Special schmecial

You all probably know by now, I'm a big fan of fat red wines. Plummy, juicy, raisiny, pruny, a little spicy and all around yummy — whatever it takes to make that nice big pow in your mouth, count me in.

But that's not to say I'm not a fan of other types of wine. And lately I've found that often as not, a cold glass of a sparkling rose — be it champagne, cava, spumante, frizzante or prosecco — tastes just right. (And that's with or without the three bears.)

This current fizzy predilection has sent me on a quest for affordable sparklers, because although I'd like to indulge in Billecart Salmon and Nicholas Feuillat on a daily basis, that's just not possible at the moment. There is joy in the hunt, however, and I have found a handful of bubblies under $15 that fall into that "all around yummy" category. What more could you ask for? I mean, really?

So who needs a special occasion? or Valentine's Day? or even company? (Okay, maybe company.)

Cristalino makes a cava rose that is my fave, though many reviewers actually prefer the blanc de noir. Presto makes a rose prosecco that is so easy to drink I went through half a bottle and practically didn't notice (practically, I said "practically").

As a side note — I did have a fat red wine the other night, from a winery I'd never heard of, CG Di Arie. It was a 2006 Syrah, it was about $25, and it was very, very tasty. And — because would I be me if I didn't share this piece of data with you? — the winemaker and owner of this winery is the very same gentleman who developed the technology for the breakfast cereal Cap'n Crunch. That's right. The technology. And you thought cereal was just cereal.