earlier this summer we tried out a bottle of macaron prosecco. it had a great label design, an affordable price tag (under $15) and used a real cork; how could we go wrong? our hunch paid off as it was quite enjoyable. it had a hint of sweetness but was still light and refreshing. it was a great selection for a hot summer evening!

we grabbed our bottle at candler park market, although i’ve since found it at kroger in atlanta. if you want a classy bubbly at an affordable price, we recommend macaron prosecco! it’s also a great wine to bring to a party or give as a gift.

for other wine & bubbly ideas, check out some of our previous wine posts.

– ryan & gub

we recently tried an alvarinho wine, which is the portuguese equivalent of an albariño. we had a bottle of 2006 alvarinho dorado superior by quinta do feital. the color was a little more golden than the other albariño wines we’ve had, but it was quite tasty! we enjoyed it with some chilled steamed shrimp!

– ryan & gub

we recently tried a bottle of 2009 prosecco from terra verus. this bubbly was light and refreshing; perfect for a hot summer evening! we found our bottle at the green’s beverage on ponce de leon. it was part of their 25 great values for $10 or less, what a deal!

for another great bubbly, check out our previous post on rustico. the post also touches on exactly what makes up a prosecco, for those that are interested.

– ryan & gub

on our quest of trying white wines from around the world, we found ourselves with a bottle of tokaji wine from the tokaj region of hungary. we had a bottle of the 2006 furmint sec from the királyudvar winery, which we found at candler park market. it was in the new arrivals at the market and had a nice write-up, so we went for it.

this tokaji was made with furmint and hárslevelű grapes and aged 6 months in 500-liter hungarian oak barrels. the result was a complex dry wine with hints of citrus. we enjoyed it very much!

– ryan & gub

we recently tried rustico prosecco by nino franco. we’ve been keeping an eye out for this bubbly since it was mentioned in june 5th’s splendid table episode. prosecco is a dry sparkling wine made from glara grapes, which are mainly grown in the veneto region of italy. these italian grapes were formally known as prosecco grapes.

the fermentation process of this sparkling wine takes place in stainless steel tanks, making it less expensive to produce then champagne. as a result, prosecco has drastically risen in popularity outside of italy in recent years. if you’re looking for a great bubbly for under $15, keep your eyes out for a prosecco.

we found the 2008 rustico at the candler park market in atlanta. we spent a nice summer evening drinking this crisp, dry prosecco!

– ryan & gub

we have been on a kick of trying white wines from unique regions of the world. we recently had a rhône wine from the côtes du rhône appellation, which we learned is one of the oldest vineyards in france. we had a bottle of 2007 belleruche from m. chapourtier, made with white grenache, clairette and bourboulenc grapes. we enjoyed this crisp white wine along with fresh cut cucumbers from our garden. it was dry, light and great for summer drinking.

be sure to click on the image above to see a larger version. the wine label featured braille, which we had never noticed on a bottle before.

we found the belleruche from m. chapourtier at the candler park market in atlanta.

– ryan & gub

after recently trying an albariño, we’ve been keeping an eye out for other wines mentioned in last month’s splendid table episode. we found the 2008 la cana at the candler park market in atlanta. we spent a nice summer evening on our front porch drinking this refreshing wine. it went great with the chilled, steamed shrimp leftover from the beaufort stew at gub’s mom’s birthday.

the wine describes itself as:
“where the steep hillside vineyards meet the tranquil rias you’ll find groves of rush canes known locally as juncos which are as emblematic of galicia as the albariño grape itself. offering lush aromas of white peaches and ripe pears followed by flavors of pineapple and bright citrus the wine finishes on a crisp dry wine.”

– ryan & gub

we are not wine connoisseurs by any means, but we do enjoy drinking it, especially whites. we’ve been trying to sample unique white wines from various regions of the world. after a recent splendid table episode, we decided to try an albariño. this refreshing white wine is made from albariño grapes and is mostly produced in the rías baixas region of spain.

we tried a bottle of 2007 fillaboa albariño. it was crisp with hints of peach and apricot, but not sweet like riesling or muscat. it paired well with seafood and fresh veggies from our garden.

if you’re a fan of white wines, this unique variety is definitely worth checking out. we thoroughly enjoyed our 2007 fillaboa albariño and have been able to find it at toco hills giant wines in atlanta.

– ryan & gub