New Year’s Eve Wines
Bubbles, bubbles and more bubbles! New Year’s Day is for watching movies, ordering takeout and nursing your very first hangover of the new year, so you might as well party like a rockstar the night before. Even though New Year’s Eve rarely lives up to the expectations of epic debauchery, you might as well kick back as much bubbly as possible.
While we’re not advocating the mass consumption of high-end French Champagne, we do urge you to spend a few bucks more than the $4 bottles of grocery store “champagne.” Spanish Cava starts at less than $10 per bottle, and we can guarantee you’ll be thanking us the next morning.
N.V. Sofia Blanc de Blanc (187ml cans) California – $20 (4-pack) or $6 (individual) Francis Ford Coppola’s vineyard produces this tasty Chardonnay-based sparkling wine. Although it is primarily distributed in bottles, we opt for the cans on New Year’s Eve. They are about the size of an energy drink, so stuff them in your pockets or bag and become a mobile celebration. No matter where you end up, you’ll be prepared. |
N.V. Cristalino Brut Spain – $9 When you need enough bubbly to bath in, look no futher than Spanish Cava. Cristalino is, without a doubt, the highest quality sparkling wine for the money. |
N.V. Casteller Rose Cava Spain – $12 Need pink bubbles? Grab a bottle of this dry, Spanish sparkling wine. The bright fruit flavors of strawberry will help get some makeout at midnight. |
N.V. Mionetto Prosecco Brut Veneto, Italy – $12 Another great inexpensive bubbly option for New Year’s is Prosecco. The Italian take on Champagne is a lot less pretentious and expensive than the French stuff. |
N.V. Gruet Brut New Mexico – $15 Yeah, that’s right: New Mexico. This stuff is effing tasty. Flavors of green apple dominate this affordable South Western bubbly. |
N.V. Geisweiler Cremant de Bourgogne Burgundy, France – $21 Go Old World with a great sparkler from Burgundy, France. It’s a bright and dry wine made with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. |
2003 Westport Rivers Brut Cuvée RJR Massachusetts – $22 This local Massachusetts winery makes killer sparkling vino with grapes grown on the premises. Soft and creamy, it’ll make you think twice about buying wines from half a world away. |
N.V. Roederer Estate Brut California – $24 This French winery, best known for producing Cristal, set up shop in California’s Anderson Valley and has been producing awesome sparkling wine for over 25 years. |
N.V. Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne, France – $40 The cheap stuff is great, but sometimes you need to splurge for the authentic New Year’s experience. This is one of the best Champagnes for the money, and while the name is difficult to say (pronounced: nee-co-LA foy-YAHT), this wine is so much fun to drink. |
2003 Soter Vineyards “Beacon Hill” Brut Rose Willamette Valley, Oregon – $60 If you’re having a nice dinner, spending a quiet evening at home or just want to roll like a baller, consider this epic Oregon bubbly. Made by the famed winemaker from Etude , this bottle is hand-crafted in the same way as high-end, single-vineyard Champagne. |
N.V. Bollinger Special Cuvée Champagne, France – $75 If it’s good enough for James Bond … yeah, this is 007’s choice of bubbly. Made from some of the highest, self-imposed quality control measures in Champagne, Bollinger doesn’t screw around. This is a seriously delicious bottle of wine. |
