This bubbly, pink concoction of champagne dosed with fruity crème de cassis and spicy ginger liqueur is inspired by the mysterious drink of the same name from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was served at the now-closed Social Restaurant and Wine Bar in Charleston, South Carolina.

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This fun, fizzy cocktail is perfect for ringing in the Lunar New Year (or for any party, really!). It’s inspired by Korean yakgwa, deep-fried flower cookies soaked in honey, sesame, and ginger. Here, a homemade honey-sesame syrup imbues the classic French 75 with a nutty flavor and creamy texture, while Domaine de Canton adds a soft, balanced ginger flavor. Leftover syrup can be drizzled over ice cream, used as a sweetener for coffee, or made into tea with more hot water. 

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In this French 75 variation, chef Dominick Lee pays homage to réveillon’s roots, combining French cognac and Champagne with a Creole twist: cinnamon-infused elderflower liqueur. To make it, simply submerge a cinnamon stick in a full 750-­milliliter bottle of St-Germain and set aside for at least 48 hours. Lee recommends topping the cocktail with real-deal brut Champagne—it is a celebration, after all.

Featured in “In Montreal and New Orleans, A French Holiday Celebration Endures” by Chantal Martineau and Kayla Stewart in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue. See more recipes and stories from Issue 205.

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Created by Alba Huerta of Houston’s acclaimed cocktail bar Julep, this fragrant chamomile-infused gin cocktail was served at SAVEUR’s Issue 203 launch party. Lighthouse Gin—a bright and balanced, citrus gin from New Zealand—shines alongside fresh lime and pineapple, while an effervescent topper of sparkling cider makes this a refreshing and festive serve for any season. Don’t forget to garnish with a few pineapple fronds, a timeless symbol of hospitality in the American South.

Featured in “Toasting SAVEUR’s Latest Issue in Houston, a Culinary Destination on the Rise.”

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A luscious take on the bellini, the Rossini swaps in strawberries for the latter drink’s white peaches, and prosecco for champagne. Serve this versatile cocktail in place of mimosas at brunch, as an aperitif, or with dessert.

Featured in the October 2012 issue.

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Punch Romaine, a rum-spiked shaved-ice palate cleanser served to first-class passengers during the fateful last dinner aboard the Titanic on April 14, 1912, was based on a recipe from famed French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier, who championed alcoholic shaved ices during the early 20th century. The original recipe, essentially a granita, is updated here as a drinkable, citrusy cocktail poured over an iceberg of crushed ice.

Follow our easy instructions to make your own simple syrup. Use a channel knife to create thin strips of orange peel for the garnish.

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Canon Félix Kir, a French Résistance hero and later mayor of Dijon, lent his name to this simple wine cocktail traditionally made with the rustic Burgundian variety called aligoté. When Champagne is used instead of white wine, the drink becomes a kir royale. Don’t be tempted to stint on the amount of crème de cassis—Burgundy’s famed blackcurrant liqueur—to yield a faint pink drink; both common and royal iterations should properly have a dark rosy hue.

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Cyrus Schultz thinks Champagne is always a good idea. Born and raised in Maui, Schultz cut his teeth serving wine in celebrated fine dining establishments throughout Hawaii and California, including Roy’s in Maui, Benu in San Francisco, and the French Laundry in Napa Valley. When the now-sommelier signed on to run the wine program at Sonoma County’s Cyrus (the shared name is a coincidence), he took great care to ensure that the restaurant’s aperitif service set the tone for the whole meal. That’s why, heading into year-end festivities, I reached out to him for advice on how to serve Champagne at home like a pro—from optimal glassware to perfect food pairings.

If ever there was a time for the Cyrus team to break out the Champagne, it’s now. The Northern California wine region’s most anticipated new restaurant of the year, Cyrus is actually about to embark on a new chapter. After a lease dispute in their intimate and widely loved original location, co-owners, chef Doug Keane and mâitre’d Nick Peyton abruptly closed up shop a decade ago. This September, after years of false starts and pandemic woes, the pair finally opened the doors on this second act. Barely three months later, reservations for the 17-course tasting menu are booked solid, and the team recently took home Cyrus 2.0’s first Michelin Star.

