Years ago (80’s), the pres. of the company handed out bottles of Dom Perignon to the sr. staff at Christmas.
Didn’t suck.
I love champagne and wonder if I could tell the difference if I ever got to taste a good one.
A few bottles of champagne over the course of an evening make for a slight and pleasant escalation of buzz and is great with females.
I did buy the most expensive bottle of champagne in a wine store in Bourg-Lastic, France, but it was not that expensive and it was a gift for my mother that I never got to taste.
Freixenet wins taste tests for economy champagne.
When we paid off our mortgage, I bought a bottle of Veuve Cliquot (mostly because it was a name I recognized). It was quite good, though I’m not generally too snobby about such things. I’ve had some really good Cava (the Spanish version of champagne), as well.
costco kirkland brand champagne at $20 is agood bargain
VEUVE CLIQUOT!!!! ALL THE WAY!!
Mumm Napa Brut Rosé / Napa Valley
Both are:
Pinot Noir 54% / Chardonnay 46%
reliable over sequential years (no vintage year on label); blended for consistency
excellent value for their respective reasonable prices.
Schramsberg's tinier bubbles are a sign of high quality fruit & production.
We slightly prefer Mirabelle / leans toward apricot / alc. 12.8%.
Mumm is a fine backup / leans toward strawberry / alc. 12.5%.
Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé / Pinot Noir 58% / Chardonnay 42% is another elegant choice /
leans toward peach / alc. 12.0%.