As it starts to warm up again, we’re just about ready to lay out by the pool, read a novel, play some tunes, and sip something delicious and refreshing. We’re kicking off the pre-season with a wine that not only serves as a perfect pool day wine, but also checks the box on many other descriptors we love – a wine with a good story, female-owned and made, and bubbly!!!
Three sisters Sharon Cohn, Rebecca Faust, and Cynthia Faust grew up together in Northern California. After they lost their mom to rare Alpha-1 (a disease that makes it hard to breathe), they were inspired to make sparkling wine in her honor. The winery name “Breathless” is both an ode to their late mother, and a reminder to celebrate life’s moments that leave you breathless. A portion of proceeds from wine sales goes to the Alpha-1 Foundation and other non-profits.
Breathless Sparkling Brut Rosé ($35) is made in the traditional French method, méthode champenoise, meaning secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle as it does in Champagne. Head winemaker, Penny Gadd-Coster, who boasts an impressive resume and won awards for the first vintage of Breathless Brut just 1 year after the winery opened, uses the three traditional Champagne grapes in her sparkling wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. This Sparkling Brut Rosé flaunts a beautiful salmon color, and is rich in flavors of strawberry, stone fruit, and a hint of cream.
The wine label also has a unique story! The label features a painting called “Lady on a Flying Cork” that the sisters found on a Champagne poster from the 1920’s. They bought the rights to this poster to feature on their bottles. See a close up of the label below! This label can also be found on a recently released historical fiction novel: Champagne Widows. We’re definitely adding this to our to-read list this year, anyone else in?!
Witty Pairs 