The Bottle Talk - A sparkling new year

DENNIS FRALEY The Bottle Talk

Dec 30, 2025

Although I never really need an excuse to drink sparkling wine, I relish the occasions where it is not only accepted but expected.

The holiday season sees a fair amount of bubbly, but it pales next to the number of corks popped to ring in the new year.

For this occasion, I chose to focus exclusively on traditional-method sparkling wines, not because I am a snob (although that is debatable), but because there is something profoundly romantic about knowing that the bottle on the shelf was actually the mini-fermentation vessel.

The second fermentation, trapping the carbon dioxide and creating those tiny bubbles, happened right there inside that very glass container you hold in your hand. It wasnurtured in some dark cellar for months or years before arriving at your celebration. If that doesn’t raise an eyebrow, check your pulse.

The next question becomes, what kind of New Year's Eve are you planning? Theanswer matters more than any score or tasting note ever could.

Are you hosting a crowd and need to pace yourself? Are you attending a party andwant to impress without delivering a lecture? Is it an intimate evening where thebubbly itself should feel like a statement?

I've matched six bottles to six scenarios because the right wine is never about price orprestige but rather about the moment it occupies.

Let us begin with Spain, home to one of the best-kept secrets in traditional methodsparkling wine. The guests are arriving in waves, the appetizers need monitoring, andmidnight is still six hours away. You need something in your glass that feelscelebratory but won't have you slurring through the countdown. This is not the moment for restraint in quality, but it is absolutely the moment for restraint inalcohol and price, since you'll be pouring liberally for yourself and others. This is where Cava becomes your secret weapon, and those of us who know have been reaching for Spain while everyone else overpays for the word Champagne.

Reyes de Aragón Cava Reserva Brut Nature ($20) comes from Aragón rather than the traditional Penedès and spent nearly two years on the lees (expired yeast), building complexity. With all the time and effort, the wine has no business at thisprice point. Brut nature means bone dry, with no dosage (added sweet must) to mask anything. We are treated to bright citrus and orchard fruit, and that toasty autolytic character underneath. At 11.5% alcohol, you can pour generously and still rememberthe words to Auld Lang Syne.

Of course, not everyone is hosting. So, for those who find themselves invitedelsewhere, the calculus changes entirely. You want to walk in with something thatlooks thoughtful, tastes delicious, and doesn't require you to break into a wine dissertation in front of the cheese plate. A little pink in the glass never hurts either, since it photographs well and signals that you put in some effort without screaming"look at me” – the wine equivalent of makeup. Perhaps that’s why rosé was also calledblush. I digress.

Juvé & Camps Brut Rosé ($22) handles all of this beautifully with its pale salmon color catching the light and its 100% Pinot Noir having spent a minimum of twelve months on the lees. Fresh red fruit and floral notes rest on a bed of lightly toastedbread, giving it enough complexity to impress without having to say a word.

For those of you with a wine geek in your life, or perhaps YOU are the wine geek in someone else's life, I have something that will require explanation, but in the bestpossible way. Tell a sommelier you're drinking a traditional method blanc de noir andwatch them nod approvingly. Then tell them it's 100% Sangiovese from Paso Roblesand wait for the twitch. 2021 Estate Isabella Blanc de Noir Sparkling ($39)exists to start conversations and possibly arguments. Eighteen months on the lees and bone dry at one gram per liter of sugar. It pours pale with aromas of peach andcrème fraîche layered over brioche, while the palate wanders somewhere unexpected with tamarind and macadamia nut. The only thing traditional about this sparkling isthe method by which it is made, and I absolutely love that.

Perhaps you’re planning a quieter, more intimate evening, where the guest listconsists of exactly one other person who matters. You don't need to impress anyone,but you do want something that rewards attention, something that justifies staying in rather than fighting for a reservation. De Saint-Gall "Le Tradition" Premier Cru Brut Champagne ($40) is the kind of bottle that feels indulgent without beingperformative. Premier Cru pedigree from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne deReims, a healthy dose of reserve wine for depth, and a balance of Chardonnay andPinot Noir that delivers elegance without austerity. This is the wine for when you'veearned the right to be still.

For the Chardonnay purists who want their bubbles unadulterated by red grapes, there is a certain pleasure in the precision of a blanc de blancs. De Saint-Gall Blancde Blancs Grand Cru Brut Champagne ($50) offers exactly that from Grand Cruvineyards in the Côte des Blancs. The aromatics are focused and driven with citrus and white flowers wrapped in an autolytic pastry shell. This is the bottle for the person who knows what they like and sees no reason to compromise, especially noton New Year's Eve. 

Finally, for those occasions when the moment itself carries weight, when midnightrepresents something more than just a calendar reset, you want a bottle that has beenwaiting for you. Champagne Palmer la Réserve Brut NV ($68) is aged fouryears on the lees and it shows. The blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and PinotMeunier with over thirty percent reserve wines creates something layered andcontemplative. The aromas of citrus, pear, apricot, hazelnut dance with a touch ofbuttery brioche. This is the cork you pop when the people around you are the oneswho count.

Whatever your evening looks like, whether you find yourself hosting, attending,debating Sangiovese with a geek, or simply sharing a quiet midnight with someonewho matters, the bottle you choose should feel like it belongs there. Traditionalmethod sparkling wine earns its place at these moments not because of prestige orprice but because of the craft and patience sealed inside that glass. Someone cared forthat bottle, riddled it while waiting, and finally sent it your way so you could pop it atprecisely the right time. The least we can do is choose that moment wisely. I neverreally need an excuse to drink sparkling wine, but when the calendar hands me onethis good, I certainly intend to take it.