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An Affordable Sparkling Wine for Your Next Holiday Party

This sparkling wine is the result of radical winemaker Abe Schoener’s adventures in carbonation.
This sparkling wine is the result of radical winemaker Abe Schoener’s adventures in carbonation. Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

The Goal: Navigate the wide world of sparkling beverages to find something affordable to bring to a holiday party. Our food editors directed us to some domestic producers whose nontraditional approaches to fermentation make for novel bubbles and even better conversation pieces. Then we sampled the goods.

The Verdict: The Scholium Project’s Blowout ($25 at Astor Wines & Spirits, astorwines.com) is the result of radical winemaker Abe Schoener’s adventures in carbonation. Schoener, known for his undermanipulation of wines, plays against type here, applying highly industrial methods (early filtering, beer-tank carbonation) to Verdelho and Grüner Veltliner grapes from California’s Lost Slough Vineyards. The restrained bubbles are more frizzante than forceful, and the high-acid wine is reminiscent of a fizzy Sauvignon Blanc.

*This article appears in the December 14, 2015 issue of New York Magazine.

An Affordable Sparkling Wine for Holiday Parties