and yes I did buy it because it was pink. Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

For an "everyday" celebration this would be a perfectly acceptable sparkling wine. It was dry, and not sweet or overly "fruity" (as say, an Asti would be). But if you're celebrating something special, I'd spring for a bottle of the real Champagne.