It has been said, apparently by Madame Cliqueot, that ‘of champagne, in times of victory we deserve it… and in times of defeat, we need it.’ So put simply, champagne’s a drink for any occasion.

So many people I know want to drink sparkling wine more often. There’s something about that crisp smell of brioche, the tiny little bubbles which well up against the tongue and the refreshing and unmistakeably classy finish of a méthode champenoise wines that seem to elevate the mood and get one into a good mood. Red wine is simply not a cocktail beverage, and it can be a bit heavy going to have more than a glass in the absence of food. While white wine always suits me fine, many of my friends crave bubbles at a club. Everyone looks and feels good holding a champagne flute, as opposed to say, a beer bottle or a rum & coke in a highball glass.

It’s a pity that wine marketers have not picked up on this. While Coppola has attempted, by putting their method champenoise into a pink tin with a straw, this completely overlooks the huge potential male market who are even less likely to order a pink tin of sparkling wine than they are a bottle from Reims.

Greg and I visited J Winery in Russian River just last week, and were both well impressed by their champagne which boasts a zest and floral nose with a rounded peaches and cream entry finished with a ginger zing.

Some other recommend sparkling wines that wont make you broke:

Jacquart Mosaïque, Graham Beck Brut, Nicolas Feuillatte and Lanson Black Label Brut.

We can only hope that marketers will bring more of this stuff into a party setting and target it at the younger generation. Down with wine-coolers and long live sparkling wine!