Three sparklings, two Champagnes, and one night of celebration

Sparkling wine can turn any meal into fine dining, any night into a celebration, and any celebration into a great party. Rightfully so, it is always a good idea to have a few bottles of bubbly in your fridge especially with New Years Eve just around the corner. But before stocking up for the holidays, keep these tips and sparkling recommendations in mind. I wish you all safe and happy holidays!

First remember that all Champagne’s are sparkling wines, but not all sparkling wines are Champagnes. To be a real Champagne (always with a capital letter “C”), the wine must have been produced following the rigorous standards set by French wine law and only in the French DOC (recognized wine region) of Champagne. Because of the limited production of real Champagne, it tends to be quite pricey.

The primary grape varieties used in Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. On the label you may find terms such as “NV”, which indicates that the grapes used to make the wine came from multiple vintages. A designated year on a Champagne means it’s a vintage Champagne (only made in years where conditions were optimal) and usually more expensive than NV. Finally, the term Brut denotes that it is semi-dry appears on a majority of the labels, whereas demi-sec, denotes a sweeter wine.

The first Champagne I recommend is Taittinger NV Brut Champagne ($36) which is very crisp, has good amounts of peach, honey and vanilla and has very good structure. This is much more bang for your buck that the more popular and similarly priced Veuve Clicuot. For around $40, NV Heidsieck Champagne Brut Blue Top Monopole is another excellent choice with great structure and balance, as well as plenty of fresh flavors.

On to the sparklings!

The Italian equivalent of Champagne is Prosecco. It comes from white grapes grown in the foothills of the Alps in the Venuto region of northeast Italy. Prosecco is generally a pale/straw color with a fresh melon and citrus flavors as well as honey and nuts. Prosecco has a crisp, refreshing finish and is a great, affordable way to celebrate any occasion. I highly recommend the Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Extra Dry NV which can be found for $13 and is filled with great fresh fruit flavors and lots of refreshing bubbles.

My personal favorite alternative to Champagne comes from the Catalonia region of Spain and is called Cava (literally meaning “cave” or “cellar”). Produced in Catalonia for hundreds of years, Cava is light, crisp, filled with apple and citrus, and quite refreshing. One of my favorite produces of Cava is Avinyo; look for the Brut Reserva which is less than $15 and a lot of bang (and bubbles) for the buck!

And of course there are many versions of sparkling wines produced right here in the USA. The styles of these are quite diverse and rather than get into the details of each, I suggest to you a glass of Domaine Chandon Brut Classic (one of my favorite California-made sparklings) and an hour or so of Google searchers!

A few tips

• When serving a sparkling wine, be sure it is chilled properly (42 degrees for non-Champagne, 45-50 degrees for NV and vintage Champagne).
• The best way to open the bottle is to use the following method. Remove the foil from the top of the bottle. Gently unwind the metal twist-ties and dispose of the cap. With one hand firmly grasp the base of the bottle while placing the other hand on the cork. In one quick motion, turn the base of the bottle while pulling the whole bottle down and away from the cork. The hand that is securing the cork should remain in place throughout the process. Caution: due to the pressure of carbonation in the bottle, use extreme care when opening any sparkling wine. Never aim the top of the bottle at any living object! An alternate method for opening a Champagne bottle is the more advanced “saber” method which involves chilling the top of the bottle in an ice bucket, then running a saber up the side of the bottle at a 45 degree angle to cause a splitting of the glass (see image to the right, not recommended for beginners!).
• When possible use a Champagne flute: the shape of the glass helps preserve the bubbles. One final tip, sparkling wines and Champagne go great with many different foods (especially Sushi and spicy foods like Thai), so experiment and have fun!

As you can see there are many options for sparkling wines at all different price ranges. Whether it’s for dinner on a Tuesday night or to toast in the new year, a great sparkling wine or Champagne can turn any occasion into a celebration. Cheers!