Written by: Lana Bortolot | Forbes
Photo by: Bettmann Archive
December 28, 2021
If the current and predicted Champagne shortage has you reaching for your smelling salts (or CBD stress reliever), don’t despair: there are plenty of other options for putting the sparkle in your new year celebration. Across the globe, most wine regions make a version of sparkling—many in the same traditional method as Champagne, and for a fraction of the price. Here are a few recommendations from this month’s pro tasting panel for drinking widely and joyously.
This New Year’s Eve, there’s a good chance I’ll be fast asleep by midnight, so opening a fancy bottle of Champagne seems a bit silly. Instead, I’m going to reach for this bottle of Portuguese rosé, Filipa Pato Beiras “3B” Metodo Tradicional Rose NV. It’s delicious, dry but fruity and packs a juicy berry punch. And at less than $20/bottle, it’s a great value so I won’t feel like I’m being wasteful when I nod off in front of the television after one glass. For New Year’s Day, when I’m wide awake, I’ll pull out a bottle of something a little fancier. I’ve been a long-time fan of English sparkling wines: They have the grapes, soil and, lately, a similar climate to Champagne. Nyetimber is the first producer to catch my eye years ago—on trips to London, I would always get a bottle to share with friends I stayed with. Stateside, I look out for the Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Brut NV ($55-60+/-), which shows off the cut, minerality, and brioche-iness you would expect from Champagne, with just a bit more generous apple and pear fruit. It will go perfectly with whatever my husband decides to make for breakfast!—Christy Frank, co-founder, Copake Wine Works, Copake, NY.
Col Vetoraz Valdobbiadene Brut Prosecco: This vintage-dated gem for around $25 is richer than the average Prosecco, but bright (and affordable) enough to enjoy multiple glasses without palate or wallet fatigue.—Trevor Wood, general manager for Aria Tuscan Grill/Cicchetti Wine Bar, Charlotte, NC.
I’m always telling people about Nicolas Hirissou’s sparkling Mauzac from Gaillac. It retails under $15 and all the wine pros I know that have tasted it find it refreshing and delicious. Its green apple flavors are extremely versatile with food. Gaillac isn’t well known, so that creates value, and since it’s Methode Ancestrale it qualifies as Pet Nat so all the cool kids will be down to try it as well. Also for New Year’s Eve, he recommends a Sauternes from Bordeaux. “It is the one beverage that after you sip you stop in your tracks because the flavors are so intense and frankly, unexpected,” he says. “People think they don’t like sweet wines but they generally love a Sauternes.” —Jeff Harding, wine director, The Waverly Inn, NYC
For mass gatherings where you need lots of price-savvy bottles, Castellroig Corpinnat Brut Nature Reserva NV produced in Spain’s Penedes region—ground zero for Cava. From the newest established region with the aim of distinguishing great sparkling wines made in the heart of the Penedes from 100% organic grapes, hand harvested and vinified entirely on the premises of the winery with additional age, this vegan wine with white peaches, spring florals and soft lemon freshness outshines some of the more well-known sparkling names. ($18-$19) —Carrie Lyn Strong, sommelier, and founder of Strong Wine Consulting
