Tasting Méthode Champenoise Sparkling Wine from Long Island and the Finger Lakes

In some ways, New York’s wine regions are ideal for making sparkling wine. The generally cool weather—combined with lake effect in the Finger Lakes and ocean breezes in Long Island—allows grapes to ripen slowly with gorgeous aromatics and natural acidity.

2005 Bedell Cellars B3: Bedell Blanc de Blanc – North Fork

Though it’s a bit more expensive than most of the others, this wine is richer and beefier, with fragrant notes of almond croissants, toasted wheat bread with lemon marmalade, orange blossoms, hazelnut, and honeydew. It’s complex, slightly earthy, and well integrated, with lively bubbles and a puckering acidity.

2006 Lamoreaux Landing Blanc de Blanc – Finger Lakes

This wine was a favorite; it’s a joy to drink. Lemon yogurt on the nose, and the flavor followed through: a flute of this wine is like a scoop of puckering lemon sorbet and a slice of cheesecake all in one. It’s focused and fresh, with lively small bubbles and prominent tartness. There’s a hint of rich pear and a delicate wisp of toasty vanilla—this wine spent three years en tirage. Pair it with a lobster roll or fragrant shrimp pad thai.

2002 Glenora Cellars Brut – Finger Lakes

With Golden Delicious apples and honey on the nose, this blend of 54% Pinot Noir and 46% Chardonnay is food-friendly but not extremely complex. The flavor is a little musky, with notes of apples, radicchio, a squeeze of lemon, and a delicate nuttiness. The bubbles are a bit bigger than others sampled, making this wine a bit less elegant than other options at this price.

2006 Wölffer Estate Noblesse Oblige Rosé – The Hamptons, Long Island

This sparkling rosé, a blend of 54% Pinot Noir and 46% Chardonnay, is tart and elegant. It pours a light peach orange, just barely pigmented. There’s a hint of biscuits, cream, red berries, and lemon zest on the nose. It’s a delicate wine with a mineral backbone and dry notes of peach tea, but still some rich, yeasty brioche flavors—with a dollop of lemon-rosehip marmalade on top. Buoyant mousse and tart acidity, hints of unripe strawberries, green apples, and fennel, make this refreshing wine a winner with food. Try pairing it with lobster rolls or crab quiche. The finish is long, silky, and lingering.

2004 Lenz Cuvée – North Fork

This svelte sparkler from the North Fork is 100% Pinot Noir, with a bready nose, hints of baking peaches, and golden delicious apples. It has very delicate bubbles and lots of minerality—seashells all over the palate. This is a zippy wine, with lime zest and lots of acidity to balance the creamy notes of marzipan and hazelnut. That bit of toasted nuts is just a whisper, though: this wine is mostly fruit and light, a juicy bite of bosc pear and a squeeze of lime. The only hesitation is a hint of bitter pear peel and grass at the finish. Serious, refreshing wine, perfect to serve with steamed clams piled on pasta.

1999 Chateau Frank Prestige Cuvée Brut – Finger Lakes

This blend of 50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and 5% Pinot Meunier is the kind of wine you want to bathe in, with a rich scent of baked cinnamon apples and brioche. It’s fragrant and a little decadent, soft and cleanly integrated, with delicate acidity that supports but doesn’t stick out. Caramelized challah french toast as well as a whisper of pineapple and honey. Pair it with shrimp dumplings or salmon sushi. Lovely and rounded in the mouth.

2006 Hermann J. Wiemer Cuvée Brut – Finger Lakes

Though there’s a hint of strawberry-vanilla saltwater taffy on the nose, this is a seriously dry wine, with loads of minerals, Earl Grey tea and thyme, as well as a hint of Clementine (pith included). This wine is crystalline and restrained, with delicate raspberry notes and the tiniest bubbles.

NV Sumac Ridge Sparkling Rosé – Okanagan Valley, BC

A blend of 51% Pinot Noir, 30% Gamay Noir, and 19% Ehrenfelser—is a fresh and sassy sparkler, with lots of citrus and berry flavours and a frothy mousse that shouts fun! Each sip left my palate clean and ready for more smoked salmon, cheeses and crunchy fresh veggies with dip. While there certainly was a lot of fruitiness, I didn’t get a sense of sweetness with this wine. To read more about this wine, visit Kathleen’s blog post on Between the Vines.

NV Sumac Ridge Sparking Gewürztraminer – Okanagan Valley, BC

When first poured, the wine shared aromas of citrus and tropical fruits, along with floral and honey notes and an exotic spiciness. The palate, however, didn’t produce what my nose told me to expect. At all. I got some floral, spice, and citrus on the palate, but the elements didn’t come together. I found its sweetness cloying, not in harmony with its acidity and fruit. To read more about this wine, visit Kathleen’s blog post on Between the Vines.

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