The morning before the Michelin news came through, I happened to be on the premises, scoping out the space and sipping a graciously poured glass of bubbles before dinner service. The room was designed as a reimagining of the famed pre-dinner Champagne and caviar cart guests had come to love at the original location. Diners begin their meal with bubbly and small bites overlooking acres of surrounding vineyards and, beyond that, the rolling hills of the Alexander Valley. Even in the daytime, an understated luxe permeates the room. “It’s hard to not fall for the space,” Schultz tells me. “We offer three seatings each night, and for each of those, we’ve built in a half an hour where you can just sit, get a glass of Champagne, and watch the seasons change over the vineyards.” 

Whether you’re hosting everyone you know this season, or are looking to make the most of a special bottle with your favorite dinner companion, your evening deserves just as much. Here are Schultz’s tips for bringing a little bit of Cyrus’ Champagne chic into your own home.

The Glassware:

At Cyrus, stemware is the first thing diners bring to their lips, so Schultz was acutely aware just how important it would be to choose the proper champagne glass. In the Lounge, he uses Zalto tulips to serve all effervescent pours. “You want something that doesn’t cage all the flavors,” he explains. “A more generous glass shape allows the wine to be more expressive and speak louder” than it might in a standard, straight-sided flute.

For elevating the Champagne experience at home, glassware is the clear place to start. If your space or budget demands that you streamline your options, though, Schultz finds that sparkling wines can shine just as brightly in an elegant, all-purpose white wine glass that “lets the bubbles breathe a little.” (He uses the Sophienwald brand at home.)

Feeling festive, or setting up a Champagne fountain? “I also do love a coupe,” he admits. “For the right time and occasion, with a wine that’s fresh and vibrant and super-cold, a coupe can make you feel like you’re in that Great Gatsby era.” In other words, the glass sets the mood. “Coupes may not be the most functional, but sometimes they make you feel great, and how you feel when you’re drinking something is so important, too.” 

Keep it Cold:

When it comes to Champagne, you’re going for cold—significantly colder than other white wines, but not freezing. “You don’t want your champagne so cold that its flavors start to close down,” Schultz warns; he suggests aiming for somewhere around 46 degrees Fahrenheit (or a touch colder for non-Champagne sparklers, like cremant or Prosecco). 

The reason for this chilly temp boils down to physics. With still wines, proper temperature is all about flavor and fragrance, but with bubbles, temperature also has an impact on texture. Rising temperatures cause carbonation to expand, resulting in a more open mousse (i.e. fatter bubbles). “Effervescence is a texture rather than a flavor,” Schultz explains, “and there’s a point where the mousse behaves on the palate in a way where the wine just sings. I usually like Champagne to be very finely, tightly wound, and have that really delicate bead, but depending on the wine, sometimes it can warm up a touch, and become much more expressive.”

How can you tell when a bottle is cold enough? After years in the business, Schultz relies on instinct and physical touch, but admits that, for most, this method is not precise. For a 750-milliliter bottle, three hours in the fridge is a safe minimum starting point. An ice bucket can be faster and convenient, but Schultz reminds us that when using one, the bottle should be fully submerged in order to chill evenly. (Also remember that magnums and larger bottles take substantially longer to chill than those standard 750s.)

Food Pairings:

For nibbles to pair with their Champagne, chef Keane sends guests dainty canapés—often featuring uber-luxe ingredients like wagyu and truffles—to tease the lengthy dinner to come. They may also choose to enjoy a serving of caviar. While the ingredients are lavish, the bites are intentionally petite. 

For a more casual—yet still elevated—home experience, Schultz likes to offer more generous portions of simple, fatty foods: think fried chicken or potato chips, or the occasional silky slice of foie gras. With fuller, fruitier rosé Champagnes, though, he prefers to veer in another direction, looking to his home state for inspiration: raw tuna, seasoned with scallion, soy sauce, sesame, and inamona salt. “Rosé has enough power to stand up to the rich, oily nature of ahi,” he tells me.  “Don’t sleep on rosé Champagne and ahi poke!”

The Main Event:

Schultz built Cyrus’s 800+ bottle wine menu from scratch; today, the restaurant’s cellar boasts just over a hundred Champagnes (and a handful of stand-out Sonoma sparklers). Rare vintages from well-known marquee houses are listed alongside niche grower-producers, and while many of the selects are near impossible to find outside of private collections and wine-focused restaurants, some of the somm’s favorites are available in stores. In the $40 to $60 price range, he suggests seeking out Chartogne-Taillet, Pierre Peters, or the consistently delicious Pol Roger. 

