What is bright and bubbly and chalky all over? Well, sure, Champagne for one. But how about a German Sekt from legend of the Pfalz, Von Winning?

Von Winning is a superstar in the Riesling firmament, known for its Grand and 1er Cru single-vineyard bottlings which taste almost as much of the varied soils -- including basalt, sandstone, loess and, notable and rare, chalky limestone -- as they taste of the delectable Riesling fruit.

But being the kind of deep thinking and deeply committed growers they are, VW uses some of the fruit from those limestone rich soils in a sparkling wine, and boy does it hit! They work in the Champagne method (a first fermentation in tank makes a still wine, which they put into bottles with a little yeast and sugar for a second fermentation that makes the bubbles) and the texture is fine like Champagne. It even has some lovely chalky minerality thanks to the limestone soils.

But this is no Champagne knock-off and it's got plenty of its own personality. The fruit is pure Riesling, of course, with aromatics and juicy white peach character to spare. And some of that fruit comes from sandstone and loess soils, which bring a roundness that balances all the zip. You can drink a glass before dinner (keep a Champagne stopper on hand if you want to save some for later in the week). Or you can have it with shellfish appetizers, or fried chicken, or spicy Thai, or Szechuan fish soup or, well, almost anything. It's just that tasty and versatile.

And best of all, it's totally reasonably priced. So email now to grab a few bottles!

Von Winning Riesling Sekt Extra Brut NV $29.99