Because Wednesday nights like bubbles too...

There are many great things about Hermosa Beach (frat boys, bums and copious amounts of drinking...actually only one of these things is great) but I have to say one of my absolute favorite things about Hermosa is the amount of restaurants that have no corkage fee or a very cheap one. The other night Steph and I discovered that Zane's has free corkage for up to 3 bottles! I must say, we can do a little damage after 3 bottles. So, with the knowledge we gained out on the town last week Steph, Maggie, Katya and I decided to return to Zane's. As we arrived empty handed in Hermosa it occurred to me that my other favorite thing about Hermosa is that there is a more than sufficient amount of wine/liqour stores. Although the store we would have liked to go to was closed...low and behold the liqour store on the opposite corner was not. We popped in and decided to make it a sparkling night (duh) and, although we were far more glamorous than the wine, these two sparklings served their purpose for a Wednesday night...besides what do you really expect from an overpriced liquor store on a random corner in Hermosa.

Since you can never go wrong with a bottle of Chandon we decided to pop this one first. Always a favorite, the Brut Classic from Chandon lingers on the edge of brut. It's a sparkling that is decidedly dry but soft and crisp with notes of apple, pear, a bit of citrus and a hint of caramel which can be reminiscent of a slightly off dry bubbly. This wine is made in the traditional method or method champenoise from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. I have to say it paired perfectly with my ahi tartar and for about $15 this wine was a good Wednesday night, dinner with the girls kind of wine. 

The second bottle we opened was an Italian sparkler (but not Prosecco) that was a good easy drinkin' second wine. Rotari NV Brut Rose from Trento in northern Italy (non vintage, so they blend multiple vintages to keep the wine uniform over the years...much sparkling is non vintage). Nothing to write home about but definitely drinkable. It was a light pinky, salmony color and had notes of grapefruit, red berries a hint of fresh baked bread and nice acidity, also made in the traditional method (which is interesting because much Italian sparkling...Prosecco...is made using the Charmat method). Overall a decent choice for about $10. 

Ok fine, so we may have ordered one more bottle off the menu. 

It was Mionetto Prosecco Brut from Veneto, Italy. I'm going to be honest, at this point my palate may not have been what it was 2 bottles ago but this wine was crisp and refreshing. The winemaker says "...intense fruity bouquet with hint of golden apples..." very descriptive, I know. They also go on to say that it can be a good base for Bellinis or sparkling wine cocktails...which serves a very important purpose in life but I usually prefer sparklers that should not be tainted by anything. As many of you know I have been known to order a mimosa sans orange juice on more than multiple occasions. 

So the night went on and we caused some trouble and broke some hearts...standard. 

Until next time...keep on sparkling.