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A Sparkling Guide to Ringing in the New Year

Written By: Brian Freedman on Thursday, December 27, 2007

Grab Your Wallet and Head For That Sparkling White Isle. New Year's Is Here, and That Means It's Champagne Season.

New Year's. I don't know about you, but practically my entire group of friends has silver shoes buffed and waiting by the door to usher out 2007. Whether you are having stepchild twitchings regarding said 2007 or simply the optimistic type who's chomping at the glass for 2008, we're all going to be there: tiara cocked, glass poised—Good Bye 2007 (angel or devil as you will) either way, honey, it's history.

Sooo, how shall we all commemorate yet another year? Bubbly is always on the menu, but the term "Champagne" has come to mean in layman's terms anything alcoholic and carbonated. There are many sumptuous sparkling wines out there that do not happen to be from the Champagne region, yet because they cannot claim the "Champagne" name, the less informed among us leave them untasted. A travesty! (Quick hint: Champagne is a region in France denoting a specific mode of making Bubbly, usually from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes with a second fermentation in the bottle. AKA: Méthode Champenoise

A "Sparkling Wine" made from any other region cannot claim the name Champagne, nor can a sparkling from a different method from the Champagne region claim the name either. The term means more than just bubbles; there is an entire code that has to be followed before a wine can earn the "Champagne" title.

However this does not leave the other regions of the world with nothing to bring to the sparkling table—from roof-top revelry to velvet-cushioned posh here's a few suggestions to sparkle up your night:

Inexpensive: Freixenet Brut
Just love that matte black bottle. Plus, for an inexpensive sparkling, it's the driest you're going to find. Trust me, in this price range there is a lot of cloying jamminess afoot. Not here. A truly good value for those of us who are on a budget, but graduated from sugar camp.

Midexpensive: 'Fiori Della Stella' by Casa Larga.
A true Blanc de Blanc. Another MVP for its price range, sparky floral complexity with a clipped, dry finish. Simply glorious bottle of bubbly. (It won "Most Likely Bottle To Ring In Romany's New Year")

Getting Expensive: 'White Star' by Moet & Chandon.
A true Champagne blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meuniet. Perfect, lush and soft, then rounds itself off with a cute little fruity finish. Oh, Moet, just stop already, you're making me blush.

Can I have Your Number Expensive: 'Salon' Blanc de Blanc
Like almost anything in this price range, the rumors might outstrip the reality, but unlike its other "table service/rap song" cousins, this Golden Girl (and no, I don't mean Blanche) delivers. Liquid yum in a pocket full of call you later.

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