“My only regret in life is that I didn’t drink enough Champagne.”
— John Maynard Keynes’ deathbed reflection
Few things excite and mark a sense of occasion like Champagne. We use it to celebrate victories, achievements, anniversaries and weddings, but it is New Year’s Eve when the bubbly really starts to flow.
When I got married this past summer, I had a rare opportunity to indulge in some extraordinary Champagne and sparkling wines. Afterward, I found myself wondering why I don’t enjoy it more often. Oh, yeah. That price thing.
Nevertheless, I started hunting for affordable bubbles and excuses to open them. The following non-vintage sparkling wines are the fruits of that search, all ready to ring in the new year:
Valdo — Valdobbiadene Prosseco Superiore Marco Oro
Veneto, Italy
750 mL, 12 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV), $20
Prosecco is a fresh, light and lively sparkling wine, produced in northeastern Italy, specifically in the regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
While not especially complex, this Prosecco has pleasing floral and fruit aromas, with effervescent flavours of pear and apple. A crowd-pleaser with a hint of Old World charm, it pairs well with most seafood.
You can find it at most B.C. Liquour Stores and several private retailers, including Metro Liquor at Tuscany Village, and Liquor Plus at Quadra and Mackenzie.
J.G Carrion Jaume Serra Cava Brut Nature
Penedes, Spain
750 mL, 11.5 per cent ABV, $15
It’s hard to beat Spain for affordable sparkling wine that under-promises and over-delivers.
Straw in colour, this cava has fresh aromas of pear, apple and citrus. Dry and crisp on the palate, it offers flavours of green apple skin, grapefruit and chalky minerality that linger in a medium finish. Try it with smoked salmon.
Everything Wine carries this cava, as does Cascadia Liquour, Cook Street Village Liquour, and Liquor Plus at Quadra and McKenzie.
Blue Mountain Gold Label Brut
Okanagan Falls
750 mL, 12.5 per cent ABV, $28
If you are going to find a homegrown hero on the wine program at any reputable restaurant in B.C., there are better than even odds it will be a Blue Mountain Sparkling Wine.
The Gold Label Brut is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, made in the traditional method. It pours pale gold in the glass with a yeasty nose of toasty brioche. A creamy mousse hosts flavours of crisp lemon, pear and green apple in a medium finish. Pair with local oysters for a true taste of B.C.
A popular B.C. product, it is available at most private stores, including: Everything Wine; James Bay Spirit Merchants; Cascadia Liquor, Six Mile Liquor, Metro Liquor at Tuscany Village, Liquor Plus; and The Strath Ale, Wine & Spirit Merchants.
Bailly Lapierre — Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve
Burgundy, France
750 mL, 12 per cent ABV, $25
Champagne in everything but name, crémant is French sparkling wine made outside the Champagne AOC. (Let’s not get into French wine law.)
Of course, Burgundy is no slouch when it comes to making wine.
In this case, a blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay and Aligoté, processed in the traditional method, provides a moderate degree of complexity with yeastiness on the nose, red fruit intensity, and lively acidity on the palate. Partner with fresh strawberries.
Available at most B.C. Liquor Stores.
Piper Heidsieck — Brut
Champagne, France
750 mL, 12 per cent ABV, $60
If you want to ring in the new year with the real deal you could do worse than Piper Heidsieck Champagne.
Some might consider $60 an exorbitant sum to shell out for wine, but it is a pittance compared to the cost of celebrity sparkle like Krug Grand Cuvee ($255), Louis Roederer Cristal ($580) or, ahem, Moet & Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon ($5,910).
To be sure, value can be had at any price. The Prosecco, cava and crémant mentioned above are all relatively cheap and cheerful sparkling wines that are affordable enough to drink anywhere, anytime. But spring an extra $40 and you enter the realm of a complex and elegant sparkling wine that will be on your mind for a day or two afterwards.
Bright gold in the glass, this Champagne has aromas of lemon peel, honeysuckle, apple and toasty lees that are all revealed in the mouth in a creamy mousse that vibrates with fruit and bracing minerality in a long finish. Since you’re splurging, try pairing it with caviar.
A popular Champagne, Piper Heidsieck is available at most B.C. Liquor Stores in Greater Victoria and at several private stores, including James Bay Spirit Merchants, Cook Street Village Liquor, Hillside Liquor and Liquor Plus.
Note: Prices and availability vary from store to store, especially over the holidays, so it’s a good idea to call ahead before you set out shopping.
