Nothing starts a celebration like a beautiful sparkling glass of Champagne. In our home we celebrate every event with a little of the bubbly stuff - holidays, new babies, flat tires, birthdays, you name it we celebrate it!

Here are a few choices that span the price ranges that you can find at the local liquor stores across the East End this holiday season.

Dom. Ste. Michelle NV Sparkling Extra Dry

The crisp, clean methode champenoise character of this Extra Dry features a classic balance of fruit characteristics in the master blend. The more viscous texture of red varietal grapes ideally complements the steely delicacy of white fruit. Because an exceedingly crisp and austere style does not appeal to everyone, a sweeter dosage lends easy-going appeal. (priced about $13)

Greg Norman Estates NV Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir

The wine is a pale straw green in color with a medium to full bodied style with generous stonefruit and citrus flavors and a very smooth, yet generous finish. This wine is a combination of chardonnay (57%) and pinot noir (43%) sourced from premium vineyards within the premier grape growing regions of Adelaide Hills, Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale. It's been called one of the best inexpensive wine that you can find for special occassions and for sharing with close frends, with a nice aroma, and very good taste! (priced about $19)

Dom. Chandon NV Brut Classic

Delicious bubbly from California, with a characteristic ripe and fruity nose. Very enjoyable flavors of ripe pears, apples, guava, and kiwi fruit on the palate. Not a heavy wine, however: clean and delectable, with a soft finish and enough fruit to stand up to a wide variety of dishes and flavors. (priced about $20)

Iron Horse 1999 Classic Vintage Brut

Wonderfully rich and creamy, this wine evokes memories that say "Champagne," though the fruit is unmistakably Sonoma. This is vintage quality in every sense of the word. A traditional blend of 63% Pinot Noir and 37% Chardonnay, it is aged at least four years in the bottle. (priced about $23)

Mumm NV Brut Cordon Rouge

The flagship wine from the house of Mumm is pale yellow in color with tiny, light bubbles. Aromas of fresh tropical fruit, vanilla and caramel round out with smooth but firm, fruity, taste. (priced about $30)


Veuve Clicquot NV Brut Yellow Label

Clicquot's signature non-vintage Brut is loved all over the world for its crisp, full flavors, consistent quality and celebratory yellow label. This classical dry Champagne is a blend of two-thirds black grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) for body, balanced with one-third Chardonnay for elegance. It has a fine persistent sparkle and golden Champagne color. (priced about $40)

Nicolas Feuillatte NV Brut 1er Cru

The quintessential Champagne and the standard bearer of Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. Assemblage: 20% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 40% Pinot Meunier with a golden yellow color. This lovely bubbly had a floral nose with apple, pear, almond and hazelnut notes. (priced about $40)

Moet & Chandon NV Brut Imperial Rose

Brut Rosé is rosé in color with shades of copper. It is a fruity, lively champagne whose amplitude and radiance are due to select Pinot Noir grapes. Excellent as an aperitif or delicious accompaniment to light poultry dishes. (priced about $50)


Moet & Chandon White Star

The #1 champagne in the U.S. is lively, crisp and versatile with soft fruity aromas evoking peach. Its smooth texture makes it the perfect companion to a range of world cuisines such as Cuban, Thai, Mexican, Italian and Japanese. (priced about $58)

Mumm NV Mumm de Cramant

Mumm de Cramant is a precious cuvée made in the purest Champagne tradition since 1882. A single cru cuvée of incomparable purity, blended in the time-honored tradition with a strict selection of 100% Chardonnay Cramant wines. Truly a great Champagne to grace any occasion. (priced about $60)

Laurent Perrier 1997 Rose Cuvee Alexandra Grand Siecle

Named after the eldest daughter of Bernard de Nonancourt, this delicate Rosé was the best kept secret in the Tours-sur-Marne cellars until it was revealed as the surprise present at Alexandra's wedding. Only 100% rated Pinot Noir grapes are used in the process known as 'saignée' - apart from a small percentage of Chardonnay added at the time of pressing. This champagne has a gentle pink color with a deep, powerful, complex nose that develops into toasty honey aromas. This wine has carried Laurent-Perrier's reputation for Rosé champagnes to new heights. (priced about $95)

Perrier Jouet 1996 Fleur de Champagne

Perrier Jouët launched its famous "flower bottle" in 1969, with an arabesque design of anemones. Since then, it has been one of the world's most celebrated Champagnes - light bodied and distinctive. Aromas of fresh pineapple and white florals warm into complex scents of pear. The bead is intense and effervescent. (priced about $130)

Dom Perignon 1996

To taste Dom Pérignon is to discover the unique spirit and style of a truly great French Champagne. Every stage of vineyard selection, winemaking and slow cellar aging is, in itself, a quest for perfection. The unique Dom Pérignon style is a rich creamy mousse, fine bubbles, a spirited, crisp opening leading into a broad palette of aromas and tastes and finally, the delicacy of the substance itself. (priced about $130)

Krug NV Grande Cuvee Brut

Grande Cuvée derives its unique personality from the first fermentation occurring exclusively in small oak casks. The composition of the "cuvée" is a stunning mosaic of flavors where twenty to twenty-five growths and six to ten different vintages combine to give Krug Grande Cuvée its complexity, elegance and consistency year after year, blend after blend. The bouquet is wonderfully creamy, leading to a magical combination of weight and balance on the palate. The long, lingering finish is both nutty and toasty, ending with a final flourish of freshness. (priced about $150)

Taittinger 1995 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blanc

Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs is the ultimate expression of the Taittinger style, a Champagne of great refinement, elegance and delicacy. The clean, aristocratic Chardonnay fragrance is offset by warm, toasty nuances, which carry onto a palate of finely- balanced, generous white fruit flavors underscored by a fine, crisp acidity and subtle mineral notes. The refined, toasty finish is lasting and complex. (priced about $150)

Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 1996

This selection has been touted as the culmination of Louis Roederer's quest for perfection. In 1876 Tsar Alexander demanded that his personal cuvée be presented in inimitable crystal bottles. Today, the result is recognized as the ultimate champagne. (priced about $325)


So you see there are many choices of Champagnes and sparkling wines to ring in the season (or a casual Tuesday Movie Night at home). Champagne is the ultimate food wine. It goes with everything -- sushi, fried, salty and spicy dishes, rich chicken soup (guaranteed to cure whatever ails you), and even with popcorn on Oscar night. The best no-fat dessert is Brut and fruit -- a handful of fresh berries in summer or sliced mango in winter.