Narsai David: Sparkling Pear Cider And Napa Moscato

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— This week I have two very charming and appealing wines to introduce you to. The first is Eric Bordelet Poire "Granit" (pear). It's a marvelous sparkling wine made from pears. The British would call it "perry" but this is from France and is commonly called pear cider.

Delicate, very fine sparkling pear cider this drink only has about four-percent alcohol and is a rare find. I got a bottle as a Christmas gift and found it to be really marvelous. We had it before dinner with cheese and it was easy to have several glasses with such low alcohol content.

Made from 300-year-old pear trees, it's a real bargain at $15.99.

Another wine that was slightly sweet made from grapes from the Napa Valley. The 2011 Napa Valley Estate Moscato demonstrates a pale touch of a golden color with a bouquet of lush, ripe spring peaches. The taste is just about the same— slightly sweet, but this time with 11 percent alcohol content.

This wine really captures the essence of the Muscat grape and adds a complex mixture of melons and peaches reminiscent of springtime fruit compote. It's absolutely crisp, tart and delicious for $20 a bottle.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

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