Patience, persistence, and an iron liver have finally brought us here: The very last bottle of the 2025 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. And what better way to celebrate crossing the annual wine finish line than by popping some champy?
As it turns out, it’s not actually Champagne that’s behind Door #24. Instead it’s this, the Ciel Bleu Sparkling Brut.
Champagne, as you may know, must come from the Champagne region of France–while today’s bottle comes from the “France” region of France. Less precise geography, less strict production rules…but forget all that.
It’s five o’clock in the afternoon, it’s already dark outside, and I’m getting thirsty. Let’s free this budget bubbly from its cage and find out if Ciel Blue is heaven-sent.
The Label
From the producer: “This French Sparkling Brut is a refined and elegant wine, offering delightful aromas of fresh butter and cake. On the palate, it is fresh and harmonious with a well-balanced structure that enhances its fresh, lively character.”
The Tasting
Medium gold in the glass, with uniform, medium-sized bubbles that fizzle out not more than a minute after pouring. Simple aromas of yellow apple and vanilla frosting, with a one-note apple-juice flavor. Quite dry, with medium-plus acidity and adequate but unobtrusive alcohol (11%). There’s nothing actually wrong with how it tastes…as long as you drink it before it gets warm or entirely flat.
Is this wine carbonated? I have no idea if it is or not. But it has that kind of texture, like Martinelli’s cider, or Sprite. The bubbles feel oddly separate from the wine, barely dissolved–like someone put a passable house Chardonnay though a Sodastream machine.
We have not been shy about dishing out both very high and very low grades to the half-bottles from this year’s calendar. There have been hideous reds, truly enjoyable whites, and lots of wines in between.
So how about the final wine of the box? Will we judge Ciel Bleu to be good or bad?
Friends, I contain multitudes. The pinky-up wine taster inside me is not too happy with this sparkling Brut–but the party gal is already halfway through the bottle. It’s not real Champagne, but neither is it a real pain to drink.
Bottle: Ciel Bleu Sparkling Brut (NV) – France
Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar Number: 24
Grade: C+
Finish the bottle? Yeah.
That’s a wrap, folks! We tasted all 24 wines in the 2025 Costco Wine Advent-ure calendar (and lived to tell about it). See previous reviews here.
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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