Barefoot Bubbly Brut

Barefoot Bubbly Brut is a US-made sparkling wine from Massachusetts, labeled Brut, the dry end of the sweetness scale. The details supplied don't name the grapes, the production method or the alcohol level. So the notes here describe what dry sparkling wines in this style usually offer, not a measured profile of this bottle. Expect a light to medium body, crisp acidity, and fine, lively bubbles that lift the wine on the palate. Typical flavors are green apple, pear and citrus, sometimes with a hint of white flower or lightly toasted bread. Brut wines have little perceptible sugar, so the finish tends to be clean and dry. Tannin and oak are rarely part of the picture in this category. That dry, acidic profile makes the bottle useful at the table as well as on its own. High acidity and carbonation cut through fried and salty food, so it suits fried chicken, potato chips, popcorn, tempura, and oysters or other raw shellfish. It also works with soft cheeses such as brie or fresh goat cheese, and with smoked salmon on crackers. Brut's lack of sweetness handles light cream sauces and buttery seafood dishes without tasting cloying. For brunch, it can be poured straight or mixed with orange juice for a mimosa, or with a splash of peach purée for a Bellini. Its acidity holds up in these mixes, but a bottle in this style isn't really meant for heavily spiced dishes, where a touch of sweetness would serve better. Serve it well chilled, around 40 to 45°F, which in a home refrigerator takes about three to four hours. In an ice bucket with equal parts ice and cold water, it takes about thirty minutes. Colder temperatures keep the bubbles fine and the acidity bright, while a bottle served too warm can taste flat and overly foamy. Do not decant sparkling wine, because pouring it into another vessel releases the carbonation you're paying for. Hold the bottle at an angle, ease the cork out with steady hand pressure so it sighs rather than pops, and pour in two stages to keep the foam under control. A tulip-shaped flute or, increasingly, a small white wine glass will keep the aromas concentrated and the bubbles visible. A wide, shallow coupe lets bubbles fade quickly, so it is a weaker choice here. This is a bottle to drink soon after purchase, not one to cellar. Non-vintage, dry sparkling wines of this kind are made to show their freshness, and extra years in storage generally dull the fruit and the fizz rather than improve them. Keep it upright or on its side in a cool, dark spot until you chill it, and finish an opened bottle within a day or so, ideally with a stopper made for sparkling wine, to preserve what carbonation remains.