Sparkling Winos

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Sparkling Winos

Two guys blogging about all things bubbly! 🥂👬🍾 Hi, we're Mike & Jeff – the Sparkling Winos!

From Champagne, to Cava, to Prosecco and beyond – our fondness for fizz is explosive! So, grab a glass and join us on our sparkling wine adventures – and along the way we’ll share our knowledge and experiences about the most fun, versatile and delicious style of wine with you!

26/03/2026

Does wine get better with age? 🍷 💭

Some wines do benefit from aging, while others are made to be enjoyed sooner rather than later. Luckily, Riesling Spätlese has excellent aging potential as we saw with this incredible 1976 Erbacher Michaelmark Spätlese Riesling by Baron Knyphausen! 👀

What is Spätlese, you ask? Well, it means “late harvest” and is a German Prädikatswein quality level made from fully ripe, concentrated grapes, typically harvested 7–10 days after the normal season. Known for its balance of high acidity, intense fruit (peach, apricot), and medium sweetness, it is generally richer than Kabinett, with excellent aging potential. Hence why this wine from Baron Knyphausen knocked our socks off, with its still bright fruit and acidity!

The estate is known for their structured, age-worthy Rieslings, and offers a remarkable look at longevity in the glass. They have several first growth vineyards (Erste Lagen) including Erbacher Michaelmark, and through eight generations of winemaking continue to showcase a special sense of place that is unique to the Rheingau. 💕

But we’re not yet done celebrating Riesling … 🙈

We also made a pit stop at Schloss Johannisberg!

This idyllic structure is the world’s first vineyard exclusively dedicated to Riesling, and the estate has a winemaking tradition spanning over 900 years. With a heritage of that magnitude, it’s no wonder they are doing something (aka everything) right with Riesling here in the Rheingau. ✨

Are you rocking out to Riesling as much as we are? 🤣

.of.germany

24/03/2026

They said: a trip to 🇩🇪 wine country won’t fix your problems.

Meanwhile: us thriving at epic enomatic wine bar where 60 producers showcase 180 exceptional wines from the Mittlerhein and Rheingau regions! 😻🍷👌

22/03/2026

Would you walk these vineyards… or run the other way? 👀🙈

High above the Rhine at Burg Rheinfels, we found ourselves clinging emotionally to some of Germany’s most breathtaking and borderline vertigo inducing vineyard slopes. 🏔️

In this stretch of the Middle Rhine, steep feels like an understatement!

These are sites where every step matters and harvesting grapes for both finely tuned Sekt and electric Riesling comes with real risk. Let’s just say the tension in the wines might come from the terroir, but the tension in our legs came from simply looking down those slopes. 😬

At Weingut Philipps Mühle in St. Goar, we were met with warmth, generosity, and a deep sense of place (which at one point was a mill and bakery). The hospitality was as memorable as the wines, especially our first taste of Röter Riesling, the red-skinned ancestor of Riesling. Well suited to warmer vineyard sites, it offered a fascinating glimpse into both the past and future of this iconic grape. 🍇

In Oberwesel, Weingut Lanius-Knab delivered an unforgettable finale!

A deep dive into older and rarer back vintages showcased Riesling’s extraordinary ability to evolve with time, revealing layers of complexity, texture, and nuance in every glass.

A true masterclass in aging potential, all paired with a “light lunch” in true German style: because nothing says restraint like two sausages and a full plate of potatoes to get us right together! 😉🌭🍽️🍾
of.germany

19/03/2026

You could say we’re feeling Mosel-ly fearless on these almost vertical slopes! 👀

The Mosel is not for the faint of heart — this iconic German wine region is a place where vineyards don’t just slope, they plunge. 🏔️

Slate-rich soils shimmer beneath impossibly steep, sun-catching cliffs, shaping wines of precision, tension, and unmistakable character. From still to Sekt, this is where Riesling shines. ✨

Here, in the vertiginous vineyards of the high Mosel valley walls, harvesting is nothing short of heroic. Every grape is handpicked from narrow, terraced sites, where a misstep in Röttgen or Ühlen could mean a quick trip to the hospital. These are not vineyards on slopes — these are vineyards on slate cliffs.

What made this journey even more special was meeting the next generation shaping Mosel’s future. Daniel at Daniel Fries Weingut brings an energetic, thoughtful approach to crafting wines that honour tradition while embracing clarity and freshness in both Riesling and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). At Madame Flock, winemaker Robert is bringing a new perspective to the region, focusing on a low-intervention approach that aligns with his philosophy and distinctly on-trend direction. ⬆️

Back in Winningen, the hospitality at GG Restaurant & Vinotek was the perfect counterbalance to the drama of the vineyards. A warm, welcoming space to explore the region in the glass, where we tasted stunning Rieslings from Knebel. These are wines that capture the intensity of the warm, slate-packed terraces of this iconic region, with a clear emphasis on minerality and purity, alongside Heymann-Löwenstein, whose Rieslings are powerful yet elegant, with zippy acidity and a profound sense of place rooted in slate-rich soils. 🪨

We learned firsthand that the Mosel is a region of extremes, of risk and reward, and an absolute privilege to experience up close. 🍇
of.germany .wein

16/03/2026

Sparkling wine is taking centre stage at 2026 in Düsseldorf — confident, focused, and future-driven. 🍾

The new Sparkling Visions theme placed the growing global sparkling category firmly in the spotlight, showcasing its economic strength, stylistic diversity, and growing relevance. What can we say, we were in our element! 👀

The global sparkling wine market continues to expand rapidly and is projected to surpass $67 billion CAD by 2026, driven largely by premium segments experiencing strong double-digit growth. 📈

Across the forum, and in conversations with producers, we heard fascinating remarks on the upward trajectory of sparkling but pressing questions facing the wine industry: How do Champagne houses maintain their status as the world’s reference point while attracting new millennial and Gen Z consumers? Is it with the clear story and data points this bracket responds to? How do quality producers of VDP Sekt Reserve differentiate their wines from the global benchmark set by Champagne while finding new markets beyond home? And what about price outside of the premium segment of sparkling wine? We also heard quite a bit about the US driven trade uncertainty with tariffs and the future of export to a traditional market that is no longer seen as a reliable one. That hit home for as Canadians, though it did not damper the small but mighty crew waving the flag and pouring high quality Ontario wine for the world. 💕

There may not have been clear answers to every question posed, but these are the conversations shaping the future of sparkling wine. Experiencing them live — once again as media while reconnecting with the lovely and — was a true treat at ProWein, the world’s leading trade fair for wines and spirits, which continues to embrace change while setting a bold new direction for the industry. 🥂

14/02/2026

Valentine’s Day vibes! 😎💞💘💖💗

Anyone else enjoying a splash of sparkling rosé today? 🌹🥂

Cuvée Rosé is always our V-Day go to. Something so romantic about it. 🥰🍾

Not sure is sharing in the love. 🤣😼

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