For folks looking to splurge, Schultz points to Krug or cult favorite Salon—an early pioneer of the Blanc de Blancs style which only produces wines in the most exceptional of vintages. “[Salon] only makes one wine, so you know it’s going to be delicious. You don’t have to do all this homework about, ‘was that a good vintage or a bad one?’ They’ve done it all for you—but it is a splurge!”

A Note on Gifting Champagne Like a Pro:

Schultz has thoughts on gifting Champagne, too. “The biggest thing I try to let people know is that if I’m giving them a bottle of Champagne, I’m saying, ‘Hey, this is something for you to drink and enjoy now.’” Recipients of wine gifts may instinctively save the bottle for another special occasion, but Schultz reminds us that the holidays are about enjoyment and fun. “Nothing does that like opening a bottle of Champagne.”

How To Open Champagne Like A Swashbuckling Sommelier

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If you’re a champagne drinker, you’ve likely encountered the not-so-sweet end of the sparkling wine spectrum. Over the course of the last century, palate preferences have leaned towards drier bubblies (mainly bruts), and in recent years, even more austere styles like brut nature have been all the rage. But it hasn’t always been this way—in fact, sweet champagnes were the height of fashion throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, somewhat by default as dry styles weren’t even introduced until the mid-1800s. As the holidays approach, and given that we’re all in need of a little extra sweetness in our lives these days, I believe that these more honeyed, classic versions are due for a revival.

Still today, most champagnes—even the dry ones—do contain some degree of added sugar. Known as “dosage,” this is introduced to the wine after disgorgement in order to counterbalance the wine’s signature high acidity levels. Depending on the amount of sugar added, this practice can also be leveraged as a means of imparting some level of actual sweetness to the finished product. A winemaker once put it to me this way: dosage is to champagne what butter is to bread. The bread (or, in this case, the bubbly), whether so-so or exceptional on its own, could be potentially made better with a touch of something rich.

How much dosage is the right amount? What matters most is the winemaker’s handiwork, and just as importantly, your personal preference. But whatever your tendencies, if you enjoy pairing wines with food, it’s worth staying open to champagne’s sugar-kissed styles—particularly demi-sec.

One of the more widespread styles of sweet champagne, demi-sec, by definition, contains a whopping 33 to 50 grams (around 3 tablespoons) of added sugar per liter; in comparison, bruts can contain no more than 12. But that doesn’t mean demi-secs are heavy or cloying, as their bright acidity brings balance and lift, making the style surprisingly versatile. As an apéritif, demi-sec shines brightly alongside funky blue cheeses, grilled octopus, and anything buttery and salty (such as popcorn). Most often, though, it’s a go-to pairing for desserts. Chicago-based wine and spirits educator Regine Rousseau recalls the golden rule taught to her by a mentor: However sweet the dessert, your wine must be sweeter. “Although demi-sec champagnes work well with delicious salty treats [like] mixed nuts, cod fish dips, and Chicago Mix popcorn, I reserve them for a little something sweet,” she explains. And Rousseau isn’t alone—sweet wines in general are known to render foods drier on the palate, which is why desserts benefit from balance in the form of a wine sweeter than the dish itself. If anything, venturing into the world of sweet sparklers is an opportunity to taste an excessive number of dishes with a variety of demi-sec champagnes, all in the name of “research”. Here are a few expert-recommended bottles to get you started.

1. Beau Joie Sugar King Demi-Sec

Beau Joie

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If you’re a fan of a bottle as lovely as its contents, Beau Joie is always a safe bet—the handmade latticed metal detail is a hallmark of winemaker Bertrand Senecourt’s Special Cuvée collection, which is made up of a brut non-vintage, a brut rosé, and Sugar King Demi-Sec. In its limited edition black bottle, this golden-pink wine is a classic champagne blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay. Lush and decadent with plenty of balancing acidity, it features prominent peach and dried apricot on both the nose and palate, along with generous pastry notes on the finish. Mercedes Cowper, an accredited sommelier and virtual wine tasting host in the Washington, D.C. area, shares some insight on pairing champagnes like this with savory dishes: “Personally, I love pairing a higher acid, off-dry to sweet wine with curries and spicy foods, especially if the ingredients have dried or preserved fruits in them.” According to Cowper, these ingredients are complemented by the sweet, dried fruit characteristics often found in this style of champagne. Note that pairing a demi-sec with a main course can easily carry you and your dining companion(s) into the dessert course.

