White Wine with S. Pellegrino

[Hershey Bomar]

I've noticed people, ok women, in LA topping off their white wine at parties with S. Pellegrino. One waitress at the Edendale Grill in Silver Lake actually recommended it when they were out of sparkling Rosé.

My stepfather is appalled by this practice and hides his wine when friends are around. Soooo my question is whether drinking white wine with S. Pellegrino is totally gauche and so predictably LA or is this actually normal and been done for ages in Italy?

[SteveTimko]

I actually saw this as a tip recently on a morning TV news broadcast as a way to cut calories.

[brandygirl]

Not only is it a way to cut calories, but as a before-dinner drink or at a cocktail party, it helps keep people from drinking too much alcohol.

Isn't wine with sparkling water or club soda called a Spritzer?

[bclevy]

Your stepfather is damn right! If you want to have San Pellegrino
and white wine, just use 2 different glasses and drink separately.
If the white wine is of high quality, the San Pellegrino will
completely alter the taste. And yes, it is so LA!
Another excellent reason for Northern California to break
away and form its own state,

[Hershey Bomar]

What's high quality or what is too expensive to "alter".

[bclevy]

Any white wine $15 or up (chardonnay, viognier, pinot gris ...).
On the other hand 2 buck Chuck and anything that comes into
a jug is fair game, except in this case you would probably
be better off drinking the San Pellegrino straight up and forego
the wine.

[RicRios]

Hey bc, have you heard of "De gustibus non est disputandum"
("Chacun à son goût") ?

[tmso]

Tell your stepdad to lighten up! White wine with sparkling water is widely enjoyed in Germany under the name Weißwineschorle, and those carbonation-obssessed teutons are on to something with that combination. Some wines are profound, and should be contemplated and taken seriously. But some wines are tasty, fun, and meant to be enjoyed with a light heart. Mixing wine with sparkling water isn't a great way to appreciate the subtleties of the wine ... but it can be a lovely, tasty, refreshing drink, perfectly adapted to a summer afternoon. So, keep your sparkling water away from my 20-year-old Riesling, but for a young white meant to be drunk this year? Hells yes! So those angelenas are in pretty good company with men and women in Cologne, Berlin, Vienna...

[Hershey Bomar]

That's what I wanted to hear. I'll send him this.

[RicRios]

Like sex. In the privacy of your own glass, whatever you like is valid.

[Maximilien]

Why not, if you/they like it ! I've added ice to rosé and white in hot summer weather.

BUT

I would never compare that to anything that can be called sparkling wine.