Thread by @danielmkim

#PSA: I’m not personally a fan of Champagne, but please, people - I’m begging you, with tears in my eyes - there is far better & far less expensive bubbly than Cristal or Dom Pérignon.

Recs:
Australia: Kreglinger, Yarrabank
California: Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, Roederer Estate, Domaine Carneros by Taittinger
Champagne: Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve, Bollinger Brut Special Cuvee, GH Mumm Brut Grand Cordon
Prosecco: Nino Franco Superiore
Cava: Segura Viudas

You really can’t go wrong with California sparkling wine, which is made in the méthode champenoise, the traditional method of making sparkling wine in Champagne. Roederer Estate from Louis Roederer has been a staple of my wine lists for almost 20 years.

My preferred bubbly is Cava, which goes through the exact same production process as Champagne, but with Macabeu, Parellada, and Xarel·lo grapes instead of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, & Pinot Meunier. I prefer Cava's vibrant acidity & hint of citrus to Champagne or CA sparkling.

If you can find it, & you fancy yourself a bubbly fan, you need to try Viñedo de los Vientos, Pet Nat No.2, from Uruguay. Their dessert wine, which is a port-style fortified wine filtered through cocoa beans, is like chocolate dessert in a glass.

As with all of my wine threads, drink what you like. My recommendations are meant to hopefully be helpful, not definitive. The best glass of wine is usually what you already have in your glass. Here endeth the lesson.