A couple of Wednesdays ago, my housemates and I staged a tasting of sparkling wines, each of us supplying a different wine from a different region – excluding French Champagne. I left work that evening, stopped at Steve’s Liquor and Whole Foods and walked in my front door just in time to see my roommate pull out the same bottle of wine I had purchased 20 minutes earlier! Accommodating as he is, he agreed to head back to Steve’s and swap for a different bottle. We ended up with four different sparkling wines for the evening: Paringa Sparkling Shiraz, Adriano Adami Garbel Prosecco, Chandon Blanc de Noirs, and Argyle Brut sparkling wine.

Sparkling wines work for me on a couple of different levels – the popping of the cork and the bubbles in the glass are exciting, the associations with fun parties pretty much ensures my good mood, and they manage to pair well with a variety of unexpected foods. For our tasting, we snacked on stuffed mushrooms, prosciutto, raw fennel, pears, and a baked brie pastry. We skipped some tried and true pairings, like seafood, but ended up with a couple of tasty compliments.

The first wine we tried was the 2004 Paringa Sparkling Shiraz which can be found at Steve’s on University for $9.99. Made with shiraz grapes sourced from an individual vineyard in South Australia, this wine is almost shockingly dark red in color. The significant head and the light, floral aromas contrasted sharply with what I expected from a sparkling red wine. Not saccharinely sweet like some budget Lambruscos, the Paringa definitely tasted like shiraz. It was juicy, round and full, with just enough tannic bite to keep us in the red wine mindset. The bubbles were almost overwhelming – large and fizzy. Between that observation and the fact that when we came back to it 45 minutes later it had lost most of its carbonation and had mellowed into a much sweeter drink it struck me that it seemed to have a lot of the same characteristics as a Pepsi left on the counter. Some wineries do, in fact, carbonate their wines a la PepsiCo (instead of that whole secondary bottle-fermentation process), but even after a little research on this one, I can’t tell if that’s how Paringa does it. At any rate, it’s easy to drink and would be a fun addition to a holiday party.

Our second wine was the Adami Prosecco, which can be found at Barriques on University Ave. in Middleton for about $12. From the Friuli region in northeast Italy, Proseccos generally undergo the bubble-inducing second fermentation process in large tanks rather than in bottles. This method takes much less time than in-bottle, and results in fun, fruity, slightly vapid sparkling wines that range from cloyingly sweet to brisk and dry. The Adami is categorized as Brut, and lived up to it. It had a dry, floral and ocean-y aroma and an acidic, sharp first taste. The bubbles were much smaller than the Paringa, and there were more of them, which distracts from the lack of actual flavor. The wine smells a lot more refreshing than it tastes. But I’m not panning it. It bucked up a bit when paired with pears, and I can say that the ocean-y aroma and acidic mouthfeel – not to mention the short, light finish – made me think of drinking it with oysters. Although maybe I’ll wait till I can see the ocean those oysters came from before attempting that one.

Our third wine was the Chandon Blanc de Noirs from Napa ($16.99 from Steve’s on University). The winery was established in 1973 by that bastion of semi-affordable champagne, Moet & Chandon, and strives to create wines that combine heritage French winemaking with innovative Californian techniques. This particular wine is made from red grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – both traditionally used to make champagne. However, this Californian Blanc de Noirs can’t be labeled champagne because it’s not from the Champagne region in France. The wine had an attractive salmon color and a bright strawberry aroma with layers of must and something that reminded me of steak – and had visibly larger bubbles than the first three, but they were surprisingly soft as we sipped it. It was a great compliment to the mushrooms, which were stuffed with pecorino and parsley.

The last wine we tasted was the 2001 Argyle Brut from Willamette Valley in Oregon ($16.99, again from Steve’s on University). With 48% Pinot Noir and 52% Chardonnay, this was my favorite wine of the evening. It was balanced and had some weight to it, and the layers of acidity and fresh fruit flavors built up to the bubbles and tapered off to a refreshing finish. It had a slightly musty aroma that balanced out the floral tendencies, and the bubbles were small and soft. The texture and well-rounded character (and by well-rounded character I mean it didn’t need food to prop it up) make it a delicious bubbly for toasting.

I’ll admit I’m a fan of those wines that aren’t the norm, and incorporating them into more traditional situations. Any one of these wines would work for a New Year’s party, and would provide a chance to try something new. But there are certainly other wines out there, like the Gruet sparkling wines (from New Mexico), and the 1+1=3 cava (from Spain) and, hell, there are even occasional bargains on some reliable French Champagnes. Happy Holidays!