Champagne is a wonderful beverage. Although many people falsely believe it to only be for celebrations and special events, it is in fact appropriate for any time a glass of wine or drink is appropriate. Buying Champagne can be confusing and expensive, especially since most people only do it occasionally. Here are a few tips to make it far simpler and less expensive as well, but be warned that if you get in to Champagne as many people do, you just may spend a lot of money.

First of all, Champagne is sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France made by a special process. If it’s not from France it is not Champagne, but do you care? Champagne does have its own unique taste that I love, but there are also plenty of other wonderful sparkling wines including from France, California, New Zealand, and even Massachusetts. Many of these may be far more economical and delicious and may be exactly what you want. For example, go buy a bottle of Cava, Spanish sparkling wine, as well as Prosecco as Asti Spumante from Italy and see it you like them. In the end, it is your taste that matters. Prosecco and Asti are slightly sweet and often appeal to neophytes as well as more experienced wine drinkers, and almost everyone, myself included, loves Cava.

If you are looking at real Champagne, be aware that there are literally hundreds of styles and producers and types and combinations available. What is most important, other than your budget, is whether you like it or not. It’s all about taste, your taste, and what you enjoy.

The least expensive Champagnes, sometimes called regular Champagne, are Non Vintage, often abbreviated NV. This is produced by blending wines from multiple years to always produce a consistent result. For example, Moet and Chandon White Star, a very popular NV, always tastes the same. My recommendation is to head down to your local wine store, and perhaps with some help from the staff, buy one or more bottles to try. I love most Champagne, but just like you will, I like some better than others. You also may commonly find some NV Blanc de blancs, which are made entirely from Chardonnay grapes and generally light and crisp, as well as NV Roses which tend to have bolder flavors and more structure and body. You cannot tell what you like unless you try it.

One suggestion is to buy a variety of bottles and drink them with friends. Doing side by side comparisons will really accentuate how different Champagnes and other sparkling wines really taste. Make sure you write down which ones you prefer! It’s common to have one or more favorites, but to find you don’t remember which ones later on and the empty bottles have already been sent to recycling.

A step up from NV are vintage Champagnes, ones made entirely from the grapes grown in a certain year. If you love a producer’s NV, you may want to try one or more of their vintage wines. Vintage wines will taste somewhat different depending on the year, expressing the characteristics of that year as well as of that particular Champagne.

Champagne has two enemies, heat and light. You want to buy your Champagnes and other sparkling wines from a cool wine shop and absolutely one that does not subject them to direct sunlight. A shop with a good turnover will also help ensure the wines are in good shape.

For much more information on buying Champagne, visit Champagne and also Champagne Questions and Champagne Region.

For much more information on buying Champagne, visit http://champagnepoodle.com and also http://champagnepoodle.com/about-champy/questions.htm and http://champagnepoodle.com/travel-to-champagne/champagne-region.htm

Author Bio: For much more information on buying Champagne, visit Champagne and also Champagne Questions and Champagne Region.

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: Champagne, buy champagne, buying champagne, Champagne Questions