From: Southern France

Varietals: Chardonnay, Mauzac, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes: Delicate scents of dried apple slices, orange blossom and chalky soil dance in the bouquet of this attractive bubbly. Medium in weight, it boasts rounded carbonation and citrusy acidity that lifts the apple, white peach and pineapple core flavors. It's round in feel, but well-balanced and clean on the close.

Pairing: Sparkling wines are some of our favorite pairing wines, because they fit so well with a wide range of foods. For example, you could pair this with dishes all the way from a sheet-pan scallion chicken with bok choy and pineapple-marinated chicken breasts to blackened fish with quick grits or sheet-pan shrimp gratin. Vegetarian or vegan? Not to fear. This is an easy fit with any meal. Our favorites play on the ease this sparkler can fit with spicy or vinegary food, like Silken Tofu with Spicy Soy Dressing and Tofu Larb. We love Lara Lee’s recipe for Smoked Tofu Larb With Lemongrass.

Here’s the real important part: You should always have a handful of bottles of this sparkler on hand for impromptu parties (because a sudden Tuesday night fete with your pals is, of course, better with bubbly). This wallet-friendly "Blanc de Blancs" drinks like an expensive French Champagne, with a rich, yeasty nose and body to match. It's called a "Cremant de Limoux," the official name for a sparkling wine from Limoux in southern France near Carcassonne (that meets certain production and quality requirements). Definitely worth a serious look. Your friends will swear they're drinking Champagne worth 2-3 times what you paid!