As a wine professional one of the questions most often poised to me is “What is your favorite wine?” This is a question that never fails to make me cringe, mainly because the innocent questioner has no idea how impossible it would be to choose one and only one. I would not be very good at my job if I could pick one favorite wine and then be done with it.

Another frequently asked question (usually amongst a bunch of wine geeks) that I find a bit easier to answer is “What is your desert island wine?” Most wine geeks have a desert island wine – not necessarily one specific wine/producer/vintage – but perhaps a category of vino that would be satisfying as the only thing you could ever drink again.

For me, this must be something that covers all of my favorite things about great wines: focus, versatility, acidity and structure, the ability to age, stylistic integrity and a bit of tradition as well. Provided my desert island is equipped with a working mini-fridge, my desert island wine would have to be (drumroll)… Bubbles.

Clearly the most common association with wines that have undergone the secondary fermentation that produces those fantastic little bubbles is Champagne. And good Champagne is not good; it is great. It is, in fact, so great that I am not going to recommend a single Champagne in today’s blog. Instead, I am going to take us on a little tour of all things bubbly, yet not from Champagne. (Remember folks, Champagne is a place; a rather small place that takes rightful umbrage when its’ name is misused.) So here are just a few of my favorites…

Domaine Robert Serol Turbullent Sparkling Gamay $21.99

The Gamay grape is most commonly understood as the grape responsible for Beaujolais. It is a red grape that gives uncommonly bright and focused fruit flavors. This is a fascinating and unique sparkling red wine with flavors of raspberry, strawberry, and rhubarb. Softly fizzy, off-dry but not sweet, assertive and refreshing. Put a nice chill on it before serving with a gooey, stinky washed rind cheese.

Rimarts Brut Reserva Cava $22.59

An uncommonly well-made Spanish sparkler from the traditional Cava grapes Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. Don’t let the funny names scare you away, this wine is made in the traditional Champagne method (second fermentation happens in the bottle) and shows a crisp and focused lemony profile, with tons of tiny bubbles and the classic toasty brioche flavors that make Champagne lovers swoon. Serve this at your next soiree with fresh fruit and shortbread cookies.

Mas de Daumas Gassac Rose Frizant $28.79

Probably my favorite sparkling wine in the store right now. From the iconic producer of fine wine in the Languedoc comes this fantastic bubbly made from Cabernet Sauvignon and the white grape Petit Manseng. Beautifully pink, almost purple in color, with fantastic flavors of black raspberry, redcurrant, and blood oranges. This wine is extremely hard to find in the U.S. and we have scored a few cases thanks to the tenacity of my esteemed predecessor, Aaron.

Happy Holidays to all!