As we continue searching for champagne that makes sense for New Year’s Eve, today we look at this Australian sparkling wine for $9.
Such controversy! Reviews are really mixed on this bubbly. This guy says it’s repulsive, and undrinkable, and this other guy says, “no joke,” it’s actually decent, fruity with a smooth finish.
Well, the second guy is right! I know wine snobs are supposed to hate it, but this stuff is good! It’s very fruity, and yes, it’s sweet. However, it’s not as sweet as the stuff you had in high school (was is “André”? — let’s Google that sucker — ahh, I see their Peach Passion is available for $5.19, good, good). Of course, the stuff you had in high school probably wasn’t “72% Semillon, blended with Traminer, Viognier and Trebbiano” — I’m feeling better about [yellow tail] already.
This Aussie is also very drinkable, because they don’t overdo the bubbles. You can actually tell that you’re drinking wine. This, and the price, make it great for any ol’ day of the week. The taste is unusual — oranges and mangos — but I loved it. (That orange note makes it perfect for mimosas, by the way.) I just wanted to keep on guzzling glass after glass. Complex? Refined? Nope. But it’s light and fun, and it has a real “champagne” cork that makes a loud BOP!! when you open it. I still say: for bubbly, you gotta go extreme: cheap, or expensive ($45 and up). Those “serious looking” mid-priced bottles are just a waste of your money.* And for New Year’s, it’s cheap and fun all the way, baby. This fun, fruity, $9 wonderboy is:
Recommended!
*But I love to be proven wrong. If there’s a mid-priced bubbly you like, please let me know. I’m at wineguider @ gmail.com.
Wineguider wine reviews 
There’s tons of affordable, enjoyable dry sparklers. Most of your Proseccos and Cavas fall into the $10-20 range and are great with appetizers or for entertaining. With France it’s a little trickier, but there are various Cremants that are way cheaper than Champagne and give a lot of value for the price. On the domestic side, one of my favorites is the line of bubbles from Domaine Ste. Michelle in Washington, usually priced $15-20. The Blanc de Noirs is incredible.
I’ll give it a try, thank you for your input!
-Wineguider
This is my favorite bubbly. I agree with you Andy. I’ll be serving it at Christmas!