How to Pick the Best Champagne for Christmas on Any Budget

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In my house, the bubbles flow at this time of year. For me, the pop of the cork makes every day feel festive. (By the way, did you know that Champagne is considered an aphrodisiac?) Of course, I can’t drink vintage Champagne every day of December. So I’ve become quite the expert on great affordable sparkling wines to mark the season.

It also helps that I spent many years reviewing over 90 Champagnes every December as Gayot.com’s wine editor. It was my job to keep the Champagne Guide up-to-date and ready for the holiday season.

So I think it’s fair to say that I am remarkably well-qualified to help guide you through the most wonderful time of the year. I’ve created this guide to picking the best Champagne for Christmas with every kind of budget in mind, whether you’re feeling like a big spender or want to sip something affordable.

Table of Contents

A few quick notes on the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine…and why you might care

If you don’t drink a lot of Champagne, you may not realize that a wine can only be called Champagne if it comes from France’s Champagne region. But if you call all sparkling wine Champagne, are you saying the wrong thing?

Well, technically, yes.

The French may frown but the term Champagne has really become synonymous with festive bubbles, so even though it may be the incorrect label for the wine, your friends will still be happy to partake.

Sparkling wine refers to all effervescent wines made anywhere in the world except Champagne. This includes Cava and Prosecco, Cremant and sparkling wines from regions in every corner of the world from Michigan to India.

Champagne is always made in the traditional method, mèthode champenoise, in which the wine’s bubbles form in the wine bottle. However, although many sparkling wines are also produced in the traditional method, some are produced by other methods, most commonly using the charmat, or tank, method of fermentation. In this method of making sparkling wine, the bubbles are introduced in a pressurized tank. This is how Prosecco is made.

Why is Champagne more expensive than sparkling wine?

You can find some Champagnes that are less expensive than many bottles of American sparkling wine. But in general, Champagne is pricier than its sparkling cousins. The main reason is that the production of Champagne is so limited. This wine can only come from one tiny speck on the map.

So the land in Champagne is much more expensive than the vineyards of Tasmania, (which is an outstanding sparkling wine-producing region). Additionally, the traditional method of making Champagne or sparkling wine is more expensive and time-consuming than the process of making charmat method sparkling wine. Another consideration is when a wine is aged, like in the case of vintage Champagne, those extra years in storage also add to the cost. But you can be confidant that the wine you’re getting is something special.

My Christmas Champagne & sparkling wine recommendations – Looking beyond popular Champagne

You really can’t go wrong with a chilled bottle of bubbles this time of year. But I have some tips and recommendations for finding a memorable bottle, whatever your budget. One of my best recommendations is to check the label to see how the wine was made. Look for the words mèthode champenoise, traditional method or charmat.

If you find an inexpensive wine that says nothing at all about production on the label I advise you to steer clear because what’s in the bottle is likely just carbonated – not what you’re imagining when someone says Champagne.

If you want to impress with a bottle of true Champagne, I recommend looking beyond the familiar names to find greater value. Not that I’d turn up my nose at a glass of Taittinger or Bollinger. These are wonderful wines, too! But you can find some interesting, higher-value wines just waiting to be discovered.

The Best Champagne value

Agrapart & Fils Grand Cru Terroirs Extra Brut
One of the quirkiest producers coming out of Champagne, Agrapart & Fils is making some very interesting wines. This Extra Brut is a terrific buy for the price. It has an ethereal, weightless quality and almost intangible honey and floral notes. Unusual is one way to describe it, another is to say it is a Champagne of the year.

NV Champagne Collet Brut Art Deco
This might be my new favorite across-the-board value wine. It normally sells for about $45, but you can sometimes find a bottle sold for less than $35. And for that price, it drinks like something easily twice the price. It’s a floral wine with stone fruit flavors and a hint of minerality.

Value sparkling wines

You can also find some sparkling wines at a better value than others. Here’s a look at a few delicious bottles of bubbles at good very fair prices.

Jansz Premium Cuvee
If you’re looking for an alternative to Champagne, Australia offers some interesting options, including this Brut from Tasmania. An incredibly fine wine for under $30, it offers crisp apple and asian pear aromas and flavors with lemon acidity and a yummy, doughy note on the finish that makes you long for more.

2020 Canella Millesimato Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano
This wine is for everyone who loves Prosecco but wants an upgrade for a special occasion. There are many wonderful options but this his wine makes a great jumping-off point to start your exploration. (If you want more, check out my guide to Prosecco.) This wine is delicate with lovely floral notes and minerality.

2017 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs
Although a bottle will set you back a cool $125, this American sparkling wine is one of the few domestic bottles that can compete with vintage Champagne when it comes to complexity and sophistication. And when you take that into consideration, you can easily see what value you’re getting from this 100% Chardonnay-based sparkling wine.

