Champagne is my favorite kind of wine. I’m not fussy, actually—I’ll drink sparkling wine via Methode Champenoise or Champagne (what’s the diff?), and I don’t need a special occasion. In fact, it makes me quite sad that Champagne gets relegated to weddings and holidays.


I love Champagne so much that I have a riddling rack in my living room.


But, ’tis the season, so for those of you who don’t think about sparkling wines the rest of the year, get ready for bubbles! Here are some helpful articles, links and tips on Champagne for the holidays—more than you ever wanted or needed to know about the greatest wine ever.

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The Basics

• The history of Champagne, and its creator, a Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon (really!), who developed Methode Champenoise. (For ease of reference, I’m going to say “champagne” going forward to refer to any wine made via Methode Champenoise, even if it is not made in the Champagne region of France.)

• Sugar is added to champagne during the fermentation process, in different amounts. The label will feature a name indicating the amount of sugar, which will help you understand whether it’s going to be a sweet sparkler or a dry one.

• Sweetest: Demi-Sec (this is like cola sweet)
• Sec
• Extra Sec or Extra Dry
• Brut
• Extra Brut or Brut Extra
• Driest: Brut Nature or Brut Zéro

• Don’t be afraid of the pinks—blanc de noirs and rosés. People often assume that pink champagnes will be very sweet… but get that Boone’s Farm out of your head! Good pinks often have a coppery or fruity flavor, but aren’t always sweet and can even be drier than their golden counterparts.

• What glass to drink champagne out of? Any of them, really.

Now, don’t gasp in horror… the coupe used to be the standard (and then people realized that they encouraged the wine to warm up and the bubbles to dissipate too quickly)… then the flute became the standard (and then people complained that they couldn’t appreciate the bouquet of the wine)… then some wine experts claimed that white wine glasses were the right shape… then consumers said that tulips were better because they encouraged the bubbles and nose but were more festive… then coupes came back en vogue because their shape is so retro and fun… and because their alleged origin makes a nice sexy story to tell on New Year’s Eve.

So, whatever. Use what you have. If you are going to really invest in sparkling wine glasses, go for crystal flutes with a nucleation point (a little etched notch or bead that encourages bubbles to gather), such as Reidel’s Cuvee or Baccarat.

Here’s a quick primer on wine stemware if you like.

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Entertaining with Champagne

• With food? Sparkling wine is the perfect pairing for hors d’oeuvres, at any time of year. The light, acidic, bubbly nature is a palate-cleanser, making champagne the perfect complement to cheeses, nuts, fish, fruits, Asian foods, fried foods, sushi… just about anything, really.

The one flavor that champagne doesn’t hold up well to are very sweet desserts, like fudgy chocolates or buttercream wedding cakes (oh, the irony!).

• Champagne cocktails… yes, please! My personal fave is the classic: a sugar cube with Angostura bitters in the bottom of a glass of champagne. I don’t even need the float of brandy or garnish of orange peel.

But champagne makes a lovely ingredient with all sorts of drinks. Try those Modmix mixers we mentioned… or a French 75… or a Kir Royale… or a poinsettia, which is just a mimosa made with cranberry juice instead of OJ.

• Or, try a “Garnish Your Own” champagne bar. Set out sugar cubes, bitters, raspberries, orange peel, Chambord, cognac, pomegranate liqueur, a couple of small carafes of juices… and let people just play around.

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How to Open a Bottle of Champagne

Don’t be intimidated. It’s actually much easier than you think. Just think of it like a much bigger bottle of Coca-Cola, and made of glass. Make sure your bottle is nicely chilled, then:

1. NEVER USE A CORKSCREW ON CHAMPAGNE. The bottle is highly pressurized; this would be foolish/dangerous.

2. You don’t want the foamy spray—that’s an urban myth. I know they show it on TV all the time, but really it’s a waste of good wine. If your bottle has been agitated or shaken, just put it back in the fridge and let it settle.

3. Work on a flat non-slip surface where possible, like a kitchen counter. Untwist the little wire loop until you’ve loosened the little muzzle-looking thing known as the “cage” and can remove it. Then, remove the foil.

4. Gently, slowly, with a combination of back-and-forth twisting + pulling, remove the cork. It should pop out nicely into your hand, and let out a little wisp of white vapor.

5. If you are nervous about the cork popping and putting your eye out, put a dishtowel over the top of the bottle, and then remove the cork through the dishtowel.

(That you can open a bottle of champagne with just your hands makes it an even better choice, for me. Headed to a picnic? Impromptu hotel party? No need for additional tools!)

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Trivia & Trends

• Did you know that a study from Sonoma State University figured out that Millenials (or Generation Y, roughly those born between 1978-1988) don’t drink sparkling wine? (That’s okay, more for us Gen X-ers)

• Think champagne is just for the ladies? Check out this article on recommended champagne and cigar pairings. (Come to think of it… who says that cigars are just for the gentlemen?)

• The current state of the economy means champagne prices are going down. Stock up while you can!

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What & Where to Buy

• Lowest (<$15 for a bottle): Goody Goody carries a surprisingly good white sparkling called St. Hilaire, that is regularly around ten bucks. This stuff is good enough to be your house champagne… the bottles you hang on to for a Tuesday night or when company pops in unexpectedly.

From the supermarket, I’ll go with Cook’s in an emergency— but save this one to mix into mimosas or poinsettias.

You can often find the Italian and Spanish versions of champagne (called prosecco and cava, respectively) at this price point, in supermarkets and wine shops.

• In the lower price points (around $30 for a bottle), you’re still mostly going to have to go with American sparklers. I like Mumm’s, Domaine Chandon.

• Getting into the $50-bottle range, I like Veuve Clicquot to give because everyone appreciates and recognizes the label, and it’s a nice standard Champagne label. To drink for myself, I prefer Piper-Heidsieck (look for the red label), Schramsberg (white and gold label), Taittinger, or Nicolas Feuillatte (which makes an especially nice blanc de noir).


Occasionally you will find one of these brands at around $30. Snap it up! That’s a good value on a historically good champagne.

• If you’re looking to spend $100 or more… talk to your wine merchant. There are high-profile labels like Dom Perignon and Cristal of course, but I’ve had both and frankly I think those are more hype than not. There are more intriguing labels out there, with impact beyond merely overuse in pop culture, and the experts can point you in the right direction.

Great stores in North Dallas for champagne selection and advice are the aforementioned Goody Goody (I like the shop at 423 and Eldorado in Little Elm best), and Sigel’s (have never tried the shop at Shops at Legacy, but the mothership down in Addison is full of wine rock stars who can answer all your questions).

In fact, never be afraid to ask the wine guy for recommendations. You can say, “I need a champagne to take to a party and I want to spend about $20, what do you recommend?” or “This is my first New Year’s Eve with my girlfriend and she really loves sweet champagnes, what should we get?” That’s his job, and he often can direct you toward labels that you wouldn’t have otherwise considered, and he also knows what’s at a really good value at the moment. Nothing like snagging a $50 champagne for $25!

Well, unless it’s drinking it.

My second favorite place to drink Champagne is Cru, either in Allen at Shops at Watters Creek or in Plano at Shops at Legacy. Both locations have a great variety of sparkling, and they offer bubbly flights, where you can sample small pours of different champagnes without having to commit to a whole glass or bottle. Plus, they offer a 50% discount on all bottles of champagne and sparkling wine on Thursdays, at all their locations. Can’t beat that with a stick.

My favorite place to drink Champagne is at your house. See you around 8:00?

Happy bubbles!