Bubbly

Sparkling wine

The pop of a cork, and the sound of billions of bubbles bursting in a glass, seems to conjure up exactly the right spirit of heady celebrations. But buying sparkling wine can be a formidable experience. These days, there are so many types of fizz at such wildly varying prices, it's hard to know where to start.

Champagne

Splash out by all means, but choose very carefully from among the more expensive sparklers. The most pricey are the top champagnes - only made in the Champagne region of north-east France. (No other sparkling wines can use the treasured 'Champagne' name.) The process of making champagne is long and laborious, including a second fermentation and ageing in the bottle, which gives the wine yeasty, biscuity hints.

It is generally agreed that, at the luxury end of the market, the finest champagnes are the best bubblies around. They show remarkable elegance and freshness and have a fine, crisp mousse, combined with a rich biscuity, yeasty flavour. The best vintage champagnes (made only from grapes grown in one, particularly good year) have staying power too - they will age wonderfully over many years, and get more mellow and rich with time. Anyone willing to fork out £25 or more for a fine Champagne should expect a wonderful wine.

There are some good value champagnes around £15 to £20 too. You might find something from the region that tastes good at under £15, but you'll need to be lucky. The cheapest champagnes can be poor value - you may end up paying for the name 'Champagne' but getting a mouthful of wine that tastes rough and sharp. For better flavours at around a tenner, try a sparkler from somewhere else.

New world sparkling wine

That could mean a New World wine producing country, where a more obviously fruity, ripe and sunny style of fizz tends to be made. The Australians, New Zealanders and Californians are especially good at making vivacious sparkling wine with loads of big bubbles, tropical fruit flavours and a creamy finish.

This is the kind of bubbly to choose if you are kicking off a big feast and want to share a couple of appealing bottles informally with a group of friends or family. It's also a good choice if you want something better-than-average but would rather not spend a fortune on premium champagne which may just end up being splashed on the carpet!

Choosing party fizz

But what should you get for a really big bash - the kind of knees-up when you have dozens of people over and you want to fuel the night with bargain fizz? The answer is easy: choose cava, Spain's traditional sparkling wine. Made in the Penedès region of eastern Spain, cava really is one of the best buys of the wine world. It's produced in the same meticulous way as champagne, and is just as reliable, although the local Spanish grapes tend to give a much more simple, neutral style of wine.

Expect to pay a fiver, or even less, for a perfectly decent, crowd-pleasing bottle of cava. Choose a 'brut' (dry) style for a refreshingly tangy party fizz, and offer your guests a choice of drinking it on its own, or as a base for a sparkling cocktail with orange juice, or creme de cassis (or anything else you fancy!). Then enjoy yourself, without worrying too much about the cost.

Sparkling wine and food

Although dry sparklers are the perfect aperitifs enjoyed on their own (it's all because of the crisp acidity, light flavours and clean-tasting bubbles), they do go well with some dishes, especially:

• Salmon and other fish mousse
• Smoked salmon
• Sushi
• Crispy fried vegetarian dishes like tempura
• Asparagus
• Fresh prawns
• Small filo parcels and creamy vol au vents
• Slightly spicy canapes, like tiny satay sticks
• Delicate white fish dishes, like grilled sole or plaice
• Chicken in creamy sauces
• Oysters

For recipe ideas try our recipe database.

Demi-sec (off-dry) sparklers go with tart fruit salads, fruit jellies and mousses, and the under-rated Asti and Moscato d'Asti of northern Italy are splendidly refreshing served cold with creamy cakes and sweet biscuits!

Serving sparkling wine

Serve all sparkling wines and champagnes well chilled. Give them around two hours in the fridge. Don't, however, half-freeze them as this will mute the flavours and aromas. Open the bottles carefully - the corks are under great pressure and could be dangerous. Grip the bottle firmly (perhaps using a tea towel) and ease the cork out gently, twisting the bottle one way while turning the cork in the other direction. Aim for a quiet 'hissss' when the cork comes out, not a Grand Prix winner's explosion! Serve in tall, thin, plain flutes so you can see the pretty streams of bubbles rising through the liquid.