2. Billecart-Salmon Champagne Demi-Sec

Billecart-Salmon

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For fans of Billecart-Salmon’s classic brut bottling, the natural segue into sweet champagne will be the house’s distinctive demi-sec. A high-dosage version of the brut blend, this demi-sec shares many of its drier cousin’s same notes, like ripe pears and buttery pastry. Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Wine, shares what makes this demi-sec one of his personal favorite non-vintage champagnes: “It is full-flavored (think brioche, with the perfect balance of bubbles, acidity, and sweetness) so it is bright and refreshing, yet satisfying—and perfect with all types of pastries and desserts, from biscuits to chocolate cake.”

3. Laurent Perrier Harmony Demi-Sec Champagne

Courtesy Laurent-Perrier

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Delicate is one of many words one might use to describe Laurent-Perrier’s Harmony Demi-Sec Champagne, a bottle beloved by wine experts for its chardonnay-forward blend full of toasted nuts and dried fruit on both the nose and palate. If you have the willpower to cellar this bottle for a few years, it will reveal layers of honey and juniper, but nobody would blame you if you failed to let it get to that point. Whether you drink it young or not, Harmony is an insane value for the cost, perfectly creamy in texture yet light as a feather on the finish. It’s a true treat, whether on its own, sipped with an unctuous, salty triple-crème cheese, or paired with a rich (but not overly sweet) dessert. “Try Laurent-Perrier Demi-Sec with a sweet potato pie or a Chicago-style cheesecake,” says Rousseau, who assures SAVEUR that Chicago does, in fact, make the best cheesecake (and is not sorry, for the record). The jury’s still out on that regional dessert debate, but if there’s one thing we do know, it’s that this pairing will leave you wanting a second serving (if not more).

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While 2020′s New Year’s gatherings will no doubt be smaller and more distanced than years past, they needn’t be any less festive—at least as far as the drinks are concerned. With budgets tighter than usual, it might be worth swapping out your usual champagne for one of the equally exceptional, often more affordable sparkling wines from Italy, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa, and even elsewhere in France. Whether you prefer to stay true to those produced in the classic “champenoise” method or to seek out something unexpected, with this list in hand, you’ll certainly walk away with a new favorite bubbly.

But first: let’s unpack what separates champagne from the rest of the world’s sparkling wine. The first and most obvious distinguishing factor is provenance: true champagne comes from the titular region located about an hour northeast of Paris. Secondly, it must be made using some ratio of the area’s pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay grapes. The third factor is method: Legend has it that sometime around the turn of the 17th century, still wines left in a cellar began undergoing a secondary fermentation, which caused their corks to pop, thus creating the first sparkling wine. Indeed, that second fermentation—which still takes place in the bottle—is a hallmark of the méthode traditionnelle (previously known as the “méthode champenoise”), that is still used in the Champagne region today.

Secondary fermentation is achieved by adding sugar and yeast to a still wine before bottling, which results in the desired carbonation. Aging the wine for a minimum of 15 months on the lees, or spent yeast, helps give champagne its quintessentially bready flavors. After disgorgement (the removal of that yeasty sediment), more wine and sugar (referred to as the “dosage”) are usually added to ensure sweetness. The official certification of Champagne—the region’s Appellation d’Origine Controlée (AOC)—is awarded only to wines that follow these specific rules, which are set forth by the governing organization, Comité Champagne.

Throughout the rest of the world, wineries are not bound by the strict parameters of champagne production. In the centuries since champagne’s birth, resourceful producers have been finding new and interesting ways to create effervescence. “Sparkling wine outside of Champagne is as diverse—and delicious—as any wine category in the world,” says Chris Leon of New York City’s Leon & Son Wine and Spirits.

Elsewhere in France, in seven regions, including Bordeaux and the Loire and Rhone Valleys, there’s crémant, the closest cousin to champagne. Aged for at least nine months on the lees and produced similarly to champagne, “crémant is a great alternative to champagne,” explains veteran bartender-educator Ms. Franky Marshall. “Whether from Alsace or Burgundy, it’s definitely worth considering when you need something easy-drinking.”

