Ten bubbly best buys

Everybody looks for something different when drinking sparkling wines. This top 10 list is a wide-ranging guide to some of the best bubbles I have tasted this year. And, yes, I have tasted some amazing Krugs and enjoyed the fabulous bone dry Laurent Perrier, ZD Domaine Chandon from Australia and the outstanding Quartz Reef Chauvet.

The following wines will push your buttons and boundaries without stretching the budget.

Il Rosso $19 to $20

Trust the Italians to come up with such a modern bottle, label design and packaging. This is no gimmicky red bubbly but a flavoursome, dry fizz that tastes perfect with goats' cheese. It is made from the Italian grape, marzemino, blended with merlot and cabernet sauvignon. The only downside is that this is deliciously, dangerously easy to drink.

Available from selected specialist wine stores from this week. Contact Equipe NZ for specific stockists, phone (09) 376 8511 or email info@equipe.co.nz

Lanvin $49 to $50

The Lombard family has owned the Lanvin champagne house for three generations. That tradition shows in this approachable but refined, crisp style of champagne. It is always good value for top French fizz.

Available from specialist wine stores.

Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui $29 to $30

This strawberry-coloured red bubbly is made from Italy's brachetto grape and is perfect for Christmas morning. It's light in alcohol at just 6.5 per cent and is packed with sweet spicy flavours that are perfect with fruit salad or Christmas cake.

Available online at www.delmaine.co.nz/shop/Wine

MO Sergio $27 to $28

More beauty in a bottle from Italy. This is made from prosecco, chardonnay, verdiso and bianchetta - the last grape I have not been able to track down but it is said to originate in Treviso, Italy. This is bone dry and has more in common with great French champagne than any other bubbles. Love the wine and the packaging. Available from selected specialist wine stores from this week. Contact Equipe NZ for specific stockists, phone (09) 376 8511 or email: info@equipe.co.nz

Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose Brut $129 to $130

The best pink bubbly I have tasted, and not only because of its fabulous deep pink colour. The wine inside this ancient-looking bottle is bright and fruity, made entirely from pinot noir. There is no dosage so it tastes drier than most pink champagnes. Love it.

Available from The Wine Vault in Grey Lynn, Auckland and other specialist wine stores or contact Eurowine for more stockists near you, phone (09) 573 5822.

Deutz Marlborough Rose $34 to $35

This wine makes the grade by being the best new New Zealand bubbly released this year. At its debut in downtown Auckland, it was served with deep-fried pickled onions and paper-thin prosciutto, both of which tasted fantastic with the wine. This is made predominantly from pinot noir grapes grown at Marlborough's Kaituna vineyard.

Available widely at specialist wine stores.

Lindauer Special Reserve Blanc de Blancs $15 to $18

No, this wine does not need any more press but quality speaks for itself. This is made entirely from chardonnay grown in Gisborne and Marlborough. If you're wondering why bigger-name and higher priced New Zealand bubbles made only from chardonnay do not feature here, take a sip of this and look no further.

Available widely at supermarkets.

Veuve Clicquot $79 to $80

Always great because this bubbly is made predominantly from pinot noir, which adds that sexy, textural mouthfeel that is Veuve's hallmark. The 30 per cent chardonnay and smaller quantities of pinot meunier add balance to this individual, distinctive champagne. It is one of the best, always.

Available widely.

1998 Dom Perignon $295

It's not only this version of Dom Perignon that is one of the best bubblies I have tried all year. The older vintages of this wine that paraded at a Sydney tasting for a few writers showed how great old champagne can be. Judging by how good the 1973 version was, I reckon we have to wait only another 32 years to enjoy this one at its fresh, creamy, complex peak of flavour. Roll on 2043.

Available at specialist wine stores.

Jacob's Creek Brut Cuvee $10 to $11

The Australians have tamed the taste of chardonnay and pinot noir grown in their steamy climate into submission to make this almost steely sparkling wine, created in the mould of a good champagne. It's a blend of wines from different vintages and is consistently excellent value, even if that is stating the obvious. Buy heaps.

Available widely.