Wino Wednesday: Black Bottle Bubbly

My favorite bubbly!

It’s always good to have a go to wine – especially when you have to send your spouse to the store for booze. Rather than tell him you would like a full-bodied zinfandel from Washington state in the $15-20 price range, it’s much easier to just say, “Go get X.”

My “X” is always Friexenet Brut. You can’t miss the signature black bottle with gold lettering. And at $9-10 a pop, it’s easy to stock up. This lovely Spanish sparkler is crisp, not too sweet and really dry. Just the perfect sparkling for any occasion, really. In fact, just recently The Wall Street Journal named Friexenet “Best of Tasting” and a “Best Value” in a recent sampling of sparkling wines from around the world.

I actually like sparkling wine much better than beer. It pairs well with all kinds of food and, as long as you don’t get the sweet stuff, it’s great to drink by itself. Not only that, but sparkling wine makes amazing cocktails. Throw a shot of peach vodka in a glass with Friexnet and you have a delicious almost-Bellini. Got orange juice? They splash a bit in your sparkling wine and voila instant mimosa!

Another great thing about Friexenet is that you can get it pretty much anywhere. Most grocery stores even keep it cold in the refrigerator section near the beer. So go grab a “black bottle bubbly” and feel fancy any day of the year.