Italy’s popular effervescent styles, prosecco and asti spumante, and Spain’s cava are nearly as well-known as their French counterparts, while natural winemakers and New World producers are even more inclined to experiment with avant-garde styles and techniques. This means everything from sparkling riesling from New York’s Finger Lakes region to trendy pét-nats from the American West Coast.

Ready to get started? Whether you’re shopping for a New Year’s toast, looking for a wine to top off spritz cocktails, or simply expanding your knowledge of the category, you’ll find what you need in our guide to 2020′s standout sparkling wines.

France

Gustave Lorentz

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Gustave Lorentz Crémant D’Alsace

Since the 1800s, the Lorentz family has been making wine in France’s Alsace region, which borders Germany. A great example of a classic, sparkling French wine from outside Champagne, this non-vintage blend is made from chardonnay, pinot blanc, and pinot noir sourced from the family’s vineyards, which are planted along the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. Layering hints of berry and red fruit over bursts of lemon peel, this crémant is refreshing on any day—but especially as a lively sparkling toast.

Gerárd Bertrand 2017 Cuvée Thomas Jefferson Brut Rosé (Crémant de Limoux)

If there’s one producer who knows their way around a creamy, bubbly rosé, it’s biodynamic viticulture pioneer Gerárd Bertrand. Hailed the “Prince of the Languedoc,” in reference to his work in the famed sparkling wine-producing region in the south of France, Bertrand offers a standout crémant from Limoux—the coolest appellation of the region, thanks to its advantageous position between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. The pale, salmon-tinted wine is made from chardonnay, chenin blanc, and pinot noir grapes, which manifest in notes of strawberry and lemon peel, fresh acidity, and high carbonation.

Italy

Cinzano

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Cinzano Asti Spumante

Though Cinzano is universally known for its vermouth, the company also offers some solid sparkling wines. First launched in 2017, in part to celebrate the brand’s 260th anniversary, this non-vintage sparkling wine is made from moscato grapes from the eponymous Asti province in Italy’s Piedmont region. An affordable crowd-pleaser that offers the characteristic asti aromas of white flowers, honey, and toasty bread, the spumante pours out with a generous, moussey froth and a pronounced, pleasantly jammy sweetness. Enjoy this one with fruity citrus or apple desserts or alongside a salty salumi platter.

Contratto Metodo Classico Pas Dosé Millesimato

While sparkling wines from the Alta Langa area of Piedmont aren’t well-known Stateside, the category is growing in recognition thanks to its oldest producer, Contratto. Having only recently become available in the United States, this wine is made using an 80/20 blend of Piedmontese pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, which are manually picked and sorted by vineyard. This wine is produced in the méthode traditionnelle using indigenous yeasts, and bottle aging takes place over 60 months. The wine is “pas dosé,” meaning it receives no added sugar after disgorgement. Elegant and dry, yet also soft and savory, notes of stone fruit and red berries fade into a mineral finish.

Sotheby’s Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore 2018

The world-renowned auction house and retailer released its debut 12-bottle wine collection in the fall of 2019 with an emphasis on affordability—all of the bottles are priced between 17 and 40 dollars. Each wine is labeled with its own lot number and a brief story about the producer, nodding to Sotheby’s auctioneering roots. Of the offerings, this prosecco from the Mongarda family stands out. Prosecco is produced using the Charmat method, in which the secondary fermentation process takes place in a steel tank. Taking a non-interventionist approach, the brand blends 90 percent glera with 10 percent verdiso and bianchetta grapes from the Veneto region for a crisp wine that is notably dry, with notes of green apple and honeysuckle. With a pleasant freshness and mineral finish, it’s great on its own or for topping off a sparkling cocktail.

Fratelli Berlucchi Blanc de Blancs Brut 25

A strong exemplar of the franciacorta style of Italy’s Lombardy region, this bright, straw-colored blanc de blancs (wine made entirely from white grapes) leads with hints of lemon, pear, and green apple, before expanding to a toasted, bready quality from 25 months on the lees. High acidity makes this spumante a reliable standby for pairing with cheese and other salty foods, while generous bubbles scream festivity—all for just 20 bucks.