Best Rosé Champagne & sparkling wine

NV Billecart Salmon Brut Rosé
This is my personal favorite Champagne. It’s a wine that works for any occasion from brunch to afternoon drinks. It will also hold up with dinner. It’s also great for sipping in the bathtub at the end of a hard day. It offers freshness while remaining elegant. It offers floral and wild strawberry aromas with luscious berry flavors. At just under $100, it’s probably one of the best values for the money from all of Champagne.

2018 Bride Valley “Sparkling Bella” Brut Rosé
If you’ve never tried an English sparkling wine, prepare yourself for a pleasant surprise. Because of the chalky soils and moderate, cool climate of southern England, more and more talented vintners are investing in the region. It offers beautiful but restrained red fruit aromas and flavors, cut by zippy citrus acidity.

NV Ruhlmann Schutz Harmonie de Rosé Crémant d’Alsace
At under $25, this is one of the best rosé sparkling wines coming out of France. It’s a gentle style of rosé with lush strawberry and dried apricot aromas. Ripe fruit flavors include white peach and yellow nectarine. It lingers fairly long with a pleasing, roasted nut flavor at the back of the palate.

NV Jaume Serra Cristalino Cava Brut Rosé
This is my pop the cork because it’s Tuesday (or whatever day needs a little extra sparkle) wine. At around $10 a bottle, you really can’t go wrong with this delicious Spanish sparkling wine. With its deep pink hue and approachable red fruit aromas and flavors, this is a crowd-pleaser but also a nice bottle to turn an ordinary weeknight into a romantic occasion.

Best no dosage

NV Champagne Drapier Brut Nature
Extra Brut and Brut Nature, or zero dosage wines, are having a moment. To be honest, I find a lot of wines in this category about as approachable as a glass of apple cider vinegar. Extra Brut Champagnes, wines made with little to no residual sugar, can be austere, with biting acidity. But Drapier’s version of a no dosage Champagne is rich and weighty with a nice blend of fruity and toasty notes.

Best Champagne for a mega splurge

2013 Cristal Rosé
I know this wine is insanely expensive and I recommended steering clear of the big-name brands but this wine–this vintage–is unbelievably good. This prestige cuvée is sensual, a sexy wine with a silky texture. A blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 54% Chardonnay, it offers hints of peach and wild strawberry with toasted bread notes toward the back of the palate. This wine is not only the best Champagne for a splurge, it might be one of the best rosés you try. It is truly that good.

2015 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill
Vintage after vintage, I love this wine. It’s a little less known than some of the prestige cuvées, but that does not mean it’s inferior. A rich, Christmas-y gold color, it’s an elegant wine with weight and finesse. Its aromas and flavors are also evocative of the season with notes of dried flower and apple on the nose. In the mouth there’s more apple, along with ginger, citrus and maybe even a hint of pie crust along with yeasty bread dough. A complex and interesting wine, it is sure to challenge your taste buds and impress your guests.

Where to buy a great sparkling wine

Want to find out where these wines are available near you? I recommend checking Wine Searcher. I also highly recommend the Champagne selection at K & L Wines. This San Francisco-based retailer always has an interesting and ever-changing selection of Champagnes and sparkling wines in stock.

Featured image by JESHOOTS.COM, Champagne bottle image courtesy of Pol Roger.

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Amy Reiley

Eat Something Sexy's Creator & Editor-in-Chief Amy Reiley is the award-winning author of five aphrodisiac cookbooks. She has her Master of Arts in Gastronomy, awarded by Le Cordon Bleu and The University of Adelaide. She is also a Certified Nutrition Coach awarded by the International Sports Sciences Association and she is a California Certified Massage Therapist.

Amy is considered a leading authority on aphrodisiacs. Her work in aphrodisiacs is quoted in publications including National Geographic, The New York Times, Epicurious, Wine Enthusiast, Health and Playboy magazines. She speaks internationally on aphrodisiac foods and has brought her knowledge of aphrodisiac history and science to national television shows including The Today Show and CBS Early Show. She is a frequent guest on relationship and lifestyle radio and podcast shows and has been interviewed by BBC and NPR radio, Cosmopolitan radio and popular podcasts including My Dad Wrote a Porno.

Amy is also a freelance food, wine and health researcher and writer as well as a wine competition judge. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Variety to The Daily Meal. She is an MSN content provider. And she is also a former wine editor for Gayot.com and wine & spirits editor of Las Vegas magazine.

Fun fact: Amy was the creator of the first ever comprehensive food and wine apps, Amy Reiley's Pocket Gourmet and Amy Reiley's Pocket Vineyard for Palm.