Your Descending Guide to NYE Bubbles

Because drinking four bottles of Dom is not very 2018.

Here’s the thing about alcohol. It’s alcohol. That means with each sip your mood warms and your discernment drops. Which is why, when sourcing your celebratory bubbles we’re going to start $$$$ and slowly move to $ and none of us will be the wiser.Bottle #1: Krug Grand Cuvee, $255I struggle a bit with this choice. To be honest, part of me thinks the lighter profile of Dom Perignon might be a better way to dip your beak than the full-bodied power of Krug but:

1. I don’t care for the current Dom Bjork-inspired bottles;
2. Dom’s fantastic name recognition means that newbies sometime think it’s interchangeable with much lower-priced bubbles (like Pol Roger);
3. I’ve never met even the most-jaded wine critic who doesn’t catch their breath, even if just for a second, when a bottle of Krug is opened—it’s yeast-y, brioche-y, paired with vibrant acidity, legendary;
4. But if you have an extra $120 the Dom P2 is a thing of rare glory.

Bottle #2: Pierre Paillard Les Parcelles Bouzy Grand Cru, $57This grower’s Champagne (meaning the folks who grew the grapes, made the wine) could easily be the number-one bottle, it’s so fantastic (I actually bought a magnum that I drank on Christmas Eve). This wine has great elegance and some pronounced spice notes and none of that yeastiness of the Krug. This is all about focus and acid—it’ll snap your palate back to attention pronto. The bottle’s a little underwhelming, though. Bottle #3: Fitz Brut 2014, $33Sorry to sound like a broken record, but this bottle from the Okanagan’s legendary Fitzpatrick family (of CedarCreek fame) could also be your number-one. In flavour it actually falls in a nice middle ground between the first two—some toasted bread, some fruit, some acid all wrapped up in a nicely balanced package. The Okanagan is making killer bubbles these days (see Blue Mountain, Bella, Summerhill for proof) but I’m choosing the Fitz because it looks great and it’s relatively new so it’s nice to be the big wheel who introduces your friends to one of the great $30 bubbles on the planet.Bottle #4: Segura Viudas Brut Rosado, $14.50Ok, it’s time to pump the brakes a little, big fella. This rosé will pass for the pink-hued flag of surrender, but for a wind-down, you could do a lot worse. For starters…$14.50, are you kidding me? It’s fresh and creamy and has some noticeable red-fruit berry flavour—but you’re in no position to comment on any lack of subtleness, are you?