Jordan Winery Buckwheat Blinis with Chef's reserve Caviar and Champagne

Napa and Sonoma Sparkling Wine Tastings with Food

Sales of sparkling wines and Champagne have skyrocketed in recent years. We’re all looking for a reason to celebrate, right? But those bright, crisp bubblies make our taste buds beg for salty snacks and other foods. California wine country is answering this call. Now you can enjoy a Napa and Sonoma sparkling wine tasting paired with a variety of classic partners, from cheese to potato chips to caviar. These seven wineries and businesses have created unique experiences with bubbly lovers in mind.

Sparkling Wine Tasting with Food

SONOMA COUNTY

Champagne & Caviar Tasting at Jordan Winery
The decadent Champagne and caviar tasting experience in Jordan Winery’s dining room.

Jordan Vineyard & Winery

Spoil yourself with a private table in Jordan’s grand dining room for a gourmet caviar and Champagne pairing. This by-appointment tasting experience features the Jordan Chef’s Reserve Caviar by Tsar Nicoulai, the winery chef’s traditional buckwheat blini and caviar accoutrements, Jordan Cuvée by French Champagne producer AR Lenoble, Jordan Russian River Chardonnay and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. High-quality, farm-raised caviar pairs marvelously with fine white and even red wines, not just Champagne. Your host will discuss the history of caviar, the rise of American caviar farms and quality levels of caviar production. Available only to silver, gold and platinum members of the winery’s loyalty program, Jordan Estate Rewards. You become a silver member once your lifetime spending reaches $500, so this luxurious private wine and food tasting is quite accessible. $50-$70 per person plus points.

1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, 800-654-1213, jordanwinery.com/rewards
Iron Horse sparkling wine in champagne bucket, wine tasting
Iron Horse Vineyard’s Under the Palms tasting is hosted seasonally at the winery’s Green Valley estate.

Iron Horse Vineyards

The “Under the Palms” tasting at Iron Horse Vineyards in Sonoma’s Green Valley is a private, seated journey for two to four guests. Lounging at a “ringside” table under the palm trees, you’ll enjoy their fabulous view of pinot noir and chardonnay vineyard blocks while enjoying the fruits of those vines. The experience includes tête de cuvée bubblies, like Late Disgorged and Joy! served in a special flute, older vintages of chardonnay and pinot noir and a curated cheese platter to pair with the wines. Hosted April through October a few days a week with two tasting times per day. Be sure to visit their website for annual dates. $65 per person.

9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol, 707-887-1507, ironhorsevineyards.com
J Bubble Room food pairing with sparkling wine
The first course of the J Bubble Room’s tasting menu recently featured scallops paired with sparkling.

J Vineyards & Winery

In 1999, J’s Founder Judy Jordan established one of the first food pairing experiences in Sonoma County. Now operated by E & J Gallo Winery, J’s Bubble Room experience is a multiple-course, sit-down food and wine pairing that includes both sparkling and still wines. If you’re going there for the bubbly, be sure to check the menu, which changes every six weeks. Sometimes only one sparkling wine is featured, and in other months,the menu is exclusively paired with bubbly. $125 per person.

11447 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 707-431-5400, jwine.com
Sigh Champagne Bar Sonoma cheese pairing plate
Guests can enjoy a cheese plate at SIGH Champagne Bar in Sonoma at the bar or at lounge tables.

Sigh! Sonoma

Named one of the top 25 Wine Bars in the Country by Travel & Leisure Magazine, Sigh! was established in 2012 to fill the needs of bubble lovers looking for a wider array of choices. Guests can enjoy a Sonoma sparkling wine tasting or Champagne in the heart of the town of Sonoma. Choose from a variety of bubbles from around the world as well as from down the street. The selection changes often and they offer bubble-friendly cheeses, Tsar Nicoulai caviar and Ramekin’s truffle kettle chips. No reservations necessary. $25-$65 per food item.

120 West Napa Street, Sonoma, 707-996-2444, sighsonoma.com
Gloria Ferrer Bubbles and Bites Food Pairing
The tasting flight at Gloria Ferrer’s Bubbles & Bites.

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

Spanish-owned Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma offers a relaxed experience at Bubbles and Bites. The tasting starts with a private tour where you’ll learn about the history of the Ferrer family and the intricate sparkling wine process. Following the tour, get comfy in their Vista room for a special pairing of seasonal bites and their Sonoma sparkling wine tasting guided by a wine educator. $60 per person.

23555 Highway 121, Sonoma, 707-933-1917, gloriaferrer.com

NAPA VALLEY

sparkling wine brunch plate tasting napa, J Davies Schramsberg
The Schramsberg Bubbles & Brunch tasting at J Davies features a lineup of excellent sparkling wines with food pairing.

Davies Vineyards

For a fun alternative to weekend brunch, Davies Vineyards has a bubbles and caviar seated tasting which is more like a decadent, three-course meal. Featuring six different bubblies from their sister winery, Schramsberg Vineyards, each guest enjoys an ounce of caviar with accoutrements (potato chips, cracker, creme fraiche, egg yolks) then, heavy appetizer courses served with the sparkling wines. Hosted in the upstairs tasting salon at the Davies’ family’s new Grayson Building in St. Helena. $130 per person, 48-hour advanced reservations required. Davies is also featured in Best Napa Valley Wine & Cheese Tasting Experiences.

210 Grayson Avenue, St. Helena, 707 963 5555, daviesvineyards.com
Schramsberg Napa wine and cheese tasting plate
Four reserve sparkling wines and one red are served with cheeses at historic Schramsberg.

Schramsberg Vineyards

This well-loved, family-owned Napa sparkling wine producer offers a Reserve Wines and Cheese Pairing experience that includes a very informative cave tour where you’ll learn about the traditional method of making sparkling wines. After the tour, taste five sparkling and still wines paired with select cheeses, and discover the nuances of wine and food pairing. $125 per person. Advance reservations are required.

1400 Schramsberg Road, Calistoga, 800-877-3623, schramsberg.com
Domaine Carneros terrace cheese plate pairing
Pair your cheese plate with sparkling wines and beautiful views at Domaine Carneros in Napa.

Domaine Carneros

A stunning American outpost of France’s Taittinger as grand as any Champagne house. Pair your sparkling wine with a variety of local and imported artisanal cheeses, a charcuterie plate, smoked salmon or small-batch caviar by Tsar Nicoulai. With gorgeous views of the Carneros hills both inside and out, you can drink in spectacular lake and vineyard views from your private table on the terrace or in the salon. Prices vary. Also featured on Best Napa Valley Wine & Cheese Tasting Experiences.

1240 Duhig Road, Napa, 800-716-2788, domainecarneros.com

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About the Author

Born and raised in rural Kansas, Lisa Mattson fell in love with wine during college in South Florida and worked for a wine magazine before moving to Northern California. She spent almost a decade working as a writer, marketing director and photographer/videographer for Jordan Winery and now serves as a hospitality design and marketing consultant for several wineries, including Jordan. She also designs succulent gardens under the name Sonoma Succulents. When she’s not eating and sipping her way through Sonoma County in the summer and Baja California Sur in the winter, she travels the world with her husband in search of new succulents, ethnic foods, snorkeling spots and tiki bars.

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