Need a killer sparkler at an everyday price? Skip the Cremant and look east to Slovenia's Planina-Vipava Valley. That's where Zmago Petric works to carry on his family's generations-long winemaking history on their organic and biodynamic 12 ha estate. As is the case with their Italian neighbors in Friuli, Slovenia has a long history of working with so-called international varieties. Here, young Merlot vines along the upper reaches of these steep slopes maintain enough acidity to be perfectly suited for Champagne-method sparkling wine. Deeply rich and complex, with notes of pie crust, sweet cherry, nectarine and yellow fruits, this is elegant and full with freshness, packed with notes of lemon cream, red cherry, a subtle minty minerality and endlessly cleansing bubbles.