If you are looking for some great bubbly with New Years coming up here is a guide to help with your choices. Champagne or sparkling wine can sometimes be confusing, if it pops and has a cork than most people think its champagne. The truth of the matter is that only champagne from the region that carries this name can be called by this name. So if it from anywhere else than Champagne, France than it must be called sparkling wine. Sparkling wine is produced in almost every wine producing region in the world. There are many different types and styles some of which rival the tastes and quality that comes from France. The next thing to keep in mind is what will be the style, sweet or dry, light or full flavored, and price. The ranges of sugar or dosage added are Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Sec, Sec, Demi Sec, and Doux, listed from driest to sweetest.

There are few French champagnes that are reasonably priced, but most from the region do have a complexity of flavor and quality. Some of my personal favorites are, Perrier Jouet Grand Brut, $35 posses’ layers of creamy, vanilla, and yellow apple flavors balanced with just the right amount of acidity, this is a great champagne for the price. Taittinger Brut, $37 has more pear and peach notes, and also has a nice nose of baked bread and yeastiness. There are many champagnes on the market and it is fun to experiment, and once you find a producers style you like it is a good possibility that the style will not change much year after year.

There are 1000’s of sparkling wines on the market from every corner of the earth. California is doing a great job of producing high quality bubbly, with Chandon making some of the best I have tasted in every price range and style. Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir $20 is terrific also, creamy and layers of apple, it is delicious. I used this wine when I got married and has been great every year since. Italy makes two well known styles, Prosecco, a light and fresh style wine and Spumante, a sweeter and very creamy wine. Zardetto $16 makes one of the finest examples of Prosecco, and Vivace $15 a new producer has a great flavored Spumante. Spain makes Cavas which can be produced sweet or dry, with one of the finest examples of quality for price is Freixenet $10 and comes in many different sweetness levels. Some new styles that are emerging in the area are sparkling Shiraz from Australia, a dark red fruit and spicy flavors, and sparkling sake produced with rice and having similar flavors of the still variety imported.

Have a great New Years celebration, and always remember to drink responsibly and always have a designated driver.

Cheers!