Champagne

[Thillium]

Anyone know of decently tasting champagne thats 10-30 bucks per bottle?

On a side note I've constantly been having Champagne that has almost an apple/sweet taste to it. Is this a certain name brand of champagne or a style of it?

[Patrick B]

Asti isn't half bad for $15 a bottle, but it's not truly champagne. Nothing else I've had has been good until you get up to $45 or so. Veuve Cliquot and Moet White Star are fantastic at that price point.

No clue on question 2!

[Thillium]

I found the answer to number two actually by rereading the wiki about champagne. It comes from how much sugar is added in the 2nd fermentation process I believe it said. So I'll assume and increase my question to good sparkling wines as well.

[BigCat]

I'll second the veuve, but you can also get moet and chandon for around 20 bucks and it is very good. Veuve and white star can be found for around $35 if you look in the right spots.

[zackly]

Louis Perdrier Brut from France – wine from Wine Legacy and winelegacy.com

This is my favorite inexpensive bubbly, Louis Perdrier. I bought a case (12X750ml) last summer for under 10 dollars a bottle.

[Cypress]

FYI for anyone who does not know don't confuse champagne with sparkling wine. Although they undergo the same process and can be made from the same grapes Champagne is sparkling wine from Champagne France.

Its like calling Scotch just plain whiskey or vice versa.

[mrreindeer]

mrsreindeer is a big champagne fan but since the pregnancy she can't have any...but we've delved into pretty inexpensive champagnes/sparkling wines ourselves...so here's my

---->For our wedding in 2002, we found Rotari Brut to be a really excellent Italian sparkling wine for, don't laugh, $7.99 a bottle. Actually, back then, I think it was $5.99 a bottle. Here's where I buy ours to this day and what is said about it: NV Rotari Brut - $7.99 : Los Angeles Wine Co.

WINE ENTHUSIAST TOP 100 BEST BUYS OF 2007: #71

"Festive and less formal, this is a luminous sparkler with ripe melon, peach and toasted nutty notes that hits all the right marks. Nicely tart on the close with clean flavors and tight structure. The price tag is on target, too." (WE)

Winery Notes:
Rotari Brut is a combination of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Nero grapes grown in the Adige Valley.

METHOD OF PRODUCTION
It is hand harrested on the estate vineyards and is produced in the “Metodo Classico” and adheres to the strict quality standards mandated by the “Trento DOC” guarantee. The Rotari Brut is bottle fermented for 18-24 months.

CHARACTERISTICS
Color: straw yellow

Fragrance: intense and fruity

Flavor: dry, full, fragrant, well balanced and harmonious

Perlage: fine and persistent

---->While you might not be able to find Rotari in stores near you, another sparkling wine that is very decent and available in most supermarkets at least out here in California is Spain's Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut, in its distinctive black bottle, which sells for about $8 or $9 a bottle.

Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut

Cordon Negro Brut is Freixenet’s most popular cava, often referred to as the “Black Bottle Bubbly.” It is the #1 imported sparkling wine in the world.

Tasting Notes

Cordon Negro Brut is crisp, clean and well balanced. The dosage is very dry, but the acidity is lower than most champagnes for a softer, smoother flavor. It is medium-bodied with a moderately long and clean finish.
Winemaking

Freixenet produces only méthode champenoise sparkling wines. The wine goes through two fermentations with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle. Cordon Negro is aged for up to eighteen months in a cave.
Acclaim

90 POINTS
“Apple-citrus aromas, light as a breeze, lead into the clear, bright citrus flavors of this well-made Cava. It's full of tangerine, lemon and lemon pith character, with a sparkly acidity and dry vivaciousness that would accompany shellfish.”
-Wine & Spirits, August 2003
View Acclaim for All Wines
Food Affinities

This wine pairs well with a wide range of food from shrimp salad to olive and tomato bruschetta to cheese appetizers!
Blend

Cordon Negro is a blend of three white Spanish grape varieties called Macabeo (35%), Xarel-lo (25%) and Parellada (40%). Macabeo produces a fairly light but fruity, aromatic wine of medium-high acidity – characteristics crucial to the production of sparkling wine. It is also an important grape in the aging process because its must does not readily oxidize. Xarel-lo yields a robust, high-acid wine and contributes power and depth. Parellada is the star of all cava blends. It has both beautiful demonstrative fruit and finesse.
Analysis

Alcohol by volume: 11.5%
Total Acidity: .58 grams per 100ml
Dosage: 7 grams per Liter or 0.7%

---->While others mentioned in this thread are perfectly good, in the higher price points, you really can't get much better than Schramsberg in the low $20 range. And of course, I'm biased living in California. Schramsberg | America's First House of Sparkling Wine Their Blancs de Blancs is really really good (mrsreindeer's favorite, in fact) and I've found it as cheap as $22 but I see L.A. Wine Co. now has it for $25.95: Schramsberg | America's First House of Sparkling Wine

Blanc de Blancs (white from white) made from Chardonnay is the counterpart to the Blanc de Noirs (white from black), made from Pinot Noir. Blanc de Blancs was the first wine Schramsberg produced in 1965 and was America’s first commercially produced, Chardonnay-based brut sparkling wine. Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs gained international recognition in 1972 when then President Nixon served the wine at the historic “Toast to Peace” in Beijing, China.
The Schramsberg style of Blanc de Blancs is dry and crisp. Small lots of malolactic- and barrel-fermented wines are added for complexity. The wine is aged on the yeast lees in the bottle for about two years prior to disgorgement. With its vibrant, fruitful and crisp nature, this sparkling wine will maintain its freshness, structure and refined finish for many years, even decades following its initial release.
While this wine can be enjoyed by itself as an apéritif, it is also perfect with fresh oysters and other shellfish, crab cakes, ceviche and grilled sea bass. It is also delicious with lemon chicken and Thai curries. Serve with aged Gouda or other hard cheeses and as a counterpoint to soft triple creams.

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by Cypress

FYI for anyone who does not know don't confuse champagne with sparkling wine. Although they undergo the same process and can be made from the same grapes Champagne is sparkling wine from Champagne France.

Its like calling Scotch just plain whiskey or vice versa.

Yep, exactly right.

[Thillium]

Originally Posted by Cypress

FYI for anyone who does not know don't confuse champagne with sparkling wine. Although they undergo the same process and can be made from the same grapes Champagne is sparkling wine from Champagne France.

Its like calling Scotch just plain whiskey or vice versa.

Yes I realized that after I made my post

I appreciate the help guys I'll let you know what I decide later on during the day and what my opinions are!