Sparkling wine is often a popular choice to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but let’s face it, Champagne can be quite pricy and not a good pick for the frugal. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying a good sparkling wine though, as there are plenty of enjoyable sparklers other than Champagne. You can check out many Champagne-style wines from California, or look for something unique like this one.
Punkt, from producer Weingut Ewald Gruber, is a sparkling Grüner Veltliner, which is something you probably don’t come across every day. In fact, you might not even be familiar with Grüner Veltliner, much less a sparkling one. Grüner Veltliner is the most widely planted grape variety in Austria. It produces a dry, minerally, full-bodied, food-friendly wine that is usually best consumed young. Sometimes it can have a peppery quality to it. It’s usually produced as a still wine, but sometimes it’s produced as a sparkler.
One of the things I like about this wine is its uniqueness. It makes a good conversation starter as most people I know have never had a sparkling Grüner Veltliner. You won’t get the ceremonial popping of the cork that you’re used to from other sparkling wine as this one has a screw cap. But don’t let that stop you from giving it a try. One nice thing about the screw cap is that it’s easy to recap the bottle if you’re not consuming it all in one evening.
Everything about this wine is soft—the nose, the palate and the bubbles. You’ll find that it’s not quite as bubbly as Champagne-style wines you’ve had in the past. But, it’s light and refreshing. On the nose it has a combination of floral, mineral, apple and faint citrus aromas. It’s light and mildly bubbly on the palate with a good amount of apple and pear flavor. The finish brings a hint of citrus acidity, but it’s still fairly soft. It’s an interesting wine and something worth trying.
Not only is this an enjoyable and unique wine, but it’s a great price on a sparkling wine in general.
Wine: Punkt
Variety: Sparkling Grüner Veltliner
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 11%
Rating: 87
Price: $15.99
Find Punkt Sparkling Grüner Veltliner with Snooth