Champagne Guide for New Year's Eve

Erek Dixon, manager

Champagne Pick: A. Charbaut & Fils Cuvee De Reserve Brut

• Price: $37.99
• Dixon said: “For the price, it’s outstanding.”

Sparkling Wine Pick: Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut

• Price: $18.99
• Dixon said: “It’s a great champagne substitute.”

Eddie’s Liquors of Charles Village

Chris Hayes, manager

Champagne Pick: Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve

• Price: $44.99
• Hayes said: “It’s a Brut champagne. But it’s always one of those that are undervalued.”

Sparkling Wine Pick: Gruet Blanc De Noir, Methode Champenoise

• Price: $14.99
• Hayes said: An organic 100 percent Pinot-Noir from New Mexico. “What’s beautiful about the Gruets is they’re $14.99.”

Lucien Walsh, owner

Champagne Pick: Pierre Paillard Brut Grand Cru

• Price: $46
• Walsh said: When picking out champagnes a trick of the trade is to know if a bottle is made by a large producer or estate grown. A larger maker that buys its grapes elsewhere is labeled with an NM (negociant manipulant) and champagne made by an estate grower is labeled with an RM (recoltant manipulant). “At the end of the day, I want to support estate produced champagne—farmer fizz.”

Sparkling Wine Pick: Cremant de Loire Clemence Guery Brut

• Price: $18
• Walsh said: “At $18, it embarrasses sparkling wines that are $10 to $15 (a bottle) more expensive."