Latest news with #fizz
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
The best bubbles for the bank holiday – including a new £7 winner at Asda
If you've been shopping for fizz recently, you will have noticed newcomers among all the prosecco and crémant. A lot of newcomers. In the past few weeks, I've tasted sparkling vermentino from Australia's Strathbogie Ranges, fizz from Argentina's Famatina Valley, and bubbles from the shores of Lake Garda, to name a few. As a committed crémant drinker, I've approached these newer sparkling wines with suspicion bordering on hostility. It's clear why they are here. Sales of crémant continue to soar: up by 19 per cent in Waitrose compared to the same time last year. And sparkling wine generally is so wildly popular that producers all over the world are keenly pivoting towards it, while supermarket buyers seek variety as well as cheaper alternatives to plug holes in their ranges as the price of crémant rises alongside demand. Of course, I love tasting new wines. There's always a thrill to finding out what lies underneath the cork. But novelty for novelty's sake is not at all alluring. Any type of wine has to prove its worth to make it into my fridge – or my list of recommendations. So I'm pleased to report that some of the new sparkling wines are actually rather good, particularly if you're shopping on a budget. Skip to: The best crémants The best alternative bubbles A word about crémant first, because the choice on the shelves has proliferated in the past year or two, making it more interesting but also more complex to navigate. If you've yet to try it, my hot tip is crémant d'Alsace. I've long loved crémants from the Loire and Limoux, as well as Burgundy and Bordeaux, but crémant d'Alsace is now in most supermarkets, from Asda to Waitrose, and it's delicious. With crémant, each region has its own range of permitted grape varieties. In Alsace, these varieties include pinot blanc, riesling and pinot gris. The blends (and therefore the wines) vary a lot but pinot blanc and riesling bring compelling freshness, while pinot gris brings subtle florals; think meadow flowers rather than highly scented freesia.
WIRED
06-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- WIRED
Smeg's New SKC01 Soda Maker Offers Beauty and Bubbles
Photograph: Chris Haslam Installation and use is simple. Just screw the standard 400/426-gram CO₂ cylinder into the hole in the base and you're ready to fizz. In the UK, Smeg has partnered with a brand called CO2 You that offers cylinder refill, return, and subscription services, with prices from £25. Buy direct from Smeg and you will receive a free cylinder, but don't expect the same from third-party retailers. Most soda makers have handles or buttons, but the Smeg has a stylish metal dial that keeps the design lines uncluttered. The knurled metal ring is a pleasure to use, and the base is stable enough for one-handed operation, although getting the current level of fizz into your water does take practice. Busy With the Fizzy Photograph: Chris Haslam The supplied instructions are a little too basic, suggesting that turning the dial once, twice, or three times will boost your bubble level. What it doesn't say, however, is how long you turn the dial for. Again, I asked Smeg, and they told me that carbonation levels are subjective, as a rule. But as a rule, if you spritz for two seconds, you'll get light bubbles— leggermente frizzante , if you're feeling Italian—four seconds for a medium fizz, and hold for six for the full club soda effect. You can also hold the dial to the right until it squeaks, which indicates there's as much CO₂ in there as possible. Obviously, the amount of carbonation will impact the number of cylinders you will get through. I like my water fizzy, and while rated for 13 gallons (60 liters), CO2 You estimates that I'm more likely to get 10 to 11 gallons (45 to 50 liters). It's still a whole lot better than the equivalent number of plastic bottles you'd get through. So it's simple to use, effortlessly stylish, and fizzes water like a charm. And surprisingly, given Smeg's track record, it's not crazy expensive. Still, just be aware that you can currently pick up a perfectly effective, but painfully boring, SodaStream Art with three CO₂ cylinders for just $110.
