A special Japanese sparkler for Xiaolongbao

This is a special Japanese sparkling wine slelected by Japanese Sommeliers to go with the Chinese dim sum Xiaolongbao. The label says Ancestral Sparkling wine with second fermentation in bottle, but whether it is truly methode ancestral as opposed to methode classico (just like how champagne is made) is open to debate. Two versions of methode ancestrale exist, one where the onlty fermentation occurs in bottle and the other where the must is first partially fermented in tank and then bottled. The fermentation continues in bottle and uses up the rest of the grape sugars. So much for fermentation.

The wine has a very interesting cepage too. It is made from equal proportions of Ryugan (a Chinese rose skinned vinifera grape) and Campbell Early, an interspecific hybrid bred by GW Campbell in the USA in 1890. Campbell Early is used in a number of Japanese wines one can buy in Hong Kong. The wine was a limpid purple pink with few bubbles. The nose was reminiscent of Kyoho grapes with some spicy notes. The palate was sweet and grapey with a slight spritz. Foxy Kyoho notes were evident from the nose through the palate into the acidic fruity finish. Somehow, my wife and I doubted that this is the best wine to go with Xiaolongbao.