Here at Wine Predator, we love love love sparking wine! We likely drink more sparkling wine than anything else, and Sue is even a Wine Club member at Scharffenberger. While there’s always something to celebrate, the reason is more simple: sparkling wines pair really well with foods we enjoy like salads and seafood, and so we both always try to have in the fridge a bottle of bubbles ready to pop.  

We’re also fans of finger food and what better time than the holidays to focus on festive finger foods paired with bottles of bubbles? But not just any appetizers: Finger foods can be fancy, elegant, and special to go with elegant and special sparklers.

This week with the Wine Pairing Weekend crew of wine writers (see below for links to posts) we will focus on sparkling surprises from the US, next week we have sparkling wines from France with Winophiles, and then we have four organic wines from Argentina’s Domaine Bousquet as World Wine Travel finishes up our virtual tour of South America. We might even close out the year with a fourth post with bottles of bubbles from Germany, Italy, South Africa, Virginia, and who knows where else?

So let’s get going with these four sparkling surprises from three regions of the United States– Sonoma’s SEPPI, Halter Ranch in Paso Robles, and Gorge from Washington.

Need a quick refresher on how sparkling wine is made in the traditional method? Or check out SEPPI’s primer here.

Sparkling Surprises
from the United States

• 2020 Halter Ranch “Libelle” Sparkling Picpoul Blanc $85
• 2021 Barnard Griffin Gorge Sparkling Wine $40
• 2018 SEPPI Blanc de Blancs, Sonoma $48
• 2018 SEPPI Brut Rosé, Sonoma $52
• An additional surprise: 3 of the 4 wines are made by second and third generation winemaking women!

Favorite Festive Finger Foods
for Sparkling Wines 

• fresh oysters with uni 
• tomato mozzarella basil skewers 
• crab stuffed smoked salmon rolls
• Sue’s homemade crackers — 2 ways (recipe below)
• sun dried tomato puffed pastry tart (recipe below) 
• crabcakes on greens
• These menu items look fancy, but they’re favorites because they are actually surprisingly easy! 

2020 Halter Ranch “Libelle” Sparkling Picpoul Blanc, Paso Robles 

ABV: 11.0%
SRP: $85
Grapes: organic Picpoul Blanc
only 216 cases 

Looking for a rare or unusual wine for a gift for a wine geek or very discerning person? Or maybe for you to share with special friends? Check out the 2020 Halter Ranch “Libelle” Sparkling Picpoul Blanc! Picpoul Blanc is uncommon as a still wine, and the Halter Ranch sparkling version is the only one out there! Good news for Picoul blanc lovers like me — Halter Ranch is set to expand these plantings by 25 acres.

So why make a sparkling from such an unusual grape? Picpoul Blanc translates to “Lip Stinger” because it has so much natural acidity which is what you need to make an exceptional sparkling wine in a place that can get as warm as Paso Robles. Using the traditional French method (Méthode Champenoise) to make it bubbly, Libelle takes over three years to produce using the tart white Picpoul grapes. Libelle translates from German as “dragonfly,” and references a painting made by the father of owner Hansjörg Wyss given to Alice Halter, the owner’s mother. The label features a Swiss papercut of the Halter Ranch property.

We’re big fans of Halter Ranch– they earned their organic certification in August 2023, and they have a huge ranch dedicated to wildlife and diversity which Sue and I will be visiting soon! Last month, I wrote about their flagship wine, Ancestor, which I purchased the last time I was there many years ago. 

Appearance:  Pale yellow, very delicate bubbles sea foam when first poured, very beautiful.

Aroma: Ocean air, you can really smell the sea, fresh apricot, citrus.

Palate: Tart lemon, lemon drop, tart apricot, limestone, clean and refreshing. Don’t be afraid of the name: this wine is very enjoyable and easy to drink.

Pairing: Very nice with the smoked salmon crab thing, but would be better if they were atop a cream cheese bagel or crispy crostini, so absolutely fabulous with the sweet and savory crab cakes, even better when you dip the crab cakes in the aioli sp rock sweet and yummy with the wine, So great with the sweet shrimp and the flavorful aiolie 

2021 Barnard Griffin Gorge Sparkling Wine, Crawford Vineyard, Yakima Valley 

ABV: 13%
SRP: $40
Grapes: Chardonnay
only 229 cases 

While the other three wines in this article are made in the traditional or French method for making sparkling wine where the grapes are fermented, then bottled to ferment again to get bubbly, with the spent yeast disgorged, etc, this wine is made in what the winemaker calls crafted “in the raw” with the yeast in the bottle.

A passion project for Barnard Griffin winemaker Megan Hughes who works there alongside her father, the sparkling wine is made from full cluster pressed grapes fermented in stainless steel, then closed with a crown cap; the yeast used is to carry out the secondary fermentation will turn up in the bottom of the final glass. 

Appearance:  Very large foamy bubbles right out of the bottle and in the glass, and then they calm down a bit and become very petite. A pale lemon gold, the wine catches a golden light.

Aroma: Pineapple, baked apple, caramel, baking spices, cinnamon, clove, 

Palate: Tart Granny Smith apple, lingering green apple finish, minerals, silty, lemon, tart citrus, very foamy as it glides across the palate, very clean, feels pure.

