Sparkling wines are perfect for a romantic celebration.  Any champagne will be lovely.  You might especially consider sweeter sparklers.  

For a special and exotic Valentine’s bubbly, you might try Rosa Regale, a sweet Italian sparkler.  Its red color is stunning and it pairs with chocolate exceptionally well.  The striking bottle even features a rose on the label. 

Another great choice is an Italian Moscato, like Marco Negri Moscato Di Asti . Its soft, fruity light sweetness is delightful and its gentle sparkle makes it a wonderful choice.

Spumantes are sweet sparklers that have lots and lots of bubbles and a cork that will pop.  The Asti region of Italy produces some of the finest options.  One great choice is Cinzano Asti.

If sweet's not to your taste, or you're pairing with savory dishes instead of chocolates or desserts, there are lots of fantastic dry champagne options.  

Veuve Cliquot and Moet Imperial (formerly known and labeled as Moet White Star) are terrific traditional Champagnes.

For a more value conscious but still sumptuous dry bubbly option consider Cava (Spanish sparklers) like Freixenet or Segura Viudas or California options like Chandon or J.

Red wines are a beautiful complement to Valentine’s dinner or rich and delicious for toasting on their own.  Cabernet Sauvignon is  great with a steak dinner.  If you want to serve some red with dessert,but aren't a fan of sweet dessert wines, Cupcake Vineyard's Red Velvet is California Red Blend that's fully dry, but makes an interesting and wonderful pairing with chocolate deserts. 

Flavored Lambic Beers are perfect for the holiday.  Though they are made from fermented wheat, not grapes, they  are more like flavored champagnes than they are like regular beers. They are sweet,fizzy,  and beautiful served in a champagne glass.  Framboise is the raspberry flavored one, and its pinkish purplish color makes for a lovely presentation.

Drinks that are pink or red are great options,too.  Cosmopolitans, strawberry daiquiris and margaritas, and pomegranate martinis are some popular options.For a stunning and delicious fruity pink cocktail, try using X-Rated Liqueur.  It’s great chilled and served straight, added to lemon-lime soda, added to champagne, or swirled into margaritas.   

Nuvo Liqueur is a pink liqueur made from sparkling wine, vodka, and fruit juices.

Happy New Year 2012

Champagne Celebration Ideas

Sparkling Wine Guide

Sparkling wine is the perfect choice for toasting the New Year.  Champagne labels can look a bit confusing at first, but here’s some tips to help decode and demystify it all and find just the right sparkler for your celebration.

The first thing to consider is how sweet you would like your bubbly to be.  If you would like a sweet champagne, look for one that says "Sec", "Sweet", or “Spumante” on the label. "Asti" is another label word that's going to be sweet sparkler, it's actually the region in Italy where the wine is produced, but all of the sparklers produced in that region bearing that label are made from the Moscato grape and are typically made sweet. One great brand is Cinzano Asti

If you are looking for something with just the slightest hint of sweetness, sort of a middle of the road choice, look for one that says “Extra Dry” on the label.  One nice Extra Dry is Domaine St. Michelle

If you are looking for a dry champagne, one with no sweetness whatsoever, choose one labeled “Brut” or “Natural”. One great brand is Veuve Cliquot

Are you wondering what the difference is between bottles labeled Champagne and bottles labeled Sparkling Wine?

The difference is geography.  By tradition, (and law in some parts of the world), to be labeled Champagne, a sparkling wine must be made in the Champagne region of France.  Therefore, the vast majority of sparkling wines produced everywhere else in the world label their product as Sparkling wine.  This shows respect for the Champagne region where champagne originated and was perfected.  All of the sparklers labeled Champagne that are produced inside the region are held to strict standards concerning the types of grapes that can be used, the methods of wine production used, that the grapes must all be harvested by hand, etc.  Most of the world’s most prestigious bubbly comes from Champagne, but there’s plenty of great (and often more budget conscious) sparkling choices from outside of the region.  

 Many Sparklers also say “Methode Champenoise” on the label.  All that means is that the champagne was made with the traditional French method of putting the still wine into the bottles and letting it have its second fermentation inside there (that’s how sparkling wine gets its bubbles), rather than having the secondary fermentation happen in tanks and then bottling the finished fizzy champagne.

Alternatives to Ordinary Champagne

If you’d like to try something a little different this year, you don’t have to totally throw tradition to the wind.  There are lots of ways to still toast with bubbly, just with an extra twist of festive flair.  Try a colored champagne instead of the basic yellow kind.  There are great sparklers available in Pink and Red, in both sweet and dry types.  You might even consider a flavored champagne, maybe something in peach or strawberry. 

Not feeling quite that adventurous?  Try serving Prosecco.  It’s an elegant choice with a light sophisticated sparkle, not quite the exhuberant bubbles of a traditional Champagne (It's not going to make a big "POP" sound when you open it.).  Or for a sweeter, luxurious, lightly sparkling choice, try a Moscato Di Asti.

In 2012, May all your pain be Champagne.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!