Holidays: How to Buy the Best Champagne, Cava and Prosecco for New Year's Eve

A Guide to the Bubbly Stuff

• A Guide to the Bubbly Stuff

  BEST BUBBLES FOR YOUR BUCK
  
  There's no sound quite so festive as that of a Champagne cork popping, but it can also mean a puffed-up price tag. That doesn't mean you have to skimp on the sparkly stuff, though. We're giving you the inside fizzon Cava, Prosecco, and other bevvies that deliver plenty of bang for the buck.

• A Guide to the Bubbly Stuff

  CHAMPAGNE 101
  
  While many people use the term "champagne" to indicated any sort of sparking wine, it much more specifically -- and in many countries, legally -- refers to carbonated wine made from white Chardonnay, black Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Arbane or Petit Meslier grapes in the Champagne region of France.
  
  The amount of sugar added in the Champagne's second fermentation determines its variety, from driest to sweetest.
  

  • Brut nature: 0-2 (grams of sugar per liter)
  • Extra-brut: 0-6
  • Brut: 0-15
  • Extra dry/sec: 12-20
  • Dry or sec: 17-35
  • Demi-sec: 33-50
  • Doux: more than 50
  
  Most Champagne is non-vintage, and may be made from a blend of grapes from various years. Blanc de blancs is made from only Chardonnay grapes, Blanc de noirs is produced from black grapes (though it is still a white wine), and Prestige cuvee is a blend specific to a particular producer, generally at the very top of their line.
  
  There's no doubt that it's yummy stuff, but you just might find your fizz on a different part of the grape map.

• A Guide to the Bubbly Stuff

  PROSECCO, ASTI, FRIZZANTE & SPUMANTE
  
  Prosecco is Champagne's Italian cousin, and is made exclusively (again with the legality) from Prosecco grapes grown in the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene wine-growing regions north of Venice.
  
  More importantly, it's got all the festive pop and yum of Champagne, but tends to cost a heck of a lot less. Slip it into your guests' flutes, and we bet that no one will know the difference.
  
  A traditional Bellini just isn't quite right without the tingle ofProsecco. Get our Bellini recipe.
  
  Spumante is the general Italian term for sparkling wine, and among the most famous of these are the dessert wines called Asti and the semi-sparkling Frizzante -- both made from the Moscato grape. They're not direct subs for Champagne as they're sweeter and lower in alcohol, but they're a wonderfully sweet end to a festive evening.

• A Guide to the Bubbly Stuff

  CAVA
  
  Surprise your guests with luscious, sparkling Spanish Cava. Again, it's often more affordable than Champagne, but doesn't sacrifice a single bit of lusciousness. Cava is produced mainly in the Pened?s region of Catalonia, Spain, comes in shades of pink or white, and sweetness levels that are somewhat equivalent to those used to classify Champagne.
  
  

  • Brut nature: (Not sweetened)
  • Brut: (extra dry)
  • Seco: (dry)
  • Semiseco: (medium)
  • Dulce: (sweet)

• A Guide to the Bubbly Stuff

  AMERICAN SPARKLING WINE
  
  The good ol' USA has made tremendous strides in the sparkling wine field, moving away from the sickly sweet 1970s dinner party staples to tremendously nuanced blends using traditional Champagne grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot blanc. Due to favorable grape-growing climates such as those California's Sonoma Valley, American sparkling wine producers are able to produce vintage wines nearly every year.
  
  Though some producers skirt appellation control laws by referring to their product as "California Champagne" and "American Champagne," domestic sparklers have their own appeal, quite distinct from those of Champagne proper.
  
  Seek out tastings at your local wine shop and see which American fizzies grab your fancy.

• A Guide to the Bubbly Stuff

  SERVING TIPS
  
  Hollywood may love a big ol' pop and fizz, but that's just spraying away the good stuff. For guest (and spirits) safety, aim away from any faces or breakable objects, tilt the bottle at a 45 degree angle and hold the cork in place. Twist the bottle gently and ease the cork up and out. It might not be quite as spectacular a presentation, but you'll have plenty more to sip!
  
  And NEVER use a corkscrew. The corks are highly pressurized, and these aren't the kind of New Year'sfireworks you want to see.
  
  Chill the bottle down to about 43-48 degrees in a Champagne bucket or sink filled with ice and water, and fill flutes about 2/3 of the way. And don't stick the bottle in the freezer for a quick chill. Fill a bucket with ice, water and a handful of salt and plunge the bottle in for about 30 minutes, or stick it in the fridge for no longer than one hour.

• A Guide to the Bubbly Stuff

  FIZZY COCKTAILS
  
  Still thirsty? Browse more Champagne cocktail recipes in our Champagne Cocktail Guide, or mix up these fizzy faves.
  
  Pomegranate Champagne Punch
  Blue Champagne
  Cockney Champagne
  Champagne Punch
  Strawberry Champagne Punch
  Strawberry Lemon Champagne Frappe
  Champagne Fizz
  Champagne Martini
  Melon Champagne
  Mock Champagne
  Champagne Rita
  Dangerous Orbit Champagne Cocktail