Champagne, Prosecco or Cava? Picking Bubbles for New Year’s 🥂

New Year’s Eve is the biggest bubbly night of the year, and our sparkling shelf gets a serious workout in late December. People come in asking for a bottle of champagne, but what most of them really mean is something with bubbles that tastes great and won’t break the bank. The good news is there are a lot of great options, and they’re not all the same. Here’s how to pick the right one for your midnight toast.

Let’s start with the big one. Real Champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France. If sparkling wine is made anywhere else, it isn’t allowed to use that name on the label. Champagne gets its bubbles from a second fermentation that happens right inside each bottle. It’s a slow, hands-on process, and it gives Champagne those tiny, elegant bubbles along with flavors like toast, fresh bread, almonds and green apple. It’s the splurge pick, and for a big moment like ringing in the new year, an engagement or anyone who deserves a little luxury, it’s worth every penny.

Prosecco comes from northeastern Italy and is made mostly from a grape called Glera. Instead of getting its bubbles in each bottle, it’s made in big steel tanks. That keeps it fresh, light and fruity, with flavors like pear, peach and melon. Prosecco is easy to love and easy on your wallet, which makes it perfect for a big party. It’s also the best choice for mimosas and spritzes, because you don’t want to pour your fancy bottle into orange juice.

Cava is Spain’s sparkling wine, and it’s one of the best deals in the whole wine world. Most of it comes from the area around Barcelona. Here’s the cool part. Cava is made the same way as Champagne, with that second fermentation in the bottle, but it usually costs a fraction of the price. It tends to be crisp and dry, with citrus, apple and a little nutty flavor. If you love the style of Champagne but not the price tag, cava is your answer.

And don’t sleep on crémant! Crémant is sparkling wine from other parts of France, like Burgundy, Alsace or the Loire Valley, and it’s made the same traditional way as Champagne too. It’s one of those bottles that tastes way more expensive than it is, so it’s a great one to bring to someone else’s party.

The sweetness labels on sparkling wine trip up just about everybody, so here’s a quick explanation. Brut is the most common style, and it means dry. If you see Extra Brut or Brut Nature, that’s even drier. Here’s the confusing part. Extra Dry is actually a little sweeter than Brut. We know, it makes no sense! Anything labeled Dry or Demi-Sec is noticeably sweet and is great with dessert. If you see Extra Dry on a Prosecco, expect a touch of sweetness.

Opening a bottle without taking out a light fixture is easier than it looks. Make sure the bottle is really cold first, because warm bubbly is way more likely to explode. Take off the foil, loosen the wire cage and keep your thumb on the cork the whole time. Drape a towel over the top, point the bottle away from people and hold it at a slight angle. Then hold the cork still and slowly twist the bottle instead of the cork. You want a soft little hiss instead of a big loud pop. It’s less dramatic, but you keep more of the bubbles in the bottle where they belong.

If you’re only pouring bubbles for the toast at midnight, one bottle will fill about six glasses. If sparkling wine is the main drink of the night, plan on roughly a bottle for every couple of guests.

From all of us at Boone’s, thank you for an amazing year. Come see us before the big night and we’ll help you find the perfect bottle to ring in the new one. Cheers!