Sparkling Red Wine

Not all of us are great at toasts.  If you don’t believe me, watch the episode of “The Office” where Jim and Pam get married.  Or watch “Wedding Crashers.”  Or watch any scene from anything where anyone makes a toast for any reason.  A friend of mine recently had to make a toast at his sister’s wedding.  Let me tell you why it went well.

Before giving his little speech, he made sure everyone had a glass to toast with.  What was in the glass?  Sparkling red wine, something Americans are not generally too familiar with – I for one had never heard of it.  Everyone was so fascinated with their drinks that he could have said just about anything and had more success than Michael Scott.  He finished his speech and we knocked them back.  It was strong, frothy and, to our pleasant surprise, pretty good.  It’s no wonder brands like Rumball and Leasingham have become so popular as of late, particularly in Australia.  These wines go great with turkey and even pizza.

As for the speech, it was probably awful.  Fortunately, no one paid attention.

Here are few suggestions:

• Angove Family Winemakers Zibibbo Sparkling Pink Moscato – a light, fresh wine that tastes like strawberry and other berries
• Pierre Sparr Cremant d’Alsace Reserve Brut Rose – creamy in texture, bursting with strawberry and raspberry flavor, try with seafood
• Chandon Rose Sparkling – the delicious tastes of strawberries, watermelons, cherries, apples, and pears all come together in this sparkling red from Southwest France

If you do plan on adding some sparkling red wine to your collection, you might need some wine bottle covers to put them in.  There are scores of different designs – some elegant, some hilarious – with which you can disguise your wine bottles, from red stilettos to life jackets.  A quick search at Become.com will show you almost 700 options that you can match with your décor or your sense of humor.