So which one should you choose for your holiday meet and greet or to ring in the New Year? All have great uses for different occasions. Below I offer are a few of my personal favorites that are widely available and I give suggestions on when to use them.
1.) Happy hour or cocktail party:
Stick to a fun and simple Prosecco and the focus be on socializing rather than the contents of your glass. A crowd-pleasing favorite of mine is the La Marca Prosecco sold in most retail stores. It’s light, fresh, fruity, and easy going with just the right amount of bubbles to make it perfect for creating the fun-to-drink effect.
2.) Gift or non-wine enthusiast dinner party:
This is a perfect place to bring out that traditional method bubbly that is NOT from the Champagne region. You can even get brownie points for sharing your newly found knowledge of how they are made with the same technique (that rule applies even if it’s not made from the 3 grape varietals used in Champagne- which by the way are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier). Impress them with a bottle of Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs. Aged for a long 24 months on its lees (the remaining mass of dead yeast-trust me, it adds great flavor!), this all Chardonnay bubbly is sure to show off how well California is performing in their classic method production.
3.) Special gift or simply to treat yourself and loved ones:
This, my friends, is where we bring out the real deal Champagne. With so many to choose from, which one do you pick? I suggest you avoid the big label producers if you can, as they tend not deliver the same quality-to-price ratio as the smaller producers. Look/ask for grower-producer or co-op Champagne from large retail shops, as well as your local wine shop. If you are having trouble finding that off the beaten path Champagne, I would suggest one of my favorite medium scale producers, the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve. Around $50 per bottle, this bubbly gets me every time with the sexy nose of toast, caramel, and baked apples. The palate is dense, but still lively, and the finish is generous and pleasant.
Regardless of the bubbles you choose to toast this holiday season, I hope you are able to share it with ones you love and in good health. Cheers and happy holidays!