Spain

Segura Viudas

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Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad

This complex wine is a gold standard for entry-level cava—the méthode traditionnelle Spanish sparkling wine category that’s become more widely appreciated in recent years. Produced by Segura Viudas, a more than 800-year-old estate in the Penedès region outside of Barcelona, the Reserva Heredad is a 67/33 blend of indigenous macabeo and parellada grapes. Aged for over 30 months, the wine is sold in a stunning bottle inspired by the gothic arches of the winery’s medieval farmhouse. Aromas of citrus, apple, and tropical fruit unfurl on a gently bubbly palate that doubles down on flavors of bread and apple—finished with an enjoyable sweetness.

Avaline White NV

As a post-Hollywood second act, retired actress Cameron Diaz co-founded Avaline, a line of non-vintage organic and vegan wines. For the inaugural release, Diaz partnered with family-owned Spanish winery Raventos i Blanc, established in 1947 and known for its traditionally produced effervescent wines. Avaline’s white sparkling wine employs a classic combination of typical Spanish cava grapes like xarel-lo, macabeo, and parellada. Aged on the less for 18 months—twice the required duration for wines from the Panedès region—the wine offers distinctly floral and citrus notes and a pleasant, subtle sweetness.

Anima Mundi Cami dels Xops 2019

Some avant-garde producers have leaned heavily into the méthode ancestrale, which may have originated in the Limoux region of Southwestern France in the 16th century, thus predating Champagne’s méthode traditionnelle. In this process, a single fermentation is seen to completion in the bottle. Wines produced in this manner are called pétillant-naturel, or affectionately “pét-nat” for short. Fans of the style would be wise to consider this approachable biodynamic blend of macabeo and xarel-lo grapes. The result is a dry wine with notes of pear and lemon at the forefront and medium-fine bubbles. Anima Mundi is a notable side project from fourth-generation Catalan cava maker Agustí Torello Roca.

England

Chapel Down

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Chapel Down Brut NV

In recent decades, England has emerged as a notable producer of sparkling wine—the country’s vineyards have increased by some 160 percent over the last decade. From the charming town of Tenterden in the Kent countryside comes this standout, golden-hued bubbly. Made using pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot meunier, and pinot blanc grapes, which are grown in the chalk, clay, and loam soils of Kent, East Sussex, and Dorset, Chapel Down’s non-vintage brut bottling is emblematic of the super-fresh English style, offering pleasant aromas of red apple, citrus, and bread that give way to a mineral-forward palate of stone fruit and quince.

Armenia

Keush Origins Brut Sparkling NV

With approximately 6,000 years of viticultural history, Armenia is considered by some to be the cradle of wine. Still, the country struggles to get the recognition it deserves. On the sparkling wine front, look no further than Keush, the brainchild of Lebanon-born winemaker Vahe Keushguerian, who spent time in Italy and California before taking a fateful trip to Armenia in 1997. A key callout for this traditional brut is the indigenous Armenian fruit used in its production: voskehat and khatoun kharji grapes sourced from 100-year-old vines grown some 1,800 meters above sea level. Ideal for cool-climate sipping, the budget-friendly wine offers fantastic salinity and citrus notes that play excellently with cheeses, cured meats, and shellfish.

South Africa

Graham Beck Brut NV

As far as South African sparkling wine is concerned, it’s hard to find a more iconic bottle than Graham Beck’s brut, which was served at Nelson Mandela’s inauguration. The Western Cape winery is overseen by pioneer and cellarmaster Pieter Ferreira, who also helms the Méthode Cap Classique organization—the governing body for South Africa’s traditional sparkling wine production. The non-vintage sparkler is made using a 60/40 blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, fermented separately then blended together and aged for 15 to 18 months. Listed at just 20 dollars, this is a bang-for-your-buck wine with whiffs of lime, lemon, and green apple that give way to a medium body and mineral-rich palate of bready and nutty flavors.

Steenberg Vineyards Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc

Set just 20 minutes from central Cape Town in the fabled wine-growing region of Constantia, Steenberg Vineyard has the distinction of being the oldest registered farm in the country, dating back to 1682. The producer makes exceptional still sauvignon blancs, so naturally its sparkling version stands out as well. The straw-colored wine is crisp, fresh with superfine bubbles and notes of citrus, peach, and tropical fruit.

Brazil

D.M.

