From: Loire Valley, France

Grape: Cabernet Franc

Here, you have a beautiful example of dry rosé sparkling wine from Chinon, Loire Valley, France. The vineyards are farmed organically, and the wine made from 100% Cabernet Franc.

Tasting notes: Marc Plouzeau’s 'Perles Fines' Rosé Pétillant is a lovely wine, showing more elegance on the nose and palate than the 'Perle Sauvage' version. The bouquet shows lovely cabernet franc character in its mix of white cherries, a touch of tangerine, currant leaf, lovely soil tones and a bit of smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, crisp and very nicely balanced, with frothy mousse, a good core and nice length and grip on the vibrant finish. A tasty bottle of sparkling cabernet franc, with plenty of elegance.

Pairing: Fresh, pretty, and dry, with a distinctly savory core. The bit of white pepper is evident on the palate, and calls for goats milk cheese with baguette and a side of rillette. Mussels à la marinière and mussel soup with saffron are also among the region’s (Chinon) superb seafood dishes that would pair beautifully with this sparkling rosé. Salmon would make a great match as well! If you’re feeling adventurous, the region also makes a blood pork sausage that would make a marvelous mate to this bubbly.