For many people there is no better way to ring in the new year then to pop open a bottle of sparkling wine.  For most of us when we think or sparkling wine we think “Champagne” just like we think “xeroxing” when mean we want to make a copy and we reach for a “Band-Aid” when we mean we want a bandage. The only place that they make “Champagne” is in the Champagne region of France.  There are sparkling wines that are called “champagne” (please note the C is not capitalized) from other parts of the world like California, but they are not the real thing.  If you want an excellent chance of getting an excellent sparkling wine by all means buy a bottle of real Champagne.  You will also most likely pay a premium for that excellence as  it will cost you upwards of $40.00 a bottle.  That is appropriate if you are celebrating your anniversary, a promotion, or are an enthusiast.  But on New Years Eve most people are just looking to suck something down ...