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D.M. Brut

Brazil has entered the sparkling wine conversation in recent years—and for good reason. This inaugural release, a 2018 vintage from newcomer producer D.M. Brut. Cheekily named for “Dom Maria,” a figurehead imagined by the brand’s founders to convey openness and inclusivity (”Dom” is a title typically bestowed upon men and Maria is one of the most common female names in Portuguese), this brut is made using a combination of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes grown in Southern Brazil’s Valley of the Vineyards or Vale dos Vinhedos. Known for being one of Brazil’s oldest wine-growing regions, the valley’s first vineyards were planted by Italian immigrants in the 19th century. The legacy of these immigrants lives on in the area’s wine production, as well as in the Venetian dialect still spoken there today. Pop open this sleek, minimalist bottle to discover an easy-sipping sparkler—produced in the méthode traditionnelle—with a fresh nose of citrus and pleasant dryness that makes it ideal for a mid-day aperitif, or a perfect accompaniment to oysters.

The United States

Schramsberg

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Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut 2016

If you’re looking for an American wine that’ll more than hold its own next to true French champagne, this is the blueprint. The 100 percent chardonnay stunner is produced on California’s North Coast using the méthode traditionnelle, and aged in French oak. This vintage bottling hits every requisite note on the palate—from brioche and toasted almond to apple, pear, honey, and just a whisper of citrus. Medium-bodied with high acidity and a froth of tiny bubbles, this is a wine to drink at noon—or at midnight.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Riesling Nature 2018

In just a few decades, riesling has become the unofficial grape of New York’s Finger Lakes region. Since 1957, local winemaker Dr. Konstantin Frank (and the subsequent four generations of the Frank family) have been working wonders with the fruit at their winery on Keuka Lake. Produced in the méthode traditionnelle, this 100 percent Riesling is a crisp, dry sparkling wine that works best as a pairing for rich seafoods—think lobster and salmon—and fried food.

The post Beyond Champagne: The Best Sparkling Wines Under $50 appeared first on Saveur.

If you are anything like me, you’re very much looking forward to the end of 2020. Odds are you won’t be ringing in the New Year at a snazzy restaurant, or hosting fifty of your closest friends, though. Me? I’ll be at home in my jammies—but that doesn’t mean I won’t be marking the occasion with the extravagance it deserves. One word: millésimé. This is “vintage” champagne, as opposed to “NV”, or non-vintage—i.e., the really good stuff, created with grapes from a single year that yielded an especially good harvest.

Millésimés are considered to be the finest examples of Champagne from the already revered French wine region. They’re released when the house’s chef de cave deems them ready to drink, but they also do well when cellared for a future occasion. That said, why would you wait? At midnight this New Year’s Eve, I’ll be popping one of these three bottles:

Laurent-Perrier Millésimé 2008 ($80)

John Whittle

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From the largest family- and female-owned Champagne house (sisters Stéphanie Meneux de Nonancourt and Alexandra Pereyre de Nonancourt now run the show) comes this recently released vintage. With mineral freshness on the nose (think rain on clean cement) and bright citrus flavors, this pretty wine lingers on the palate with a rich and creamy sensation. A price that’s competitive even with many non-vintage offerings puts this one at the top of our thrifty (for this category, anyway) list.

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2012 Yayoi Kusama Limited Edition ($195)

John Whittle

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Fewer than 1% of the bottles from this brand (now owned by LVMH, a luxury goods conglomerate created when Louis Vuitton merged with Moët Hennessy) are deemed fit for the label “La Grande Dame”. That’s because Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin—Madame Clicquot—was something of a badass. Widowed at 27, she took over her husband’s business and eventually turned it into an empire. Like the Grande Dame herself, this millésimé delivers. It’s loaded with dainty floral and apple notes up front, and buttery pastry and apricot tea on the finish. There’s plenty to admire on the outside of the bottle, too: The limited-edition design by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama makes this one doubly giftable.

Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2012 ($279)

Courtesy Louis Roederer

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House Roederer first created Cristal to serve to Russian Tsar Alexander II in 1876—and it’s been going strong ever since, including a glamorous rise (and not so glam fall) as a hip hop status symbol. This Cristal, however, is the first Brut to be made using 100% organic and biodynamic fruit. (Roederer has dabbled in such green territory before, with the release of their 2007 Cristal Rosé.) The bubbles are particularly lively—Cristal’s calling card—and they deliver a nose of honey and hazelnut. The first thing you taste is bright green apple and lemon drop candy, followed by passionfruit curd and vanilla. Even at nearly 300 bucks, this one is worth every penny.

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