Battle Sparkling White Zinfandel

Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel | Cook's Sparkling White Zinfandel

Well, there you have it. My wife has to go out of town and what do I do? Open not one, but two bottles of sparkling White Zinfandel…on the same night. I have no rationale explanation. Okay, I have one. See, I figured that I better not drink anything good while she is out of town, so unless I have doubles of something (which I do have a few), I figured I needed to open things I knew she wouldn’t mind missing out on.

So, I went on a research field trip to Total Wine, as they generally have a fair number of 187 and 375 ml offerings. Unfortunately, the store in Kennesaw had fewer than I thought. Guess I need to check out the other locations. So, while I did get a few things (stay tuned this upcoming week) to sample, I figured I’d buy some other inexpensive offerings. Once I spotted the Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel, I knew this would be something to sample. I looked for others to do comparison, but Cook’s was the only other bottle I could find. I almost bought all 7 (yes, 7) flavors of André, but figured I’d wait on that for some other time.

Beringer on left, Cook's on right

Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel $8.79 – As you can see in this side by side photo, the Beringer is more salmon in color. The bubbles fade relatively quickly and my guess is that this wine is carbonated, but I can’t confirm either way as the wine isn’t even listed on Beringer’s website. No matter.

The aroma was fruity, but a little artificial smelling. I kept thinking it smelled a lot like Jolly Rancher watermelon and strawberry got together and had a kid. As you might expect, it was pretty sweet on the palate. I thought for a minute it might not be too bad, since it was 11% ABV, but it was the lack of acid which made the sugar weigh heavy, like a sport fish bending the pole, it was just too much to handle.

I can see where this will have fans, as White Zinfandel in general still sells quite well. If I had to drink it, I’d drink this because, well, it has bubbles. If you are looking to make a pink punch of some sort, this would work well as a base. Just make sure to add some citrus to raise the acid. You could also serve this with some really spicy wings, as the sugar will help tame the heat.

Cook’s Sparkling White Zinfandel $5.39 - The pinker of the two, that was about all the credit I can give this one. It wasn’t bad, but it was really much tamer in flavor than the Beringer. I also got some pretty strong sulfur notes and very little fruit. At least the Beringer actually smelled fruity, even if it was more Kool Aid than wine. Upon drinking it, it was a little better, but for the $3.40 difference, I’d take the Beringer every single time. If you are going to make a sparkling punch with lots of fruit juice and just need something for color and alcohol, I’m not sure food coloring, vodka and club soda wouldn’t be better.

Winner (?): Beringer.

Haiku
Pink, you are not white
Zinfandel should not bubble
Soda gives relief

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