Fourth of July. The holiday holds so many memories for me. The first Fourth of July I remember was in 1974 waving goodbye to my Granny as my family set out on the road leaving Illinois behind us on our move to Florida. The second time was in 1976, the Bicentennial. My parents were having a home built in Cape Coral, FL. The house was almost complete but not quite. Pool wasn’t finished and I don’t think all the fixtures were in the home yet. But that didn’t stop us from celebrating our first holiday on the lanai.
Kitty corner to our house was a home on stilts that proved to be very tempting to pilots of bi-planes who loved to play chicken with the house. I watched a pilot fly over the house, each time getting closer and closer to the roofline. Soon the plane left, the mosquitoes came out and we broke out the small citronella candle in its dimpled glass.

The next few years we spent the holiday on Sanibel Island where we’d drive to the Causeway and watch the fireworks over the water. That’s where I learned how to skip rocks on the water, while waiting for the show to begin. So why am I tell you all of this? Because most of those memories included sparklers which I continue to enjoy today. Only now they’re not only the lit up metal kind but the kind that come with bubbles in a glass too.

My favorite everyday go-to sparkling wine is R.S.V.P Brut Sparkling Wine from Trader Joe’s for just $5.99. Made in the Methode Champenoise the dry wine has fine bubbles with flavors of crisp apples and toast. I’ve served this to several out of town visitors and each was surprised when I tell them it costs just $5.99 as it drinks like a bubbly twice that price.

Caposaldo Sweet Pink Merlot Moscato
Sweet berry and rose aromas. Blackberry, raspberry and sweet floral flavors combined with effervescent bubbles. Light and refreshing perfect for a hot summer afternoon or an evening watching colors light up the sky. This wine pairs well with cherry or apple pie.

Varietal: 55% Merlot, 45% Moscato Bianco
Appellation: Italy
pH: 3.2
Acidity: 6.5 g/l
ABV: 9.5%
RS: 75 g/l
SRP: $14.99

Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blancs Méthode Champenoise Brut
Apple, toast and yeast aromas. Crisp clean flavors with, green apple and pear and hint of almond in the finish. Tiny bubbles with a nice acidic balance.
Varietal – 100% Chardonnay
TA – 0.91
RS – 1.0%
pH – 3.08
Alcohol – 12.5%
SRP – $21.99

Toad Hollow NV Risqué French Sparkling Wine
Crisp and fruity pear, sweet Red Delicious apple and honey flavors. With just 6% alcohol it’s not as risqué as it sounds and you won’t end up dancing in the street naked. Instead, stay indoors and have a little fun of your own.
Using the Méthode Ancestrale also known as traditional method or méthode champenoise the effervescence is produced by secondary fermentation in the bottle. Typically reserved for sparklers produced in the Champagne region, the process is slightly more complex, more expensive and produces wine that is slightly sweeter as the wine is bottled prior to the residual sugar converting into alcohol. This also gives the wine a lower alcohol content and less effervescence than other methods.
Varietal – 100% Mauzac
TA 4.5 g /100ml
RS 7%
Alcohol – 6%
SRP – $14.99

I’m hoping not many of you will be affected by Hurricane Arthur and you can enjoy a dry and safe Fourth of July!