Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 60

31 URANT
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ANNU

MOST POPULAR SPARKLING WINES

SPARKLING WINES
Sales of sparkling wines are at their highest level ever in our poll, at
7.8 percent, up from a mere 3.3 percent ten years ago. Vanessa Rea
says the uptick in sales has been clear at Boston's Eastern Standard:
"There was much more sparkling being served in 2019 as opposed
to the year before; our guests are asking for it more and more."
As always, Champagne dominates the list of most popular pours,
with Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label holding on to the top spot it took
last year. However, grower Champagnes are slowly climbing the
list. Pierre Péters pushed Billecart-Salmon out of the way this year
to take the #2 spot, up from #7 last year, and Jean Vesselle made
its debut with the Oeil de Perdrix. Price may have something to
do with the shake-up; as Noah Singerman, who clears a lot of bubbly at Leon's in Charleston, SC, points out, "You can now get truly
great grower Champagne for $64-and anything under $80 moves
well." When it comes to sparkling sales by the glass, however, he
reports that anything goes: "The [most popular] one will always be
the least expensive; that's the default," he says. "People will come
in and just say, 'I'll have a glass of sparkling'; if it said 'prosecco,'
that would be the one that would sell."

ALTERNATE WHITES
Pinot grigio, once a significant category in our poll results, has
given ground to other whites. Riesling, albariño, grüner veltliner
and assyrtiko all came in ahead of pinot gris. Pairing these wines
helps to make converts of skeptics. If you pour riesling with the
right food, "it's magic. It can change someone's life," according
to Ryan Jasielum of Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco. As for
albariño, Raúl Pérez comes up consistently in conversations with
respondents. Ryan Bailey of the NoMad LA, Marianna Caldwell
of LA's Cassia and Gabriela Davogustto of Clay in NYC praise the
work he has done to put albariño on Americans' radar. "[When
Pérez visited Clay,] he asked to take home a copy of the list to show
to his friends and the people he works with, because so many of
them were represented on the list," says Davogustto.

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2020

Rank Brand

Bottling

Avg.
Price

Veuve Clicquot

Champagne Brut Yellow Label

$132

Pierre Péters

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Le
Mesnil-sur-Oger

$117

Billecart-Salmon

Champagne Brut Rosé
Champagne Extra Brut

$184
$150

Louis Roederer

Champagne Brut Premier
Champagne Cristal

$135
$325

Schramsberg Vineyards

North Coast Blanc de Blancs Brut
California Mirabelle Brut

$79
$55

Jean Vesselle

Champagne Brut Oeil de Perdrix

$58

Val de Mer

Bourgogne Brut Nature Rosé

$54

Taittinger

Champagne Brut La Française

$91

Paul Bara

Champagne Brut Grand Cru
Champagne Brut Rosé Grand Cru

$124
$96

Chartogne-Taillet

Champagne Cuvée Ste-Anne Brut
Champagne Les Barres Blanc de
Noirs Extra Brut

$130
$195

La Marca

Prosecco

Jacques Lassaigne

Champagne Brut Nature Blanc de
Blancs

$23
$112

Wine & Spirits - April 2020

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