Bubbles on a Budget

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 so they can get to the hugging, kissing, and blowing into their noisemakers.  They really don’t take the time to savor what is in their glass.  For those occasions, and quite frankly for most other occasions,  your wine guy has some suggestions that are nearly as good and sometimes better than real Champagne at a fraction of the price.  

One thing you could do would be to look for a bottle with the words “Methode Chapenoise”  on the label.   That means the wine is made using the exact same method that the do do make Champagne from Champagne but it is made somewhere else.  Ideally you will find one made in another part of France but no matter where it is produced you will more than likely enjoy it.  You can find good ones starting at around $12.00.   

From Italy you can find great sparkling wines called Prosecco or Asti Spumante.  They are made from different grapes and as a general rule Asti Spumante will be sweeter than Prosecco.  You can find good versions of each of these starting at around $12.00 as well.  

Lastly is one of my personal favorites, Cava from Spain.  It may not say it on the label but most of them are produced using the “Methode Chapenoise”.  They are quite tasty and because Cava  is not as well known as other sparklers you can still find good ones starting at around $9.  

You noticed I did not include any California wines.  The reason for that is that most of them at these price points are not very good.  Most of the comparable ones cost as much as real “Champagne” so why not go with the real thing? 

If you have any questions please ask it in the comment section and I will get back with you as soon as possible.