Sparkling wines: A list of faves

Best Buys
Given that “value” is relative -- here are my recommendations for best-value bubblies in 750 mL sizes.

Mainstream Bubbles
Spanish Cavas, like Codorníu's NV Brut Clasico ($11) and Freixenet's Vintage Brut ($16), hail from the cool sub-Pyrenean region north of Barcelona, where traditional bottle fermentation and hand-riddling are the norm. And, as in almost every other wine category, Australia knows how to do it well on the cheap: Jacob's Creek's NV Chardonnay/Pinot Noir ($14) offers great flavour and smooth balance. OJ optional!

First-Class Fizz
The coolest part of California is the Carneros region, which crosses south of Napa and Sonoma. Domaine Chandon's NV Brut Classic ($28) and Mumm Napa's NV Brut Prestige ($27) are produced to traditional standards by French champagne makers.

The Real Magilla
The Champagne region of France, where the good stuff originates, benefits from a marginal climate and porous limestone soil. Wines like Moët & Chandon's NV Brut Rosé ($66), Mumm Cordon Rouge's NV Brut ($52), Perrier Jouet's NV Grand Brut ($52) and Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin's NV Brut Yellow Label ($59, or $18 for the 200 mL piccolo size) offer richness, delicacy, depth, complexity and exceptional finesse. It saddens me when great bottles like these are wasted to dedicate ships or spray victorious Formula One racers.

For Lottery Winners
Every great producer of champagne offers at least one top-class version, the cream of the crop, a ne plus ultra. Rare, expensive, superbly balanced, with penetrating, luxurious flavours, these are made only in the finest vintages from the smallest percentage of the very best grapes. James Bond liked the Dom Pérignon 1953. I like the Dom Pérignon 1996 (about $180) much better, as well as its feminine peer, Veuve Clicquot's 1996 La Grande Dame (about $172). Both are unimaginably delicious now but will improve if cellared for up to a dozen years.

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