Good buys in quality Champagne

For years, Champagne houses have done a brilliant job convincing us that Champagne is synonymous with celebration. Either I'm entirely brainwashed or it's really true: Bubbles are festive. The sound of that cork popping or, if the bottle is opened properly, quietly sighing, is the signal for the festivities to begin. The toasts, the prickle of the bubbles, the flutes -- it's all part of the allure. And whether you spend a small fortune on a bottle or find a great buy in bubbly from somewhere other than Champagne, France, you need to lay in some bottles. Now.

December 23, 2009