There is a saying in the wine trade, “If you don’t make it in the Christmas season, you don’t make it”. Sparkling wine takes a significant lead over all other wine styles in the November/December period. I talked to one wine rep who claimed that 50% of his sparkling wine sales were made in the two months before Christmas, although he did confess that margins were wafer thin in the competitive holiday season. 

I shopped around to check out sparkling wine prices and was left with the impression that discounting is slightly restrained this year. Most wine retailers I talked to reported buoyant sales since covid-19 appeared on the scene, although they acknowledged that they had profited at the expense of the hospitality trade. Perhaps a boost in sales has taken the heat out of discounting.

The diligent shopper can still find sparkling wine bargains. I used the wine search website www.wine-searcher.com to help me find the best buys in town. 

I’ve segmented sparklers by style, with prestige champagne at the top, followed by champagne, local méthode and prosecco.

Prestige Champagne, $229.90-$9900

The Fine Wine Delivery Company stocks an impressive selection of prestige champagne brands including my favourite, the 2007 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, $299.90. Bollinger is well represented. I can recommend the 2012 Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année, $229.90, but have yet to taste the 2007 Champagne Bollinger 007 Moonraker Special Edition Magnum, which is on sale at $9900, although there is no mention of the regular price. 

Champagne, $44.99-$64.99

I once recommended an obscure but delicious, well-priced champagne for a friend’s 50th birthday party. “It was a disaster,” he complained after the event. “Everyone thought it was Spanish.” 

If you are going to splash out on champagne, make sure you buy a wine that your guests will recognise. Veuve Clicquot, with its burnt-orange label, lets everyone know it’s the real thing. You can buy it for $64.99 from Liquorland in Forrest Hill, Auckland, or pay a couple of dollars more at Glengarry.

Moët & Chandon is about as recognisable as a champagne can be, particularly if you follow motor racing. Fifty-five dollars is the sharpest price I found – at Countdown online shopping, FreshChoice Barrington and FreshChoice Merivale (both Christchurch). 

I’m a fan of Taittinger Brut Reserve, a wine of purity and power that you can buy from Countdown for $65. Lanson Black Label, a crisp and refreshing champagne, is unlikely to be mistaken for a Spanish fizz and can be bought from Devonport New World for $44.99. That is a keen price. 

NZ Méthode, $19.95-$29.95 

I’m a big fan of Deutz Marlborough Cuvée, particularly when I find it on the shelves of my local New World for $19.99, although I am very happy to pay an extra $5 and buy the vintage Blanc de Blancs at Countdown for $25. That is a great buy. I particularly like sparkling rosé, with current favourite 2016 Tohu Rewa Méthode Traditionnelle available from First Glass Wines and The Fine Wine Delivery Company for just $29.95. For the same price you can buy Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV Brut from Glengarry or The Good Wine Co. 

Prosecco, $13-$15.99

Prosecco has enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years, presumably thanks to people who like delicately fruity fizz that won’t break the bank. I found three tasty examples. Ruffino Prosecco is available from New World with a $15.99 price tag, Graham Norton Prosecco (also available as a rosé) sells for a modest $13 at Countdown, and the Australian producer Brown Brothers makes a larger-than-life version of prosecco that you can buy at Countdown for $15.

Cheers.

Bob’s Top Picks

Investment Wine

2014 Château Lafite Rothschild, Bordeaux, $1500

You can’t go wrong with this investment wine provided you buy it at the best price you can find, store it under temperature-controlled conditions and don’t drink it. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 3% cabernet franc. Essence of cabernet sauvignon with cassis, blackcurrant, cedar, dried herb and spicy oak flavours. Distinctively aromatic. Firmly structured wine with masses of cellaring potential though a little hard to read now. 

Weekend Wines

Top White

2019 Te Whare Ra Gewürztraminer, Marlborough, $35

Gentle, restrained gewürztraminer with classic Turkish delight/rose petal, lychee and subtle spicy flavours. Strongly varietal wine in a medium/dry style – perfectly balanced and deliciously drinkable. A world-class wine.

Top Red 

2019 Blackenbrook Pinot Noir, Nelson, $29

Deep-tinted and delicately scented pinot noir with Black Doris plum, dark cherry, cassis and smoky oak flavours. Intense, bright, vibrant, high-energy wine from a very favourable vintage. Approachable now but offers good cellaring potential.

Read more from Bob at therealreview.com