Happy Friday! To celebrate the end of a long week, we are raising a few glasses of bubbles in honor of Global Champagne Day. Occurring annually on the fourth Friday in October, the day helps kick off the holiday season, preparing you for a few months of festivities. As the day is a global celebration, we are toasting with a few selections from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. Though they are American-made, each is crafted using the traditional method of Champagne, with the second fermentation occurring in the bottle. Cheers to bubbles!

Benovia Winery co-owner/winemaker Mike Sullivan added sparkling wine to the Russian River Valley winery’s portfolio a handful of years ago because he loves bubbles. The winery rotates from producing a Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs style, utilizing the traditional method of production, showcasing their premium, cool-climate fruit. The current release is Benovia Blanc de Noirs, using 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay from the 2018 vintage. Though crafted from a blend that includes a traditional red wine variety, the sparkler has a gorgeous golden hay color and a lively, refreshing effervescence. The wine is aged three years in tourage, giving it a rich, round texture with yeasty notes of brioche and hazelnut. These characteristics meld with ripe strawberries, apples, and citrus blossoms, finishing with a creamy hint of vanilla custard. It is the perfect wine to pair with oysters, fresh crab, or lobster bathing in a creamy lemon sauce.

Crafted from a blend of 72% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay, and a touch of Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier, Lynmar Estate Brut Rosé is vibrant,  juicy, and delicious. With a whisper of pink color, the dry sparkling wine ages for 15 months, giving the wine a hint of the classic yeasty, bready notes that traditional method production provides to a sparkling wine while ensuring the freshness and bright acidity of the fruit is maintained. With thousands of happy dancing bubbles, the wine reveals layers of wild strawberry, soft herbs, juicy apricots, peach, and melon, finishing with a layer of crushed stone minerality, lifting the palate and requiring you to revisit, often.