This is our year of saluting wine mentors, and Eric Asimov has been a wine critic and educator at the New York Times since 1999. We have followed his advice for many years. Recently, he wrote one of his “The Pour” columns on the topic “A Starter Pack for Aspiring Wine Lovers.”
The sparkling wine he featured was a favorite of ours, Raventós i Blanc. We have featured it often because we love it and usually have a supply on hand. Here is what he said about it. “
Just about every place that makes wine makes sparkling wine as well. They come in myriad styles and colors, ranging from cheap Prosecco to very expensive Champagne. For now, I suggest a good cava, a catchall term for the sparkling wines of Spain.
The Raventós i Blanc is a pale pink sparkling wine, made using the same method as Champagne, as is required for all cavas. It’s dry, tangy, and wonderful. Drink by itself, with potato chips, anything fried, pizza, or whatever.”
In his column, he shone as a wine educator, brushing aside the often too serious side of wine writing to say, “I would like to propose an alternative, a wine starter kit complete with a six-pack of bottles guaranteed to be fun and delicious. These are not bottles to study, they are joyous wines to love now.”
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: ©2020-2025 Penny Cherubino
