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Toast the holidays with these 3 sparkling wines, starting at $17

Wine, left to right, is Kila Cava Reserva; Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay; Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs Brut 2020 photographed on Oct. 22 in Washington, D.C. (Rey Lopez/For the Washington Post)
By Dave McIntyre Washington Post

As we approach the new year, here are three top-notch sparkling wines primed to make your new year bubbly and full of lots of cheer.

Kila Cava

Two and one-half stars

Penedes, Spain, $17

This tasty cava offers flavors of apples and peaches carried on a steady bead of bubbles. Lees aging of 18 months gives it some complexity, compared to the minimum of nine months for basic cava and 15 months for reserva. Organic, vegan. Alcohol by volume: 12%. Bottle weight: 925 grams (Sparkling).

Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay

Three and one-half stars

Virginia, $45

This is the wine that helped convince skeptics in the wine and restaurant trade that Virginia could indeed produce world-class vino. Champagne-native Claude Thibaut has also helped spark other wineries in the Old Dominion now producing quality bubbly. This one remains the tête de cuvée for Virginia, with its soft texture and flavors of apples, peaches, ginger and brioche. The suggested retail price has climbed to $45, but it’s usually much less expensive, and Total Wine & More’s website lists it at $29. ABV: 12.5%. BW: 945 grams (Sparkling).

Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs Brut 2020

Three and one-half stars

California, $45

Schramsberg made history in 1972 when President Richard Nixon took cases to Beijing to serve to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. The winery is still going strong in its second generation, as this blanc de noirs attests. Made primarily from pinot noir, it brims with crisp flavors of tart cherries, raspberries and cranberries, with a lingering finish that becomes more pronounced as the wine warms. ABV: 12.8%. BW: 900 grams (Sparkling).

Prices are approximate. For availability, check Wine.com, Wine-searcher.com and the websites and social media feeds of the wineries, importers, distributors, and your favorite local wine store. You can also ask your local retailer to order wines from the distributors listed. Bottle weight is included, because this is the single most important contributor to wine’s carbon footprint. Have wine questions for Dave McIntyre? Send them to Food@washpost.com.