Cesarini Sforza 2002 Trento "Tridentum"

Restrained long-lasting streams of tiny-to-small bubbles.

Apple smell, toast.

Dry apple and pear flavors, touch of cherry by the end.

Good fruit-forward medium-bodied Champenoise 80% Chardonnay / 20% Pinot Noir Italian fizz @ $24.99 / bottle. (It's not your father's Spumante!)

Rolet non-vintage Cremant du Jura Brut Coeur de Chardonnay

Extremely pale straw color, many vigorous long-lasting streams of pinpoint bubbles.

Fresh apple smell, wild-flowers.

Off-dry apple flavor, some bitterness in the long finish, particularly as the wine warms in the glass.

Adequate medium-bodied bottle for $33.33: cold, wet, and fizzy. The bubbles were the best part. Meh. I won't buy this again.

Terra 2009 Lujan de Cuyo Sparkling Malbec

The winemaker's site advertises this as produced by the "Chaussepied Method", which seems to be more commonly known as the Charmat process. This wine is sealed with an unfamiliar black synthetic "cork", brand marking is unclear, OPI or TOPI or YOPI.

Short-lived streams of small vigorous bubbles rise in a wine a bit too deeply-colored to call rose; a true red, if a light one. They quickly settle down to tiny bubbles lazily rising.

Mild blackberry smell. I think carbonation can tend to anesthetize the nose, yet many proper Champagnes have wonderful aromas.

Blackberry flavor, black cherry, sweet-seeming fruit that develops some tannic bitterness at the end.

Good medium-bodied bottle for $16.99. As with Australian Sparkling Shiraz, some of the appeal is novelty, but its not without inherent, if simple, virtues.

Hopkins Vineyard non-vintage Western Connecticut Highlands Silver Label Methode Champenoise Sparkling Wine

Made from Seyval and Vidal Blanc.

This year's Thanksgiving wine.

Very pale straw color, very vigorous streams of small bubbles.

Mild smell of pear and peach, just a hint of toast.

Dry flavor of pear and peach, very fruity, almost seems sweet at times (but quite Brut, in fact), brief mineral finish. (A hint of what a sparkling Viognier might be like.)

Very good bottle for $18.43. Admittedly, I want to approve of a Connecticut wine, and this isn't half bad but as I open bottles over time, I grow tired of it.

Domaine Collin non-vintage Cremant de Limoux

Cremant de Limoux is an AOC defined in 1990 as a more Champagne-like alternative to Blanquette de Limoux and is made with Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Mauzac. Sometimes, as in this bottle, Pinot Noir is added.

Extremely pale color, many tiny vigorous bubbles.

Smell of pear juice with a trace of peach.

Dry pear and apple flavors, fruity, lemony finish.

Very good light-to-medium-bodied bottle for $16.99.

Perrier-Jouet non-vintage Champagne Grand Brut

Extremely pale golden/amber color, tiny vigorous bubbles.

Fresh apple smell, fresh-baked yeasty toasty bread. Pepperidge Farm remembers!

Dry apple and toast flavor, a sandwich not to dismissed out of hand!

Damned good bottle for $23.39 / 375ml, lightweight but sincere Champagne.