New Year's Eve Champagne

The best thing about champagne is that there are relatively few choices out there.

All you really need to learn are a few classics that are sure to appear on any menu.
If you're purchasing your champagne at a liquor store, your choice will be even easier.

Here are a few things to consider when choosing a good bottle:

Marque

Vintage

Size of Bottle

Dryness

The first thing you will need to decide on is which brand and year you plan to order. First, you should know that by definition, true "champagne" comes only from the region of France also called Champagne. Champagnes are named for the houses that produce them. These houses, in turn, produce several brands of champagne, which are known as marques (Examples of marques are Moet et Chandon, and Veuve Cliquot). When you choose a bottle of champagne, it will be these marques that you are choosing from. Don't worry, the list of most famous champagne marques is relatively short, so if can remember even just a few names on it , you will never fail to find something familiar in a liquor store or on a restaurant menu. For a list of the most popular marques click Here.

Quality of champagnes varies across the years corresponding with the quality of the grapes harvested that year and the weather of the harvesting season. Champagne is typically held for up to five years by the manufacturing house. When it is eventually released for purchase, it should be consumed within two years. This is great because this means that choosing a young champagne, is not taboo!
You should also know that champagne is often blended across years. For a champagne to be considered of a particular year's vintage, at least 80% of the grapes used in producing it must have been harvested in that year. This means that the remaining 20% of the grapes can be from other years. This is another reason why choosing any particular vintage of champagne is not all that important, really, because all of those of a given marque will be quite similar.
For a more precise evaluation of the quality of different vintages, however, check out this Champagne Vintage chart.

Size of Bottle

One thing that is a little trickier about champagne is the size of the bottle. We know, you're probably thinking: "What are you talking about!?"
But trust us, champagne comes in a whole universe of sizes, and basic economics tells us that we should buy only as much as we need and no more. Anyway, knowing some of these terms is sure to wow your date or guests.

Consider:

1.) Quarter-Bottle 6.3 fluid ounces

2.) Half-Bottle 12.7 fluid ounces

3.) Bottle 25.4 fluid ounces

4.) Magnum 50.8 fluid ounces 2 bottles

5.) Jeroboam 101.6 fluid ounces 4 bottles

6.) Rehoboam 147 fluid ounces 6 bottles

7.) Methuselah 196 fluid ounces 8 bottles

8.) Salmanazar 304.8 fluid ounces 12 bottles

9.) Balthazar 406.4 fluid ounces 16 bottles

10.) Nebuchadnezzar 508 fluid ounces 20 bottles

Sure, you're not going to have much occasion to bust out the Nebuchadnezzar, but at least you now know that those oversized bottles in vintners' windows aren't just hokey advertising gimmicks.

You will, however, need to know Half-Bottle, Bottle, and Magnum.

If you are dining alone, or simply want to order champagne to accompany dessert, it is better -- and more affordable -- simply to order a half-bottle, which will pour out to slightly more than two full glasses.
So, one for you and your date, with a little extra that you can graciously pour into your companion's glass.

Of course, a Bottle is the standard order if you are having your champagne over dinner.

The Magnum comes in handy if you are at dinner with your date's parents, on a double date perhaps, or even dining out for a corporate occasion.

In any setting, though, knowing some of these terms are sure to dazzle your company.

The last step in choosing a champagne is its level of dryness. Champagne is unique in that the dryness is largely determined by the winemaker. To understand the process of making a champagne dryer or sweeter than usual, click HERE to get a grasp on how the stuff is made.

Basically, the winemaker adds more or less amounts of sugar to change the strength of the finished product. Of course, adding more sugar is also going to make the champagne taste sweeter. As you enjoy more and more glasses of champagne, you'll quickly develop a taste for whether you prefer it dry or sweet.

Click HERE for a list of the levels of dryness that you can choose in your champagne.

So, now you know the basis of what it takes to choose the right bottle of champagne.
This New Years Eve, pop the cork and enjoy!

Now that you've learned how to pick an amazing bottle of bubbly, you might even be joining the ranks of those trendy socialites, scene stealer celebrities, and the uber-rich and start enjoying this delicious treat on a more regular basis.

Veuve Clicquot

Dom Perignon

Domaine Chandon

Domaine Ste. Michelle

Freixenet

J. Korbel

Krug

Laurent Perrier

Moet Chandon

Mumm

Perrier Jouet

Piper Heidsieck

Schramsberg

Taittinger

Champagne Magic

Ingredients:

1 oz. Belvedere vodka
1 dash Grand Marnier
1.5 oz. cranberry juice
.5 oz. fresh lime juice
1 twist orange
1 oz. sparkling Brût champagne

Preparation:

1. Shake vodka, Grand Marnier, cranberry juice and lime juice over ice.
2. Strain into a chilled champagne flute.
3. Top with champagne.
4. Garnish with an orange slice.

Recipe courtesy of Anna Puczylowska, Circa 28, Miami, Fla.