Food Stuff

Ah, the sounds of the season: the rustling of wrapping paper, the jingling of bells, the popping fizz you hear when cracking open a can of sparkling wine … Yes, a can. There’s nothing quite so festive as a nice bottle of bubbly, unless it is the kitschy delight of your own tiny pink can of bubbly, complete with expandable bendy straw. Francis Ford Coppola’s sparkler in a can, the Sofia Mini (available at Trader Joe’s), is refreshing, charming and very high on reverse-snob appeal. True wine snobs should be aware that it’s carbonated, not méthode champenoise, so the bubbles are big and fizzy, like Diet Coke, not tiny and prickly on the tongue, like real champagne. A shiny little four-pack, however, is just the thing if you’re looking for a fun way to toast without standing out in a crowd of beer drinkers or if you’re looking for something to take to that huge New Year’s Eve party you’re planning to crash. www.sofiamini.com.