10 Sparkling Wines $20 and Under Paired with Valentine’s Day Food

by Dorothy Reinhold on February 7, 2017


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Dorothy says: Today, to get us ready for Valentine’s Day, wine expert Martin D. Redmond from Enofylz Wine Blog has selected 10 sparking wines that…

  • pair well with food
  • are eminently quaffable
  • budget-friendly

Cheers to you and your sweetie! 

By Martin Redmond

With Valentine’s Day coming up, love is in the air.  Do you know what I love (besides my wife)? Sparkling wine. With food.

Champagne and other sparkling wines – called Cava, Prosecco, Moscato d’Asti, etc. — are not just great party wines or wines for celebrating, they’re also among the most versatile wines to pair with food.

What makes sparkling wines so food friendly?

  1. champagne_glasses-1They’re innately high in acidity, which can heighten the perception of flavors, and can stimulate the appetite.
  2. Most sparkling wines are multi-vintage, meaning they’re blends of wines from different vintages. Most are also a blend of different grape varieties. The resulting blend (a.k.a. cuvee) creates a vinous synergy that not only enables consistency of taste, it tends to showcase minerality, a characteristic that can add depth to fruity, savory, meaty and gamey flavors.
  3. A sparkling wine’s effervescence has a palate cleansing “scrubbing bubbles” effect, which prepares the palate for your next flavorful bite.

So in the name of deliciousness, I suggest 10 white, pink and red sparkling wines paired with Shockingly Delicious Valentine’s Day fare. These all beautifully showcase the versatility of sparkling wine at the table, and they’re all $20 or under.  

Pair the following dishes with a Brut-style sparkler:  

1. Everyday  (under $10) – Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava
2. Mid ($10-$15) Korbel Natural
3. Splurge  ($16-$20) Schraffenberger Cellar Excellence Brut

Pair the following dishes with Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine:

4. Everyday  (under $10) – Ca’ Furlan Prosecco NV
5. Mid ($10-$15) La Marca Prosecco
6. Splurge  ($16-$20) Sorelle Bronca Extra-Dry Prosecco Valdobbiadene

Pair the following dishes with a Sparkling Rose:

7. Everyday (under $10)  –  Segura Viudas Brut Rosado Cava
8. Mid ($10-$15) Korbel California Champagne Brut Rose
9. Splurge  ($16-$20) Mumm Napa Brut Rose

#10 Bonus sparkling red wine:

Banfi Rosa Regale  ($16-$20) – is an off-dry (slightly sweet) red sparkling wine from the Brachetto D’Aqui (Piedmont) region of Italy. It appeals to the eye and the palate with its gorgeous ruby color and aromas of roses and strawberries. It has a softer effervescence than typical sparkling wine. Not only will it shine as an aperitif, it could work throughout a meal including dessert, especially if that dessert is fruit-based like a raspberry tart, or chocolate dipped strawberries.  In fact it’s an amazing partner with all things chocolate (the darker the better)!

*Clink* Here’s to love — and red, white and pink sparkling wines – today, and every day!Champagne glasses

Martin D. RedmondAbout Martin D. Redmond: Martin is a financial executive by day and a certified wine geek with latent foodie tendencies the rest of the time. In addition to the wine lifestyle and food, he enjoys family, fitness and traveling. He likes to get thoughts of wine off his mind by sharing experiences on his ENOFYLZ Wine blog, which features wine reviews, wine country travel, and wine and food pairings.

areyoupinningIf you like this article and want to save it and the recommendations, pin the image below to your Pinterest board.

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Printable list to take to the supermarket or beverage store:

10 Sparkling Wines Under $20

Brut-Style

1. Everyday  (under $10) – Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava
2. Mid ($10-$15) Korbel Natural
3. Splurge  ($16-$20) Schraffenberger Cellar Excellence Brut

Italian Sparkler

4. Everyday  (under $10) – Ca’ Furlan Prosecco NV
5. Mid ($10-$15) La Marca Prosecco
6. Splurge  ($16-$20) Sorelle Bronca Extra-Dry Prosecco Valdobbiadene

Sparkling Rose

7. Everyday (under $10)  –  Segura Viudas Brut Rosado Cava
8. Mid ($10-$15) Korbel California Champagne Brut Rose
9. Splurge  ($16-$20) Mumm Napa Brut Rose

Sparkling Red

10. Sparkling Red Wine ($16-$20) Banfi Rosa Regale 

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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }

debi at Life Currents February 8, 2017 at 4:16 pm

That, I really need this list right now. And I love the pairing you have here. I haven’t decided what I’ll do yet for Valentine’s Day, but this should help.

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Jenni February 8, 2017 at 2:13 pm

Thank you so much for this! Lot’s of tips and useful info! 😀

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Michelle | A Latte Food February 8, 2017 at 11:57 am

I love sparkling wines! This is such a fantastic list and so handy too!

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christine February 8, 2017 at 11:36 am

this is great info. I’m a big wine drinker but don’t really know enough about sparkling wines. I just started branching out into prosecco. Now I know what to pair!

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peter @Feed Your Soul Too February 8, 2017 at 10:22 am

This is a truly useful post. My daughter would love this because she is on a budget. Now she only needs a date (don’t tell her I said that)!

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Dorothy Reinhold February 8, 2017 at 2:55 pm

Peter,
You cracked me up!

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Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons February 8, 2017 at 8:11 am

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this list-pinning!

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Joanne/Wine Lady Cooks February 8, 2017 at 7:08 am

Great post, and I love all the selections. I’m a fan of sparkling wines as well, there’s a variety of styles to please everyone. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine February 8, 2017 at 3:07 am

Lovely! What a great list of pairings!

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Tiffany February 7, 2017 at 8:25 pm

Lovely post and picks! I am also a huge fan of La Marca, it’s so good! 🙂

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Melanie | Melanie Makes February 7, 2017 at 7:57 pm

Sparkling wines are my favorite – love all the info you shared about them!

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Megan @ MegUnprocessed February 7, 2017 at 6:10 pm

A marvelous resource!

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Michelle @ The Complete Savorist February 7, 2017 at 5:09 pm

I loved this article, thank you for sharing!

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Sarah February 7, 2017 at 3:49 pm

Love this list! We just did a recipe for a cocktail with Rosa Regale!

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Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine February 7, 2017 at 2:55 pm

I love sparkling wines– and it’s so nice to have a list of budget friendly ones that are easy to find!

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Sheryl Beyer February 7, 2017 at 2:51 pm

Love your choices!

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The Food Hunter February 7, 2017 at 2:46 pm

adding all of these to my list!

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Chef Mireille February 7, 2017 at 1:35 pm

what a useful and informative post

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eat good 4 life February 7, 2017 at 10:37 am

Liquid goal. Sparkling wines are my favorite!

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Erren February 7, 2017 at 10:31 am

Love this especially with Valentine’s Day coming up!

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Nancy Rose Eisman February 10, 2014 at 2:03 pm

Thanks for the tasty tutorial. Sparkling wine not only makes food taste better, it makes any meal a special occasion. I think I’ll try them all!

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Dorothy Reinhold February 10, 2014 at 2:51 pm

Nancy,
I am always amazed at what a difference sparkling wine makes, to the taste of the food.

Reply

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