When we want to celebrate something, it’s almost impossible to do so without sparkling wine.

Sparkling wines accompany all the most important moments in our lives, whether it’s a birth, graduation, wedding, and they also mark significant milestones, ushering us into a new year, new job, or a new decade of life.

November and December traditionally stand as months of joy and gathering, where we take the time for those who mean a lot to us – relatives, friends, colleagues. In November, we celebrate St. Martin’s Day with them, where young wine usually takes the main stage, but a true sparkling wine adds a special touch to any such gathering. Even more frequently, we gather with sparkling wines in the cheerful December, where we bid farewell to the old year and look forward to the coming one.

Would you like to choose the right sparkling wine, serve it with style, and make an impression? We offer some advice so you can shine with bubbles.

Charmat or classic sparkling wine?

The answer to this question depends on your budget, taste, and the profile of your guests or recipients. Classic sparkling wines are generally more expensive, as they take at least two years to produce, and for most sparkling wines, even more. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle, where the sparkling wine is in contact with the sediment throughout. These sparkling wines have a more complex aroma, fine bubbles – they are suitable for more discerning connoisseurs.

In Klet Brda, they produce Bagueri sparkling wines using the classic method. Bagueri Brut, Zero, and Rosé enchant with small and lively bubbles that create a creamy sensation on the palate. These sparkling wines are refined, noble, and elegant. They are marked by a noble and distinctive character, characteristic of all wines in the Bagueri line. They will captivate both connoisseurs and enthusiasts. They are intended for special moments and also pair excellently with gourmet dishes such as beef carpaccio, fresh fish, sushi, and salmon dishes.

With the Charmat method or tank method, the production process is shorter. The sparkling wine is ready in a few months in stainless steel tanks. Consequently, it is more affordable, and in taste, it is fresher, more playful, usually with more pronounced fruity notes and more easily understandable to a wider audience.

Popular sparkling wines produced by Klet Brda using the tank method have just received an even more beautiful and attractive appearance. They will delight you and your friends with a fresh and fruity, just sweet enough taste, while also being pocket-friendly due to their accessibility. The selected grapes from the favorable slopes of Brda’s hills give these sparkling wines a special, refreshing taste. Peneča rebula, which has been produced at Klet Brda since 1962, has become a true icon among dry sparkling wines. For fans of semi-dry and dry sparkling wines, they have prepared Sparkling Rosé and Sparkling Moscato, which with their charming fruity bouquet leave no one indifferent.

How to serve and taste sparkling wine?

Serve sparkling wine chilled, at around 6 degrees Celsius. This way, its positive qualities will come to the fore. Allow at least a few hours for chilling in the refrigerator – never in the freezer, as wine is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations.

The glass should be designed to observe the effervescence – the sparkling. The best are tulip-shaped glasses or glasses specifically designed for serving sparkling wines. They must have a rough bottom that promotes the release of bubbles. The better the sparkling wine, the finer the bubbles, and the longer the effervescence lasts.

Always serve sparkling wine as an aperitif, as it prepares the palate for tasting more intense flavors of food. You can serve sparkling wine on its own or with snacks. Never serve sparkling wine with dessert, unless it is sweet sparkling wine. In this case, the wine should always be sweeter than the dessert.

If we still haven’t answered your questions and resolved your dilemmas, we invite you to the Klet Brda wine shops in Ljubljana, Celje, Kranj, Nova Gorica, and Dobrovo, where you can find the entire range of wines and friendly advisors who will know how to recommend the right wine or sparkling wine for you.  Let us help you fill your moments with friendship and joy!

Aperitif

We always recommend serving sparkling wine as aperitif. If you are looking for something fresh and affordable, you cannot go wrong with Sparkling Rebula, which we also sell in impressive 3, 6 or even 9 litre bottles. If, however, you want nothing but the best for you special day, we recommend choosing one of our Bagueri sparkling wines.

Main courses

White meat is nicely complemented by white, fresh, fruity, and mineral wines from our Quercus line (Rebula, Chardonnay, Pinot grigio, and Pinot bianco), while red meat goes perfectly with our red Quercus wines (Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, and Pinot noir). More complex dishes call for more mature wines, aged in wood, such as our white or red wines Bagueri Superior.

Vegetarian dishes

With vegetarian dishes, we recommend serving Krasno White, a blend of Rebula, Sauvignonass, and Chardonnay.

Fish main courses

Fish goes perfectly with Rebula, Quercus Pinot bianco and Chardonnay, or Krasno White blend.

Blank canvas

Chardonnay is a variety that suits different wine styles. It is one of the few white varieties that can have either partial or full lactic acid fermentation (LAF), which contributes to a distinctive aroma of the wine. LAF is a process in which lactic bacteria convert wine acid into lactic acid, giving the wine a softer and more rounded buttery taste.

More or less complex?

Chardonnay is commonly produced with the battônage method, which gives the wine more complexity. After fermentation, yeasts coagulate at the bottom of the wine vessel, which creates lees. By carefully mixing lees and wine, we achieve a creamy texture and a more intense flavour.

With or without wood?

The French barriques and the large Slavonian oak barrels allow Chardonnay to develop diverse aromatic profiles. Wine that matures in these barrels is more complex and has a distinctively buttery character with vanilla and caramel notes.
If aged solely in stainless steel vessels, Chardonnay is completely different. It features the typical characteristics of the variety and has a lemon, green apple, and sometimes even pineapple aroma. This style of wine is globally referred to as “naked”. The most popular of the naked Chardonnay wines is the French Chablis.

Wine that speaks to its origin

The character of the wine is greatly influenced by the area in which the grapes are grown or the so-called terroir. Chardonnay has found its second home in Brda, where thanks to the Mediterranean climate, marl soil, protection against frost, sunny conditions, and meticulous cultivation, it can shine in all its beauty.

What pairs well with Chardonnay?

Chardonnay wines are perfect during warm summer evenings, when enjoyed alongside grilled dishes. This multifaceted variety can be served with a wide selection of dishes; however, it is most commonly paired with white meat. Chardonnay wines matured in oak barrels go well with smoked fish and spicy Asian cuisine, the fresher Chardonnay wines perfectly complement dishes with tomato sauce, while older, softer Chardonnay wines are often served with more “earthy food”, such as mushroom dishes or aged cheese.

When is it best?

Chardonnay is a variety found all over the world, in different variations. Naked Chardonnay, aged in stainless steel vessels, should be consumed quickly, while the more complex Chardonnay wines, matured in barriques, can only improve as they age in the bottle. To find out how long you can store Chardonnay in your cellar, refer to the label or ask your vendor.

Modern Chardonnay

To achieve harmonious and elegant wines, all the cellaring elements need to be balanced against the fruity nature of Chardonnay.
Chardonnay Bagueri retains its bright, elegant, and mainly fruity notes, allowing its varietal characteristics to reflect themselves fully.
In the words of our main oenologist and the author of this wine, Darinko Ribolica, “Chardonnay Bagueri is the result of the optimal wine-growing sites, small crops, and meticulous cultivation, followed by the diligent work in the cellar. We wanted to reflect the wine’s varietal aspect, freshness, and softness. We have reduced the influence of the wooden notes by using the used barriques and large oak barrels. In doing so, we express the richness of the Chardonnay from our carefully selected vineyards to its fullest.”
Those who like fresh Chardonnay wines, that is naked Chardonnay wines, will appreciate Chardonnay Quercus. Be sure to try its 2020 vintage, which was awarded a silver medal at the prestigious international wine competition Chardonnay du monde.