Champing at the bit – sparkling wines under $20 for New Year’s Eve

It’s almost New Year’s Eve, and that’s the champagne occasion of the year.  It’s not too late to get to the liquor store and get ready for the big night.  First, there is a difference between sparkling wine and Champagne.  Wine connoisseurs are all aware that real (capital “C”) Champagne comes only from France, as are most card carrying cocktailians.  The French discourage others from using the appellation “champagne” on their sparkling wines, and many of the quality wineries (especially those who wish to sell their wines in France) comply, so many sparkling wines (bubbly for short) will not say “champagne” on the bottle, although some do.  Unfortunately there are few (no?) legitimate Champagnes available in the under $20 (for 750ml.) price range.  If you would like to learn more about Champagne, including the names of the big Champagne houses, check out the New York Times Champagne navigator page.  It’s a little out of date, but some things don’t change very quickly.

For those of us still on recessionary budgets who still want to celebrate with some sparkling wine, the Utah Sate Liquor Store system has obliged us with a selection of American sparkling wines for under $20 with some pretty good ones for around $10.   (Those of you who live in bigger markets should be able to buy all of the wines mentioned here for similar prices.)  Regular readers are doubtless aware of my love for champagne cocktails like the French 75 and the Kir Royale.  When cocktail recipes call for champagne, though, it’s usually more economical to use a good sparkling wine.  Drink your high quality Champagne (and high quality domestic bubblies) unsullied so you can appreciate them.  For champagne cocktails, there are some very good sparklers under $10 that are ideal for mixing.  Prudent readers will always have a bottle or two of better quality champagne around for celebrations and several less expensive bottles for mixing.  If you have a spare fridge in the basement, keep it stocked.

This post recommends wines from houses that at some time or another have had some of their sparkling wines score at least 85 or 90 points by some well known rating service like Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast.  Although quality will vary year to year with the vintage, etc., I usually assume that these winemakers know what they are doing and will turn out a good product.  So while individual wines mentioned here may not have been rated (or not rated high enough to brag about), you will be buying a reliable product and not junk wine.

Under $20

Before we get into the real bargains, let’s look at the bubblies that price out closer to $20. Gloria Ferrer makes some excellent sparkling wines that are among my favorites.  Although not on SPA this month (that’s a shame) their Blanc de Noirs ($18) and Brut (both $19) have both been highly rated by multiple rating services.  Domaine Chandon is another producer of highly rated bubbly in our price range.  Their Brut runs $19 and their Blanc de Noirs is on sale this month for $17.  Rated at the same level is Mumm Napa’s Brut, on sale this month for $19. 

Around $10 and less

Korbel used to be the best of the budget bubblies, their Extra Dry has been rated respectably in the mid-eighties ($15), and the Brut is on SPA for $11.  Now, however, they have some competition in their price range.  Domaine Ste Michelle, also scoring in the mid-eighties, is another bargain bubbly on sale for $10 this month.  The real bargains in this price range, however, are some of the sparklers from Barefoot Bubbly.  Three Bubblies (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay Brut, and Chardonnay Extra Dry) are all on sale for $9.  Wine Enthusiast gave one of their bubblies an 87 rating and a Top 100 Best Values award several years ago.  Barefoot Bubblies are a great value; the first time I tasted one I couldn’t believe the price.  Barefoot’s sparklers are very drinkable on their own, and are great in any champagne cocktail you might care to try.

If you have an affinity for some other bubbly (domestic or imported) that is available for under $20, please share the information with others by adding a comment to this post, but don’t dawdle, time is running out.  Happy New Year!

Glasses for Champagne

If you’re not a big Champagne drinker, or just getting ready to try Champagne for the first time, you might be wondering if you have enough of the right kind of glasses. (If you haven’t stocked up on Champagne or sparkling wine, and if you’re on a budget, check out these great sparkling wines for under $20 a bottle.) There are several glassware options when it comes to serving Champagnes or good domestic sparkling wines, and the good news is that you can enjoy your sparkling wine from all of them. So if money is a little tight after Christmas you can probably make do with what you have, but if you have a little spare cash (or credit) this post will help you select the right type of glass for you favorite sparkler.

The first (and in my opinion best) glass to use for sparkling wine is the Champagne Flute. There is only one case where there is a better glass to use (more on that later). Flutes slow down the formation of bubbles and therefore the loss of carbonation. Plus they have an elegant appearance that will not disappoint. Flutes tend to hold a little less wine and are therefore useful for controlling serving size and the speed of consumption.

The Champagne Coupe (or Saucer) is frequently used in movies to make certain that you know people are drinking Champagne. Champagne history tells us that the original Coupe was molded from the breasts of Marie Antoinette; an old wine book of mine has a photo of the originals (glasses, that is). While this story may or may not be true, it is hot enough to have survived over 200 years and has resulted in perhaps unforeseen uses of the glasses.

