Sparkling wines, with their high acidity, low alcohol level and light to medium-weight mouthfeel are ideal for hectic, hyperactive modern-day lifestyles. Gone are those days of utter poverty when human beings needed alcohol as a daily source of calories. And with always increasing, very high, daily ambient temperatures starting already in springtime and lasting well into the fall, nobody is much interested anymore in drinking wines clocking in at fifteen to sixteen percent of alcohol. It follows that sparkling wine consumption is on the rise almost everywhere, even in this day and age of generally decreased wine sales. And while many grape varieties can be and are used to make sparkling wines all over the world, the varieties that are most suitable to making sparkling wines are those blessed with naturally high acidity. Even more important is that the variety has both naturally high acidity and low sugar content when it reaches optimal physiologic ripeness, thereby ensuring a wine that won’t have too many octanes while being delightfully vibrant. Another important caveat that is not yet fully understood in all its scientific meaning is that different grape varieties respond, or perform, better when specific sparkling winemaking techniques are used. For example, Chardonnay does very well when subjected to secondary fermentation in the bottle (the typical winemaking method by which to make Champagne, for example), while those Chardonnay wines made by the Charmat-Martinotti (autoclave) method are usually way beyond dull and uninteresting. Conversely, Glera wines made by the tank method (Prosecco, for example) are delicious, compared to those made by the classic bottle fermentation method which gives wines that are usually too austere and linear for their own good.

What follows is a brief tasting report of five outstanding sparkling wines made with a few wine grapes you normally don’t think of when discussing sparkling wines. Some of these wine grapes are very rare indeed and you might never have heard of them, which only adds to the interest factor of the wines described. It also helps make them a good conversation starter at the dining table, offering perhaps a better way perhaps to break the ice than with the standard cocktail.