Pairing: The uni oyster with the wine is a fresh refreshing pairing. it explodes the flavors of kiwi, cucumber and lime, The crab cakes are so sweet and rich and are highlighted nicely by the wine. The shrimp and aioli and the wine are absolutely perfect, the parm cracker melts in your mouth and the shrimp is just sweet and succulent. The sweetness of the crab in the smoked salmon is lovely with the wine. 

2018 SEPPI Blanc de Blancs, Sonoma

ABV: 12%
SRP: $48
Grapes: Chardonnay
under 400 cases 

Kelsey Phelps Finch, granddaughter of Napa Valley wine pioneer Joseph Phelps, is behind SEPPI™ Craft Sparkling Wines, SEPPI is short for Guiseppe, the nickname the children had for their grandfather. Wines are made in the traditional method.

Appearance:  Lemon gold, foamy when first poured settling into tiny delicate bubbles that rise from the bottom of the glass

Aroma: Riverside funk, citrus, smells very earthen, a bit of brioche, the funk blows off after being in the glass for a while, 

Palate: Tart unripe pineapple and tart lemon, the minerals are present on the palate as well, a bit of creekside mud, very earthen, almond pit, plum skin on the finish, very tart and a bit bitter, yet not unpleasant

Pairing: The wine works quite nicely as a palate cleanser, With the salmon rolls, they are so rich the wine cuts through that richness perfectly. The crab cakes were perfect with the wine, such a sweet little treat that was absolutely perfect with the wine, the rich sweet shrimp on a rich flavorful cracker are the perfect companion for the wine. The oyster with the uni just rocked our world, so sweet and lucious. and rich and the bright tart wine pushed the flavor profile over the top. So absolutely amazing, A stunning kind of experience.

2018 SEPPI Brut Rosé, Sonoma

ABV: 
SRP: $52
Grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 
under 400 cases

Appearance:  Rose gold, pink, salmon, coppery, kind of metallic, delicate bubbles,

Aroma: It smells like I think a Rose should smell like, very understated nose, there is a bit of that river funk, strawberry, cherry, 

Palate: The strawberry and cherry is there loud and clear, fresh strawberries on a biscuit, citric acid, very soft and delicate bubbles, very easy to sit and sip,

Pairing: Omg, so amazing with an uni oyster! The fresh uni is sweet, and the wine’s tart fruit plays and and dances so nicely with the wine. Like a good tango. lovely with the rosemary skewers the earthen element in the wine an the tasty bite are quite nice together, the rich sweetness of the crab is so perfect with the wine, even better take a sweet shrimp dip it in the aioli place it on a parm cracker and prepare lift off to heaven, I did not care for the smoked salmon roll ups with the wine but Sue felt that it went quite well.

Garlic Parmesan Crackers

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan plus a bit more to top the crackers
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1 clove garlic finely grated
• Pinch cayenne pepper 
• 1 cup chilled butter

• Pulse all  ingredients in a food processor until the dough comes together. 
• Split the dough in half forming two 12 inch logs.
• Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill at least 1/2 hour 
• Preheat oven to 350
• Slice logs into 1/4 inch rounds
• Place on a baking tray and top with a sprinkle of parmesan 
• Bake for 20 min until golden brown 

Sun-Dried Tomato Tart with Fontina and Prosciutto 

Ingredients

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
• 4 slices prosciutto, quartered 
• 2 to 3 T fresh grated parmesan 

• Preheat oven to 400
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper 
• Place puff pastry on baking sheet
• Whisk egg yolk with 1/2 t water and brush the top of the pastry 
• Poke holes in the pastry with a fork to help prevent large air bubblus
• Bake untill firm and golden about 12 minutes 
• Remove pastry from oven and increase temperature to 475
• Let pastry cool slightly and press down gently to flatten 
• Scatter a layer of sun-dried tomatoes 
• Place fontina over the top
• Place prosciutto over top
• Finish with a sprinkling of parmesan 
• Return to oven and bake 5-8 minutes until cheese is bubbly
• Let cool, but best served warm or reheated 
• Slice into squares and serve

For more sparkling wine surprises and food to pair with them, check out these articles by writers from Wine Pairing Weekend.

• A Russian River Valley Pét-Nat with Veggie Tempura from Culinary Cam
• A Touch of Elegance At Our Holiday Table; 2013 Under The Wire Brosseau Vineyard Sparkling Pinot Noir by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• All American Sparklers from Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula by Grape Experiences
• Cheers, It is Christmastime in Michigan by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Christmas Cookie Swap and a Cooper’s Hawk Blanc de Blanc by Our Good Life
• Sparkling Picpoul with Fettuccine by Cooking Chat
• The Bubbles of Bel Lago by The Quirky Cork
• Troon wine: Farm-fresh flavor in every glass by My Full Wine Glass
• 4 US Sparkling Surprises: Sonoma’s SEPPI, Paso’s Halter Ranch, WA Gorge + Fav Festive Finger Foods by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley

Please note we will not be holding a twitter chat for a number of likely obvious reasons. 

Also, big changes in 2024 coming to this and the three other wine writing groups I participate in. Instead of publishing monthly, each group will rotate months, and we will be publishing only once a month. We kick off the new year with Winophiles. 

Stay tuned! Subscribe!