The last glass to be recommended here is the White Wine Glass. If you don’t have any Flutes or Coupes, an ordinary White Wine Glass will do. There is also one case where it is preferable to a Flute. If you are making champagne cocktails, the smaller size of a Flute may become an issue because the gin and lemon juice mixture in the French 75 (try it – you’ll love it) or similar cocktails may result in too strong of a cocktail for some tastes. You can either split the mix across two cocktails in Flutes or use a White Wine Glass so you have more room for your sparkling wine. The size difference will not matter for cocktails like the Cranberry Champagne Cocktail.

Don’t worry if the glasses you saw in the Pottery Barn catalog seemed pretty expensive. If you’re on a tight budget, you can often find good deals on glassware at budget stores like T.J. Maxx or Tuesday Morning. Look for bargains at these store or watch for sales at Target, Williams Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, and even Pottery Barn. Here’s a slideshow on the different glasses that may be used for Champagne.

Champing at the bit – sparkling wines under $20 for the holiday season

It’s December, time to get ready for the holidays and the champagne occasion of the year: New Year’s Eve. Wine connoisseurs are all aware that real (capital “C”) Champagne comes only from France, as are most card carrying cocktailians. The French discourage others from using the appellation “champagne” on their sparkling wines, and many of the quality wineries (especially those who wish to sell their wines in France) comply, so many sparkling wines (bubbly for short) will not say “champagne” on the bottle, although some do. Unfortunately there are few (none?) legitimate Champagnes available in the under $20 (for 750ml.) price range. If you would like to learn more about Champagne, including the names of the big Champagne houses, check out the New York Times Champagne navigator page.

For those of us on a recessionary (or depressionary) budgets who still want to celebrate with some sparkling wine, the Utah Sate Liquor Store system has obliged us with a great selection of American sparkling wines for under $20 with some pretty good ones for under $10. (Those of you who live in bigger markets should be able to buy all of the wines mentioned here.) Regular readers are doubtless aware of my love for champagne cocktails like the French 75 and the Kir Royale. When cocktail recipes call for champagne, though, it’s usually more economical to use a good sparkling wine. Drink your high quality Champagne (and high quality domestic bubblies) straight so you can appreciate them. For champagne cocktails, there are some very good sparklers under $10 that are ideal for mixing. Readers should always have a bottle or two of better quality champagne around for celebrations and several less expensive bottles for mixing. If you have a spare fridge in the basement, keep it stocked.

This post will only recommend wines from houses that have had some of their sparkling wines score at least 85 or 90 points by some well known rating service like Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast. Although quality will vary year to year with the vintage, etc., it’s safe to assume that these winemakers know what they are doing and will turn out a good product. That means that while individual wines mentioned here may not have been rated (or not rated high enough to brag about), you will be buying a reliable product and not junk wine.

Under $20

Before we get into the real bargains, lets look at the bubblies that price out closer to $20. Gloria Ferrer makes some excellent sparkling wines that are among my favorites. Although not on sale this month (that’s a shame) their Blanc de Noirs ($18) and Brut ($17) have both been highly rated by multiple rating services. Domaine Chandon is another producer of highly rated bubbly in our price range. Their Brut and their Blanc de Noirs are both on sale this month for $16, and Chandon Riche Extra Dry, while not on sale, is a bargain at $19. Rated only a couple of points lower is Mumm Napa’s Brut, on sale this month for $19. Piper Sonoma doesn’t rate quite as highly, but their Brut is on sale this month for $15 and is worth a try.

Around $10 and less

Korbel used to be the best of the budget bubblies, their Extra Dry has been rated respectably in the mid eighties and is on sale this month ($10.5), as are several other of their sparklers, a Brut and a Chardonnay among them. Now, however, they have some competition in their price range. Domaine Sainte Michelle, also scoring in the mid-eighties, is another bargain bubbly on sale for $11 this month. The real bargains in this price range, however, are some of the sparklers from Barefoot Bubbly. Three Bubblies (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay Brut, and Chardonnay Extra Dry) are all on sale for $8. Wine Enthusiast gave one of their bubblies an 87 rating and a Top 100 Best Values award several years ago. Barefoot Bubblies are a great value; the first time I tasted one I couldn’t believe the price. Barefoot’s sparklers are very drinkable on their own, and are great in any champagne cocktail you might care to try.

There are some even less expensive bubblies on sale this month: André wines are on sale for $3.5 and Cook’s for as low as $4. Needless to say, these are not among my recommendations, and so far as I know they have never been highly rated. They can serve a purpose in punches or in other concoctions where “champagne” is a minority ingredient or is overpowered by the other ingredients, but my recommendation is that you never drink them straight.

If you have an affinity for some other bubbly (domestic or imported) that is available for under $20, please share the information with others by adding a comment to this post. Happy Holidays! In the meantime, if you want to know what you’re looking for when you go to the wine store, view this slideshow for photos of most of the bubblies mentioned in the post, plus a couple of serving suggestions.