Bubbling Over: The Right Champagne for the Big Event by Amy Reiley

"The first step in finding your champagne is to check with your reception venue as to whether you can provide your own bottles."

   Considering the endless details of pre-nuptial planning, choosing the right champagne can be an almost overwhelming chore. But the bubbly is one detail not to be overlooked. After all, champagne plays a starring role in wedding festivities, and what would a reception be without endless toasts?

   Instead of panicking over price lists and fretting over French names, pondering pompous descriptors like "laced with the zest of freshly peeled lemon," or "hinting of yeasty pain de champagne," consider the selection of your champagne as a celebration all its own. Throw an intimate taste-test soiree and invite your friends and family with discerning taste buds. In selecting the champagne, you can discuss regions, reputations and value until you're blue in the face. Either that or you and your guests can simply decide on which champagne pleases the taste buds better while playing a variety of party games.

   The first step in finding your champagne is to check with your reception venue as to whether you can provide your own bottles. This is preferable, since the facility's selection may be limited and rather expensive. (If you purchase your own champagne, be sure to inquire about a case discount, which can save you up to 10% or 20%.)

   When you're ready to make your selection, buy a few bottles of bubbly in the target price range and call up the troops for the tasting party. (You don't want to open several bottles of champagne by yourself, since champagne tends to go flat in about 24 hours. However, inserting the handle of a spoon into the bottleneck will help preserve the bubbles a little longer.)

   You needn't splurge on champagne; several American producers make quality champagne for under $15. Your best bet is to look for big name producers like Domaine Chandon, the US division of France's Moet et Chandon, for their well made, but affordable, non-vintage Brut and Blanc de Noirs styles. Gloria Ferrer, the American counterpart to Spain's Freixenet, also offers an elegant Blanc de Noirs at around $15. If you prefer the exotic effect of a foreign label, Freixenet's Cava Aria Brut is well-priced at $13.

"Keep your eye out for such tried and true producers with a strong US presence as Mumm, Bollinger and Cattier, whose non-vintage wines will range anywhere between $20 and $35."

   If you can afford a higher price point, Iron Horse's Wedding Cuvee from Sonoma County, California could be the perfect choice. Made with red wine grapes, the sparkler professes a peach hue, perfect against wedding white. At around $26, it is a champagne created with weddings in mind.

   If your heart is set on serving the real deal (i.e. a wine from France's Champagne region), but worried about the high costs, be certain to watch for wine shops that run specials on champagne. Keep your eye out for such tried and true producers with a strong US presence as Mumm, Bollinger and Cattier, whose non-vintage wines will range anywhere between $20 and $35. But if you have a good wine shop in your area, don't be afraid to seek the advice of a knowledgeable salesperson. You may stumble upon a great find!