Matt & Alexis Iaconis

Matt and Alexis, owners of Brick and Mortar Wines in Healdsburg, California have many happy memories of tasting Champagne, visiting Champagne and trying a wide variety of the most famous Champagnes when they were dating. A friend of Matt’s introduced them to the best houses and vintages of Champagne at his annual holiday party. “We bonded over bubbles!”

Now they produce sparkling wines - ranging from single vintages using the classic Methode Champenoise, Vin pétillant sparklers as well as bubbles in a can. From sipping bubbles from the can to popping the cork on a magnum of Dom Perignon, their exploration of bubbles knows no bounds.

What sparkling wines are you loving right now?

We’re opening a 1982 Dom Perignon [Moet et Chandon, Epernay] for our holiday dinner. We love Krug and we have a Pol Roger, Sir Winston Churchill, a Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs and a couple of magnums of Cristal Rosé [Louis Roederer]. We love the bigger houses because the Champagnes age so well. We also have collected Philipponnat Clos des Goisses that comes from some great old vines on a single parcel, walled vineyard plus a non-vintage Cremant De Bourgogne from Val de Mer by Patrick Piuze. For our holiday party, we’re pouring magnums of Le Mesnil Blanc De Blancs NV Grand Cru Champagne.

What does sparkling wine symbolize for you?

Sparkling wine is part of our story. When we got into making wine we started with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It made sense to add sparkling wine since we love bubbles. It’s part of our adventure. There are a million different styles and a wide variety of grapes - a sparkling wine for everyone. One night every year we open every sparkling wine we’ve ever made, including those still being aged. It's a great night and it's fun to see what has evolved. Every year creates a new avenue for learning.