As serious party animals come down the home stretch, driving for the holidays’ finish line (New Year’s Eve), one beverage clearly rises to the top of the shopping list: bubbly.
Many, if not most, would simply say Champagne, but there’s the rub. Too many revelers either don’t or are unable to make the distinction between Champagne and other wines that fizz. Yes, all Champagnes have fizz, but not all wines that fizz are Champagne, no matter how much we wish it were so.
The first thing a holiday wine shopper needs to know is that Champagne, the real deal, is more expensive. That’s the first clue, but hardly the one that matters most.
Champagne is the king of sparkling wines because it is the best wine that can be made from grapes grown in its geographical region. The finest (and most expensive) Champagnes use a high percentage of grapes grown in grand cru vineyards, which is the top designation in the Champagne district.
By comparison, it would be a safe bet that no grand cru grapes in Burgundy find their way into Cremant de Bourgogne, the bubbly wine of France’s Burgundy region. What’s more, the chalky soils of the Champagne region produce sparkling wines with a stony minerality and steely structure that has not been replicated anywhere else in the world that produces sparkling wine.
All of that said, it isn’t necessary to spend a fortune to drink good bubbly through the holidays. Champagne is wonderful if you can afford it; otherwise there are many excellent alternatives.
Here are but a few:
Prosecco, from northern Italy’s Veneto region, is a pleasing alternative, although the vast majority of prosecco is fairly simple and fruity. The most interesting and complex Prosecco comes from the Valdobbiadene district and one of the best of those is Bisol. As a good standard prosecco La Marca works for me.
Cava is the sparkling wine of Spain, produced primarily in the northeast corner near Barcelona. Most of the top cava that could compete with Champagne’s complexity and structure never makes it to these shores. One of the finest cavas that is commercially available and well-priced at about $20 is Segura Viudas Reserva.
California sparkling wines come close to Champagne’s complexity but generally lack the structure to age for decades as good Champagne will. There are exceptions, such as the Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee, and many of the top cuvees from Schramsberg.
The bottom line: No matter your budget, there are tasty bubblies in your price range.
Just know that a $14 bottle of "Champagne" might taste very good, but it’s not likely the real thing.
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