Wine Line: Sparkling wines for the holidays

The perfect house gift for your party hosts is a bottle of champagne. Put a bow around the neck and, voila, the perfect gift!

If you bring it chilled, it might be served -- but don’t be a boor and ask for it. Remember, it’s their party, not yours.

If you don’t chill it, you’re saying “Here’s a gift for you to enjoy later and thank you for inviting us.” To legally be called champagne the wine must come from the Champagne region of France. Any other bubbly from France is referred to as cremant.

In the United States it’s called sparkling wine; in Spain, cava; in Germany, sekt; and in Italy either prosecco or spumante. These wines all go through a secondary fermentation in the bottle (methode champenoise), which creates those wonderful tiny bubbles.

What's on our table

Now is an ideal time to buy sparkling wines, as most are on sale. Here are recommendations for sparkling wines that are a tremendous value, readily available and under $15. If your party card is full, buy six and take advantage of the 10 percent discount at Raley's or Save Mart.

The perfect house gift for your party hosts is a bottle of champagne. Put a bow around the neck and, voila, the perfect gift!

If you bring it chilled, it might be served -- but don't be a boor and ask for it. Remember, it's their party, not yours.

If you don't chill it, you're saying "Here's a gift for you to enjoy later and thank you for inviting us."

To legally be called champagne the wine must come from the Champagne region of France. Any other bubbly from France is referred to as cremant.

In the United States it's called sparkling wine; in Spain, cava; in Germany, sekt; and in Italy either prosecco or spumante. These wines all go through a secondary fermentation in the bottle (methode champenoise), which creates those wonderful tiny bubbles.

If you like your bubbly to have a touch of sweetness, skip the brut and buy the extra-dry under $10: We like Freixnenet Cordon Negro Cava (black bottle), Sigura Viudas Cava (Spain), Domaine Ste. Michelle from the state of Washington and Korbel from California. Under $15: Our choices are Domain Chandon Blanc Noir, Mumm Cuvee M and Brut Rose, Scharffenberger Brut and Gloria Ferrer Brut.

Things you need to know now

De Angelo's Restaurant is offering a free bottle of house wine with the purchase of two dinners through the month of December. All you have to do is e-mail info@deangelosrestaurant.com and print the page and present it at the restaurant. HO-HO-HO, what a deal!

Would you like to give a wonderful wine gift to all your wine-loving friends, but are running low on funds? Sign them up for Wine Best Buys, which is a free buying guide to more than 35,000 wines. The last one rated the best Argentinian Malbecs. Just e-mail info@winebestbuys.com and put "subscribe" in the subject box.

Are you still looking for that unique stocking stuffer for the person who would like to leave Bud Light and move on to fermented grape juice? I recommend 101 Essential Wine Tips published by DK. The book breaks down the subject into 101 easy-to-grasp tips and never gets into that snobby, pinkie-waving pose. The good news is that the small book will fit into a Christmas stocking and is just $5.

In the last Wine Line, I mentioned that some amateur winemakers would like to connect with other home winemakers. The response has been highly positive. A date has been set for a meet-and-greet tasting in February. Drop me an e-mail and I'll add you to the list and give you the details. Have a terrific holiday season. Cheers!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can reach me at rgwinton@yahoo.com.