NYE Special: Sparkling Wines

      We are just hours away from ringing in the new year, but there's still time to run out for a bottle of bubbly. If, like me, you've only recently outgrown those $6 bottles of Andre, here are a few of my favorite picks. Although I'm not a huge fan of their wine, Barefoot makes a surprisingly tasty champagne for the price. At around $8 a bottle, Barefoot Bubbly comes in a number of varieties from Brut, to Moscato and even a few different flavors. Having studied abroad in Italy, I'm partial to Prosecco. My favorite brands are Cupcake, which is around $10 a bottle, and LaMarca which is a little more expensive at $13 a bottle but absolutely worth it.  Prosecco is an excellent substitute for champagne and can be found in excellent qualities for much less because of the way it's made. Sparkling wines are created by fermenting the grapes a second time. This can be done in two ways: the Classic method, in which the wines are bottled and then re-fermented, is used in Champagne production, while Prosecco is produced using the Charmat method, in which the wine is fermented a second time in bulk before bottling. The Classic method of production is much more delicate and time consuming and results in much higher prices for quality Champagnes.

And in the spirit of the new year, why not try something a little different for your toast? Here are a few easy sparkling wine mixers to spice up 2014:

 Pomosa: add a little bit of pomegranate juice (it's pretty strong) to champagne

 Add raspberries and mint leaves to champagne 

 Pour Prosecco over lemon sorbet 

Champagne float

Those are just a few of my favorites, but you can really do this with almost any fruit or juice so get creative in the new year! 

I also learned that in Spain, it's tradition to eat twelve grapes in the last twelve seconds of the new year, one for each month. If you're entertaining tonight, try placing skewers of twelve grapes in each glass of champagne, either frozen to keep your drinks cold, or unfrozen so you're able to eat all twelve right before midnight! 

Cheers to a wonderful New Year! See you in 2014!