Once upon a time, we were known to friends as the couple who always had a half bottle of something sparkling chilling in the refrigerator if they had a reason to celebrate! We bought cases of the very well-made but relatively inexpensive Gruet Blanc de Blanc and Blanc de Noir to pop open when someone landed a new account, received good news, or simply felt like a quick celebration of a lovely day.
Memories of these spontaneous toasts sent us out to stock up on more half-bottles of great sparkling wines.
At the Urban Grape, we chose three selections: NV Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee Extra Brut 375ml (Champagne, FR) at $40, NV Guy Larmandier Cramant Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs 375ml (Champagne, FR) at $42, and just for fun the Hakutsuru "Awa Yuki" Sparkling Sake (Japan) at $8.
We popped open the Bruno Paillard for a quiet anniversary celebration.
It was highly recommended by the Urban Grape staff as a Champagne that would fit our taste. It is a fabulous food wine and stood up to the big flavors of our stinky cheese, salumi, and focaccia. It was a spot-on recommendation and we'll pick up a couple more bottles on our next South End walk.
Here are the labels for a few 375ml bottles of old favorites we'll add to our next Gordon's Wine order!
When dining out, we love enjoying great bottles of wine with friends. However, when it's the two of us, we choose from the wines by the glass. We would love to have more half-bottle options on wine lists. That will only happen when more of us order the half-bottles restaurants do offer. We enjoyed this half bottle of Deutz Classic Brut Champagne on the Select Oyster Bar patio!
Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2022 Penny & Ed Cherubino ( Labels courtesy of Gordon's Wine)
