While I am a firm believer that any time is a good time for sparkling wine, nothing quite expresses the expectant exuberance of the calendar tipping into a new year like a bottle of bubbly. There are more choices than ever out there but I’ve narrowed it down to a lucky few sparkling wines – Champagne, Prosecco, Franciacorta and plenty of American sparkling wines – to celebrate the New Year.
Read on to suss out the best sparkling rosé for your mom or the best California sparkling wines made with only Chardonnay grapes.
Durant 2018 Blanc de Blanc
photo credit: Airen Vandevoort
Made in Oregon, Durant also landed on my 2024 foodie gift guide for their flavorful olive oils. Their first sparkling wine, the 2018, spent 54 months en tirage, which is hella long (a year longer than most) for sparklers. A mere 156 cases were produced of this beauty, which sings of peach and honeysuckle. From Dundee Hills, southwest of Portland, this wine can spend even more time lying down, if you can bear to wait.
Who would like this wine: I’d gift this wine to a friend who likes aged cheese and keeps a secret stash of wines on hand to share with friends who delight in bubbly surprises. $95 / 750 ml
Clos Solène 2021 Cuvée Juliette
Paso Robles’ wines often deserve more attention than they typically get. The region, on California’s Central Coast, serves up some lovely Zins and Cabs and is starting to make a name with sparkling wines. Like this little number. Made with 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay from the winery’s Bien Nacido vineyards, the wine is very bright with a noticeable acidity and notes of green apple and lemon offset with brioche.
Who would like this wine: I suggest laying this one down for a stretch and let those big bubbles settle a bit. Bring it as a gift to your friend who knows a little something about wine. $130 / 750 ml
Stewart Cellars 2021 Santa Cruz Mountains Brut Cuvée
Apple on the nose, apple on the palate – the flavor here is straight-up apple. Ok, that’s not entirely true. Made from 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir in a wine region south of San Francisco, there’s noticeable lemon-lime, too, softened a bit from the Pinot. I liked the soft bubbles and bright acidity, and suspect this one is best drunk now.
Who would like this wine: It’s approachable and easy-drinking, a great bottle to bring to a party and drink now – that nice, bright acid and juicy bubbles will pair with anything! $65 / 750 ml
J Vineyards Cuvée 20 N.V.
You’ll want a magnum of this easy-drinking Sonoma bubbly. Sourced from Russian River Valley sites and created in honor of J Vineyard’s 20th anniversary, it’s creamy and smooth on the palate with hints of lemon custard and pear. There’s a toasty note, too, but I’m not going all the way to brioche as there’s nothing buttery here. Just straight-up California sunshine in a bottle.
Who would like this wine: Anyone who likes California Chardonnay minus the oak. $40 / 750 ml or $90 / 1.5L magnum
SEPPI 2018 Brut Rosé
Did you know about this label from lauded Cabernet Sauvignon winemaker, Joseph Phelps? I did not. A name bestowed by his grandchildren, “Seppi” is actually made by Phelps’s grand-daughter, Kelsey, a lawyer by trade and Level 1 Sommelier by passion. Produced in the traditional Champagne Method, it’s 95% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir from California-sourced grapes. Where other, less refined rosés slip into blandness, SEPPI is delightfully aromatic. Strawberry jumps right out of the glass while almond (marzipan?) lingers on the palate.
Who would like this wine: Try this one with dessert or on the first day when spring warmth peeks through winter’s clouds. $52 for 750 ml
Dutcher Crossing Sparkling Posterity Blanc de Blanc N.V.
The first sparkling from the Dry Creek Valley winery is made exclusively from estate Chardonnay. It’s classic California with plentiful apple and citrus notes. I liked the softer bubble – it’s fizzy, not cloying – and there’s a distinct nose of rising bread dough.
Who would like this wine: Fans of minimally-oaked California Chardonnay, this one is for you. $56 / 750 ml
Storied Goods Orange-Cherry Sugar Cubes
These flavor-infused sugar cubes are all over my gift guides this year as they make a delightful addition to Champagne and other drinks. I trialed Cinnamon Vanilla in my cold brew coffee and loved it! Like Yes Cocktail Co’s Bitters-Infused Cubes I included in last year’s Boozy Gift Guide, these cubes can do more than zhush up booze. Orange Cherry was delicious with iced tea and I liked it with my green tea, too.
