The Bubbly!! (Liquid Gold or Liquid Rose)

As the most famous and prestigious wine in the world, Champagne is the perfect wine for launching ships, weddings and other special occasions. Although sparkling wine of many origins is frequently referred to as “Champagne” and may even be labeled as such, only wine produced in the actual Champagne region of Northeast France has the legal right to the lofty title.

Champagne is commonly made from a blend of both red and white wine grapes, usually pinot noir (red), pinot meunier (red) and chardonnay (white). A Champagne labeled “blanc de noirs” is made entirely from red-wine grapes and will generally have more fruit and body. A “blanc de blancs” is champagne produced entirely from chardonnay grapes, often exhibiting greater finesse and delicacy than a blanc de noirs. A rosé champagne may be faintly pink, rose-colored or even copper-hued. It derives its unique color from a short period of contact with red grape skins.

Champagne is further classified according to its dryness: Brut absolute, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec (dry), Demi-sec and Doux (sweet). Brut Absolute and Brut are the driest, while Sec, Demi-sec and Doux are considered dessert wines.
Most Champagne is a blend of still wines from different vintages. Each Champagne house carefully blends lots of different aged wines to achieve a particular style that is remarkably consistent from year to year. A non-vintage brut from a leading Champagne house represents the epitome of the blender’s art and often includes a portion of fine wine from outstanding vintages.

A much smaller percentage of champagne is made from a single vintage. Single-vintage wines, which are produced only in remarkable years, are both rarer and more expensive. Vintage Champagne also is blended from a higher percentage of premium wines, often using the best individual lots of wine from top-ranked vineyards.
Although some Champagne houses produce vintage-dated wines in less-than-stellar seasons, the leading houses produce vintage Champagne only in exceptional years. Vintage Champagne expresses the unique attributes of a single growing season and, at its best, represents the peak of power, finesse and elegance. Although its cost – two or three times the price of non-vintage

Champagne – is steep, it is rarely two or three times better than a non-vintage bottling.
Non-vintage Champagne can be found for as little as $25 in discount retail stores, but vintage Champagne from a leading house will usually cost $100 or more. Although some of the smaller Champagne houses may offer a very good vintage bottling from lesser years, the major houses offer dependably great wine and bottle vintage Champagne only in remarkable years.
The following recommended wines are from leading Champagne producers. They have a longstanding reputation for high quality and are readily available in most cases.

Premium Vintage Champagne
· The pinnacle of the Champagne maker’s art, these wines are luxurious, elegant and expensive.
· Louis Roderer Cristal 1997 ($260) and Cristal Rose 1995 ($600) – originally created for Tsar Alexander II, these sometimes scarce wines are the epitome of flavor, power and elegance
· Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1995 ($140) – lively and elegant; very age worthy
· Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Brut 1995 ($95) – the best-known super premium champagne, it is elegant and mouth-filling
· Taittinger Champagne Millesime 1998 ($60) – rich and sturdy with great finesse; a great value
· Krug Champagne 1990 ($190) – complex and full-bodied with elegant flavors
· Bollinger Vielle Vignes 1996 ($235) – produced from portions of three super premium vineyards, it is exceptionally full-bodied and age worthy.
· Perrier Jouet Brut 1996 ($100) – distinctive flowered bottle; complex and finely balanced
· Non-Vintage Brut
· Representing the majority of all champagne sold, these wines offer great class, dependability and value for the money.
· Louis Roderer Brut Premiere ($40) – consistently great. Richer and more full-bodied than most
· Veuve Cliquot Brut Yellow Label ($35) – reliably excellent
· Joseph Perrier Blanc de Blancs ($35) – crisp and elegant
· Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle ($75) – a blend of three vintages, it rivals vintage wines in quality
· Bollinger Champagne Special Cuveé ($45) – complex and elegant
· Perrier-Jouet Champagne Brut ($30) – great balance; full-flavored
· Brut Rosé
· For a romantic occasion, nothing enhances the mood quite like a rosé champagne.
· Laurent Perrier Rosé ($60) – zesty fruit flavors and a lovely rosé color
· Moet & Chandon Brut Rosé ($60) – subtle flavors with a copper hue
· Nicholas Feuillate Rosé ($36) – very dry and elegant; a consistently great value
· Extra-Dry
· The subtle off-dry flavor of extra dry champagne makes it an ideal aperitif.
· Mumm Champagne Extra Dry ($28) – consistently the best extra-dry Champagne; fresh and crisp with just a hint of sweetness
· Moet & Chandon White Star ($35) – the best known extra-dry; very effervescent and lightly sweet
· Dessert Wines
· Joseph Perrier Demi-Sec ($28) – medium-sweet with delicate fruit flavors
· Moet & Chandon Champagne Nectar Imperial ($36) – a soft, sweet wine with lingeringflavors

Although nothing rivals the prestige and elegance of real Champagne, a few U.S. producers offer top-notch sparkling wine at lower prices. If you want less-expensive (but high-quality) alternatives to non-vintage Champagne, try premium sparkling California wines from Pacific Echo, Iron Horse, Schrammsberg, S Anderson, Domain Chandon, Roderer Estate, Piper Sonoma and Mumm (Cuveé Napa).