Ahh sparkling wines. At the base of many a party, sparkling wines are seen as an indispensable celebratory ingredient. In recent years, however, the French original, Champagne, has become dauntingly expensive. Enter the U.S. alternative. At the very top end of the quality spectrum U.S. bubbly has become good enough to compete with mass market Champagne, and often at a fraction of the price. U.S. sparklers tend to be fruitier in flavor and feature less of the complex yeasty notes that characterize a high quality Champagne. The very best producers offer wines in the $20 range and even less, making them exceptional value when compared to comparable Champagnes

Prosecco: dry, lemony, and bubbling, is Italy's answer to refreshing, well-made, sparkling wine. Created from predominately Prosecco grapes in the northern Veneto region of Italy in the foothills of the Alps, Prosecco is light, affordable, and fun.

Traditionally Prosecco was made as a soft, somewhat sweet wine with just a little fizz, but today's Proseccos are dry and very bubbly. Sometimes combined with a small amount of Pinot Blanc or Pinot Grigio grapes, Prosecco is made using the Charmat method rather than the Champagne method, the French method of making sparkling wine. The Charmat method allows the wine to go through the second fermentation in pressurized tanks rather than in individual bottles. No turning the bottles every day as in Champagne. The shorter, tank fermentation is preferable for Prosecco because it preserves the freshness and the flavor of the grape.

Most of the world credits the invention of sparkling wine to the Champagne region, and to Dom Perignon. The legend, and possible real story, is far more interesting. According to Limoux natives, it was really invented there when Blanquette was created in their backyard. Its existence is documented as far back as the 1500s. When the great dom passed through, he stole the idea, they allege. If you plan to celebrate with some bubbly, you want to be sure you do it in style. You can get a crappy grocery store sparkling wine, but only vintages from the Champagne region are truly called Champagne. Here is a list for every budget of the best authentic French Champagnes and sparkling wines for the holidays, New Year's Eve, wedding toasts, celebrations or just for fun!       http://www.champagne.com/en_indx.html

The Australian wine industry manages to make Methode Champenoise wines of serious quality at prices that would make Champagne producers turn as green as their unripe grapes. Fruity, generous wines that can often show fine yeasty notes often associated with more expensive wines, typify the Australian sparkling wine style. Nearly all Aussie sparklers use champagne grape varieties (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) and most can be purchased for $10 or less.

An esoteric specialty that is unique to Australia is Sparkling Shiraz. This is a fruity red sparkling wine that has flavors associated with Shiraz red table wines. Few examples are imported, but more adventurous drinkers may wish to seek it out.