Who would like this wine: I mean, it’s sugar, so put a cube next to your morning espresso, if that’s your jam. But it’s most at home in a glass of sparkling wine. It makes an instant spritz and who doesn’t like that? 1 oz (28 g) / 10 cubes per package / $16
Berlucchi NV ’61 Extra Brut Sparkling (Franciacorta)
Franciacorta, a small wine region in Lombardy, Italy, is known for producing sparkling wines made in the Méthode Champenoise style from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. It is Italian sparking wine that is NOT Prosecco. Berlucchi’s non-vintage release is 85% Chard, 15% Pinot Noir, a classic profile I prefer for its freshness balanced with creaminess. Where California sparklers may exhibit apple and citrus, Franciacorta hints of wildflowers and marzipan. It’s irresistible.
Who would like this wine: Fans of Italian wine and friends curious to expand their knowledge of the world’s great wines. $40 / 750 ml
Brilla Prosecco DOC Rosé
Can a label sell a wine? Of course! Especially when it is as sparkly as this one. It shimmers and glimmers and basically winked its way off the shelf and into my hand. This is a bottle that is packaged for a party. Sold! What’s inside is nice, too, coppery-pink (salmon?) and delightfully refreshing. There’s plenty of fruit on the palate, a creamy character and a mere 11% alcohol.
Who would like this wine: Got a New Year’s Day party to attend or a brunch? This bottle screams “daytime drinking” to me. $36 / 750 ml
The Hilt 2020 Estate Sparkling
If you’ve driven through the SoCal tourist trap of Solvang, you’ve driven right past the Santa Rita Hills where this wine’s grapes were grown. The region is perhaps best-known for Pinot Noir and The Hilt’s. make up is 60% Pinot balanced with 40% Chardonnay. What I found most expressive is its savoriness, perhaps a touch of winemaker Matt Dees joy in utilizing less than 1.5g/L dosage. The bubbles here are particularly soft.
Who would like this wine: I’d buy this wine for anyone who claims not to like sparkling wines. The Hilt’s creamy character and stone fruit nose is lovely on its own but I bet it’s even better with Storied Goods’ orange-cherry sugar cube, a wedge of fresh persimmon, or a few berries. $50 / 750 ml
Vara New Mexico Sparkling Brut
New Mexico is not the first place I think of when I’m looking for American sparkling wine, but why not? Crafted in the traditional Méthode Champenoise style with New Mexican-grown grapes, it’s a spirited wine made from a rather untraditional blend of 72% Chenin Blanc 18% Listan Prieto and 10% Pinot Meunier. I found it dry and crisp with soft bubbles. Pairing with oysters immediately came to mind and it would hold up nicely next to caviar or other savory bites.
Who would like this wine: I’d bring this along to a party where the host is open to fun finds or a blind tasting party. No one will ever guess where it’s from. $27 for 750 ml
Henriot Brut Soverain N.V.
If French Champagne is a must for your holiday table, look no further than a classic bottle from a classic producer. The expressive nose from 45% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 15% Meunier, a typical Henriot is more herbal than toasty. I am a big fan of the bubble size, too, medium with enough heft to carry to the back of the palate but not too soft to disappear. Pair it with anything you like – this bad boy from a Champagne house founded by a woman, can handle Indian spice, raw fish and Parma ham with aplomb.
Who would like this wine: Your uncle who insists on drinking only Champagne. That is, if there must be bubbles in the wine at all. $65 / 750 ml
Martini & Rossi Asti DOCG
My favorite holiday cocktail is a French 75. I use Italian Prosecco, a northern Italian sparkler, crafted via the less labor-intensive Charmant Method. The drink is quick to make with no complicated ingredients – sparkler, gin, lemon juice, simple syrup – and is festive without fuss. Made from Moscato Bianco in the Piemonte region of Italy, it’s aromatic and floral on the nose and slightly sweeter than their Prosecco.
Who would like this wine: Like their Prosecco, Martini & Rossi’s Asti is an ideal bottle to keep on hand as a mixer or to drink solo – it pairs easily with everything from cheese to chocolate. Don’t be afraid to pick this up at your local supermarket or wine store. $15 / 750 ml
