The Holiday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, produces the most sales of sparkling wines for the entire year. This is an opportune time for a review of the choices available.

Obviously, your purpose and use governs the type of sparkling wine you purchase. If you plan to use it to mix mimosas, punch or a cocktail, you will want to avoid purchasing something expensive. In this case, most sparkling wine in the $4 – $8 range will work.

After all, it’s being used as a base and the original taste becomes a moot issue in the final form. Most people gravitate towards “brands” to help them make choices and decisions. Although I am not fond of mentioning specific products, one could look for Andre`,Cooks, Ballatore, to name just three.

Next, what if your needs run toward having sparkling wine on hand for toasts or simply for sipping/drinking throughout a party or event? If you want to go the domestic route, try Domaine Ste. Michelle, a Washington State product – yes, Washington State. And it comes in four different varieties, so you could offer variety and cover a lot of different palates, all with one brand.

Now, let’s go oversees to Spain for their Cava’s. These are well crafted and reasonable in price. Plus, they offer the European mystique…always impressive! All the sparklings in this category, domestic and foreign, should be in the $8 – $11 price range – very affordable for the quality.

Finally, what do you offer if you want to do the same as the above, but buy more quality. My suggestion would be to try an old familiar standby: Korbel. It also covers the spectrum of varieties well. Another familiar brand is Chandon; but, let’s try it in its American and South American styles. These provide very good taste and are less expensive than their French counterparts.

My personal favorite in the domestic arena is Roederer Estate Anderson Valley. Name anything else, but for the price of $22 – $25, it’s hard to surpass for taste and craftsmanship. Remember, these are the people who produce “Cristal” in France.