K&L Newsletter: Sparkling Essentials

Sparkling wine shines on jubilant occasions—whether you're pouring for a crowd or savoring something special with close company. Below is a focused selection of our essential bottles for welcoming 2026, drawing from Champagne, Spain, Italy, and standout domestic producers. These are the wines we trust completely, stock by the case, and reach for ourselves whenever celebration calls (often well before the clock strikes midnight).

• Champagne Picks to Sip and Savor
• New Year, New Cava (and Corpinnat, too!)
• Italy in Effervescent Form: From the Alps to Etna
• Domestic Magic in a Bottle—Spellbinding Sparklers

No occasion pairs more perfectly with Champagne than the turn of the new year, and I have some excellent recommendations to help you welcome 2026. As the calm and quiet types know, there are 364 great nights for going out—and one perfect night to stay in with a bottle of Champagne. December 31st is the ideal evening to stay off the streets and savor something truly special at home.

Happy 2026 and a toast to you!

Read Champagne Buyer Gary Westby's Top Picks On the Trail

For decades, Cava was the dependable workhorse of the wine bar: reliable, ubiquitous, and, if we’re being honest, often uninspiring. Even in Spain, 90% of Cava sells for under 10 euros per bottle. The issue has always been one of geography. Unlike Champagne, which is a place, Cava is a method. You can make it in Catalonia, of course, but also in pockets of Rioja, Valencia, and even Extremadura. This multi-regional approach to an appellation has long frustrated small producers who believed that it obscured the quality and potential of small-scale sparkling winemaking in Penedès, where the style originated.

Read more from Spanish Buyer Rachael Ryan on her Sparkling Picks On the Trail

There is a misconception that Italian sparkling wine begins and ends with simple Prosecco. But if you dig just a little deeper, you realize that Italy is actually one of the most dynamic sparkling wine nations on earth. We have the "Grand Crus" of Valdobbiadene, the serious Metodo Classico of Lombardy, the savory fizz of Emilia, and even volcanic bubbles from the slopes of Etna.

Sparkling wine in Italy isn't just for a toast; it’s food wine, it’s conversation wine, and it’s a daily ritual. We wanted to curate a selection that shows the full spectrum of Italian bubbles—from the dry and mineral to the lush and aromatic. Read Italian Buyer Orazio Campoli's Sparkling Picks On the Trail

Our selection of fantastic Domestic Sparkling wines continues to grow from strength to strength and as we approach 2026 we have over 70 options in stock. So, what to choose? Well we have the classics: Roederer Estate, Schramberg, and J Vineyards. But we also have a beautiful selection of small production sparkling wines that are very much following the boutique, Grower Champagne type model with unwavering focus on quality, complexity and expression terroir. So, as we get ready to ring in another new year (my 15th here at K&L) I decided to highlight a few very special wines that are on my short list for popping when the ball drops (likely at NY time)! Wishing you all a wonderful New Year and health and happiness for 2026 and beyond! Cheers! Read Domestic Buyer Ryan Woodhouse's Sparkling Picks On the Trail

K&L Wine Merchants is once again honored to present the 2023 vintage of Bordeaux Grands Crus in partnership with the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB). Come and taste alongside 65+ château owners and distinguished estate representatives, offering an insider’s glimpse into the newest chapter of Bordeaux’s storied legacy. Be among the first to taste these wines straight from the heart of the region and hear the winemakers tell the stories of their estates. This is truly the pinnacle of Bordeaux tasting experiences.

This year’s event will take place at the City View at the Metreon in San Francisco, a beautiful backdrop for an evening devoted to discovery. Come taste, learn, and celebrate the 2023 Bordeaux vintage. This event sells out every year—secure your tickets early to ensure you don’t miss this extraordinary night!

LINEUP (subject to change)
Batailley ~ Beaumont ~ Beau-Séjour Bécot ~ Beauregard ~ Beychevelle ~ Branaire-Ducru ~ Brane-Cantenac ~ Cantenac Brown ~ Cantemerle ~ Carbonnieux ~ Citran ~ Clerc Milon ~ Clinet ~ Clos Fourtet ~ Cos Labory ~ Coufran ~ Coutet ~ Dauzac ~ de Fieuzal ~ de Pez ~ d’Armailhac ~ Doisy Daëne ~ Domaine de Chevalier ~ Duhart-Milon ~ Fourcas Hosten ~ Gazin ~ Giscours ~ Gloria ~ Grand Mayne ~ Grand-Puy Ducasse ~ Grand-Puy-Lacoste ~ Haut-Batailley ~ Kirwan ~ La Cabanne ~ La Tour Blanche ~ Lagrange ~ Langoa Barton ~ Larcis Ducasse ~ Larmande ~ Lascombes ~ Larrivet Haut-Brion ~ Le Gay ~ Léoville Barton ~ Léoville Poyferré ~ Lynch-Bages ~ Lynch-Moussas ~ Malartic-Lagravière ~ Ormes de Pez ~ Pavie Macquin ~ Petit-Village ~ Phélan Ségur ~ Pichon Baron ~ Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande ~ Prieuré-Lichine ~ Rauzan-Ségla ~ Rouget ~ Saint-Pierre ~ Siran ~ Smith Haut Lafitte ~ Soutard ~ Suduiraut ~ Talbot ~ Valandraud ~ Villemaurine

Thursday, January 8^th – Wine Club Tasting (All Stores)
Friday, January 9^th – Southern Rhône Tasting (All Stores)
Saturday, January 10^th – Riesling Tasting (All Stores)
Saturday, January 10^th – Bruichladdich: A Victorian Distillery Re-Imagined (Culver City)
Thursday, January 15^th – Blind Tasting (All Stores)
Friday, January 16^th – South America Tasting (All Stores)
Saturday, January 17^th – Burgundy Tasting (All Stores)
Saturday, January 17^th – Perro Verde Mezcal Spirits Tasting (Culver City)
Saturday, January 17^th – Sylva: Non-Alcoholic Aged Spirits (Hollywood)
Sunday, January 18^th – Superlative Spirits Presents: Mainland Rum (Culver City)
Thursday, January 22^nd – Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) - Bordeaux Grand Tasting (SF)

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