Lots of regions around the world attempt to produce sparkling wines these days, but there’s good reason to think that California is one of the most promising. Here, there is already a proven success growing the at least two of Champagne’s major grapes: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Here, too, you have an incredible diversity of climate and soils – look hard enough, and surely you will find something perfect for sparklers.

But the best thing about California is its people. Nowhere else do you find so many folks who combine innovativeness, passion, a willingness to learn from mistakes, and all the other great traits that have produced both technological and culinary revolutions. In California, we have people at hand who are applying those traits to sparkling wines.

One of them is Chris Cottrell, who makes wines that are very beloved to us at Bedrock. He has partnered with wine-maker Morgan Twain-Peterson (who happens to be a certified “Master of Wine”) to form “Under the Wire”. Very much inspired by the Grower Champagne movement, Under the Wire produces sparkling wine from some of California’s most interesting vineyards and terroirs, following the Grower philosophy of single vineyard, single vintage, and single variety (using low dosage and hands-off wine-making).

We’re not talking just about Champagne copy-cats, however. While we do love the Champagne-esque sparkler made from Chardonnay grown in Carneros’s Sangiacomo Vineyard, we are more intrigued by the very Californian sparkling Zinfandel, made from vines planted in 1888! This is not a new-fangled experiment mind you. Cottrell tells us that the tradition of making sparkling wine from Zinfandel goes back to the 1860s!

For anyone who lives here or who has any interest in Californian wine – or in wine with bubbles generally! – these are essential-tries:

Under the Wire Sparkling Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard 2018 - $54.99

Under the Wire Sparkling Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard 2019 - $54.99

Under the Wire Sparkling Old Vine Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard 2019 - $54.99