Champagne for New Year's

Piper Heidsieck is one of the best. it ranks in taste with Dom and is about half the price. I think I paid $40 for a bottle last year

We are Asti Spumante drinkers at our house.
Happy new Year.
jen

Have you considered going to a winery and sampling their Champagne? I love wine, but have never been a huge Champagne drinker, so I dont know a lot about it either. I have found with wine though, there isn't always a huge difference between the cheap stuff and the expensive stuff. Maybe go to a store, purchase a few bottles ranging in price and do a taste test at home with your husband. Decide on a brand and purchase that. Who cares if it cost $6 or $30...as long as it tastes good, that's all that matters.

One more thing, if your children will be present for the New Year's Bash, maybe consider purchasing a bottle of sparkling apple cidar or ginger ale for them at midnight, that way they feel included in toasting the New Year. Have fun and be safe!

There's a brand called Wycliffe that's inexpensive and very good.
Cork and Bottle on Perkins Road used to carry it - I think they still do. It's under $5 a bottle, but it's actually very tasty and won't give you a nasty hangover.

The Today Show did a feature on this today!!! They recommended a bottle of "Prosecco" that was only $10! It was the correspondants favorite even over Dom Periogn (before knowing which glass was which). I'm sure you can go to www.todayshow.com and find the piece to get more info. Hope it helps!
Have a safe & Happy New Year's!!

I had Balatori (not sure if spelling is correct) at my wedding reception. It's cheap, but good. I'm not a champagne drinker myself, but I do like that one. You can find it at Wal-Mart as well. Hope this helps. Happy New Year.

My suggestion is Spumante as well. It is very inexpensive and quite good for wine/champagne rookies. Also, Riesling is a very good rookie wine that isn't expensive. They are more on the sweet side. I am going to include the apple cider for the kids as well. GREAT IDEA!!

Have Fun.

My Father is huge wine enthusiast and for any occassion in which one would normally celebrate with champagne, he normally breaks out a bottle of Asti Spumante which is a sparkling white wine. It's so much better than a lot of the champagnes but has a very simliar taste. The cheapest and easiest to fine is Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante. Very good and you should be able to find it for $20 or less. Just depends where you get it from. Should be easy to find as well, I believe I've found it at Wal-Mart before....at least the ones that carry alchol and liquor.

My husband and I love Ballatore. It is about $10 a bottle and not too sweet or "brut".

Hey A., it all depends on the type of crowd you are having at your party. If your party goers drink more beer and liquor, you don't really need to go all out on the champagne. Just make sure to get a couple of nice size bottles. Just like clothes, when buying champagne your paying for the name. They all taste the same.

I don't like it sweet but dry. Frexinet Extra Dry is about $15 and decent. Steer clear of anything cheaper unless you want a headache.

I used to like Korbel, but I can't remember the specific type.

I'm not much of a drinker, but my husband suggests Domain Chandon or St Michele. These are in the $15 range, but good. He says that the $10-20 range is the "sweet spot". Stay away from the under $10 stuff and there's no reason to go over $20. Hope that helps. Like I said these are my husband's suggestions, but I will say that he likes champagne. I've never really liked it, but the Chandon is tastier than most that I've had and I like the taste. Good luck and Happy New Year!

I know it's after NY but I figured I would tell you my experience with Cook's champagne...
My mother-in-law who is a wine connoisseur will buy Cook's because it tastes good and is inexpensive. That's actually the champagne I had at my wedding reception. It's in-between sweet and dry so most people like it. Cook's is a brand-name it does not mean it's just for cooking. She (my MIL) also buys Prosecco, which we had this year, and it was also tasty.

ALSO, if you are cooking with wine/alcohol, it's actually better to use wine that you would also drink!

I would also recommend going with a sparkling wine as opposed to champagne. It is what most people are used to and I think most also like the sweetness and the fact that they are not as dry as real champagne. Asti is the one that the general public is most familiar with (but my least favorite) however I would go with the person who suggested the Prusseco; it is a very good sparkling Italian wine that is sweet but not too sweet. (Not sure if I spelled the name correctly but just ask the store clerk and he will help you find it------he may also be able to give you some other suggestions). You could also make a wine punch or white sangria if you want to do something out of the ordinary. It is also good to have a n/a option available too for those who do not want to drink.
P.S. For all the experts out there I am aware that champagne is a sparkling wine---however my response is worded the way it is because not all sparkling wines are champagne!
Hope you find what you are looking for A.! Have a Happy New Year!

I have always brought the Korbel, Extra Dry. Its only like 12.99!! Good Luck and Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Hey - I've found that most people don't really like the taste (HEADACHE after) of actual champagne. I usually go with the Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante - which is a sparking italian wine. So it tickles the nose, but isn't quite as dry.
Have fun!

I've heard that if it says cooking it's not good for driking.