NV Karma Fine Beverages California Brut
Mission Codename: My Karma ran over your Champagne
Operative: Agent Sparkle
Objective: Investigate newcomer Karma to see how their unique and beautifully packaged (in elegant single-serving glass bottles) bubbly stands up against other sparkling wines and champagnes
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Karma Fine Beverages
Wine Subject: Karma Brut
Winemaker: Patrick Wilson
Backgrounder:
Agent Sparkle, Wine Spies resident Sparkling Wine expert, has been receiving numerous reports of a unique-looking California sparkling wine – in single serve bottles. Is the wine as good as it looks? Read Agent Sparkle’s mission report below to learn the truth.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Pale straw yellow with some of the tiniest bubbles that lazily glide their way to the top of the glass
Smell – Melon, pear, apricot on the nose with an airy, fresh and clean quality
Feel – The moment this bubbly hits your tongue, a small explosion of small bubbles erupts and as you swallow the wine, a dryness and crispness emerges
Taste – Sweet and slightly tart, I pick up flavors of pear, green apple, mild apricot and even a touch of melon and subtle mineral notes
Finish – Crisp and clean, with a slight tartness, followed by a lovely dryness that activates a fast mouthwatering effect
Conclusion – Karma’s winemaker must have done something right in a past life, as this sparkling wine resonates with universal good vibes and love for all who have the good fortune to taste it. This is a serious sparkling California Brut, with a simple charm and an elegance that pleasantly surprised me. Further, the unique single serve bottle is not only attractive, it is also functional, its thick walls serving to retain enough cold to keep the wine cool as you enjoy it. If you are looking for a perfect take-along bubbly for an outing, without the bulk of a standard sparkling wine bottle, this is a quality wine that fits perfectly into your small picnic cooler.
Mission Report:
Boiled down, the Eastern philosophy of Karma is simple:
If you do good things, good things will happen to you — if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you
If the above statement is true, the creators of Karma sparkling wine must rabid dogooders.
My network of informants and assets had been feeding me intel on a new bubbly called Karma, so I went to investigate. Immediately, I was struck by the design of the packaging. From the 4-pack box, to the hefty little single-serve bottles, this wine was a visual stand-out. But the proof, as I say, is in the bubbles – so I grabbed up a few 4-packs and headed back to Central Command to put them on ice.
Bottles sufficiently chilled, I called for a gathering of my fellow spies. Those that were lucky enough to be in Central were treated to their own personal bottle. Tops popped (unscrewed) and bottoms up, we sipped and analyzed and had a great time. This was a great sparkler, no doubt about it. Clean, crisp, flavorful and with a great feel. This is no novelty bubbly. Rather, Karma Brut is a sincere, tasty and fun sparkling wine that has a place at your formal picnic, tailgate party, or romantic evening under the stars.
I hope that you enjoy!

October 10, 2008 at 9:29 am
[...] Sparkling Wine” on Virgin’s “Red” on-screen ordering system. Further research revealed that The Wine Spies had also taken an interest in the bubbly beverage, making it clear to me that I needed to know more [...]
November 26, 2008 at 7:52 am
YES! This is fun and excellent wine, but where can I purchase some other than our local high end tapas bar? Anywhere in southern to central California coast?
February 26, 2009 at 10:30 pm
[...] You do get your champers on some airlines- though on VX it’s Karma sparkling wine, and I think AS is also domestic sparkling wine, too. (Note to AS: if you’d like to offer something [...]