Sarah Wolcott Archives — Bend Magazine

With tiny bubbles of carbonation and a flair for excitement, sparkling wines are often associated with celebrations. Yet, their effervescence offers loads of diversity and enjoyment throughout the year, regardless of the occasion. The holidays may be upon us, but raise a glass to the sparkling discovery of your next favorite bubbly, even if to celebrate a Tuesday night between Thanksgiving and the bright New Year. [Stoller Wine Bar pictured above]

Stoller Wine Bar in Bend

Family Estate 2019 LaRue’s Blanc de Blanc

From the Dundee Hills AVA in the Willamette Valley, the Stoller Family Estate 2019 LaRue’s Blanc de Blanc kicks off with tiny bubbles. They dance on the palate and mellow out with a lingering finish, complete with the taste of ripe Fuji apples and a full mouthfeel of brioche bread. This blanc de blanc—translated to “white of whites”—is 100% chardonnay. It’s a wine worthy of many things. Pair it with the gourmet popcorn selection, cheeses and charcuterie at the Stoller Wine Bar in Bend.

Visit Stoller Wine Bar, Box Factory | 555 NW Arizona Ave., Bend

Crusat’s Kung Fu Sparkling Rosé — Matías Riccitelli Kung Fu Sparkling Rosé

Ermisch Winery & Tasting Room in Bend

Argentinian Sparkling Rosé

Bendite Christopher “Kirk” Ermisch, operates Ermisch Winery & Tasting Room, and is the majority owner of Bodega Calle, a winery in Mendoza, Argentina, founded in 1925. He also makes wine under the Ermisch Cellars wine label with his daughter, Hannah, who grew up in Bend and is a trained winemaker and sommelier. Visit the urban winery and tasting room to sample some of the six sparkling wine offerings, including several Argentinian versions like Matías Riccitelli Kung Fu and Bodega Calle’s Baja Tanga Sparkling Rosé. The Baja Tanga is a bubbly sipper made with predominantly chenin blanc and just a bit of Torrontés, an aromatic white grape variety, and malbec, a red-skinned grape variety from which the wine gets its pale pink color. This wine bursts with lightly candied aromatics, vibrant acidity on the palate and a rounded mouthfeel that makes sipping oh-so-delicious. Baja Tanga Sparkling Rosé is produced in the same way that prosecco from Italy is made: A second fermentation, the process that creates tiny bubbles of carbonation, is done in a pressurized vat versus in the bottle as is French Champagne. The result is a zippy, fresh-flavored sparkling wine that does not require aging to enjoy it at its finest.

Visit Ermisch Winery & Tasting Room | 11 NW Lava Road, Bend

Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club

2019 Blanc de Noir Traditional Method Brut

Amaterra Winery is a reflection of its relationship to place: The word Amaterra combines Italian amare (to love), with terra (earth) to form “for the love of the Earth.” With grapes from its Swede Hill estate vineyard in the most northern part of the Willamette Valley AVA, the golden straw color of the Blanc de Noir Traditional Method Brut might initially confuse the consumer: It’s made exclusively from the red-skinned pinot noir grape. It is light in color due to minimal skin contact during the winemaking process. Full-bodied with a delicate hit of dried rose petal, the 2019 Blanc de Noir is a delightful wine to pair with a traditional Thanksgiving turkey meal or many of the offerings on the Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club’s dinner menu, including its take on ricotta gnudi, a traditional Italian dish from Tuscany that pops with cheesy deliciousness.

Visit Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club | 909 NW Bond St., Bend

Va Piano Vineyards Wine and Champagne Bar

Duval-Leroy Brut Reserve Champagne

Two wine worlds meet at Va Piano Vineyards Wine and Champagne Bar in the Old Mill District. Sparkling wines galore augment the red and white offerings from the Walla Walla, Washington, winery. A standout on the wine-by-the-glass menu is the Duval-Leroy Brut Reserve Champagne, a classic example of the character of wine from the Champagne region of France. Although single-varietal Champagnes do exist, most are blends of white and red grapes. This includes this one, made of chardonnay, pinot meunier and pinot noir. Va Piano’s Bolle Vino Club Membership is a fun way to dive into trying different sparkling wines and Champagne—members receive four allocations of six bottles every year.

Visit Va Piano Vineyards Wine and Champagne | Old Mill District, 425 SW Powerhouse Drive, Bend

The name for the new wine merchant and tasting salon in The Hixon at Westside Yard says it all. “Viaggio” is an Italian word for journey—a voyage, travel or trip. That is exactly what the Viaggio wine experience is: a (fun) wine journey.

Viaggio has an extensive retail bottle list, by-the-glass choices that change daily, beer from coveted producers throughout the United States and abroad, and European snacks matching the quality of the wine producers that owner, Benjamin Richardson, has selected. An Advanced Sommelier, Richardson is behind the bar to share the stories of the places and people behind every bottle.

Most of the by-the-glass selections are priced at, or below, the average cost of a cocktail in Central Oregon, and three wines by-the-glass are offered on tap from a keg, providing fun and fresh options. Fill a growler bag with wine at Viaggio for an affordable takeaway wine option.

Ask about the “Coravin pour” tasting options that allow customers to taste specialty wines that retail at high price points. Richardson can use Coravin technology, a wine preservation system designed to pour wine without pulling out the cork, to keep a $750 bottle of coveted Super Tuscan red from Italy available for 2-ounce pours for up to a month.

Viaggio recently had the Aubry Brut Premier Cru Champagne on the by-the-glass menu. The Aubry family has winegrowing roots in Champagne, France, going back to 1790. Lightly honeyed floral notes complemented the gentle minerality of the Aubry Champagne. It is easy to imagine the Aubry as a great accompaniment to a day of skiing at Mt. Bachelor.

Richardson’s self-described “love of Champagne’’ is also reflected in the “Bubble Bar” pop-up tasting events, featuring a handful of Champagne and sparkling wines that happen twice a month at Viaggio. Buon viaggio on your next trip to Bend’s newest wine bar.