Need some help with champagne.

[TSanders]

Okay, Im getting married this weekend, and have a short list of things to get from the package store before we head to the honeymoon. Id like to get a single bottle of champagne. I dont have to have the very best, but would like the best champagne I can get for $50 or less. Please make your suggestion a beverage that is easy to locate at a bigger package store. I dont want to hunt too much.

Any suggestions from my TB bretheren?

[JimB52]

Congratulations and best wishes.
Perrier Jouet.
The wine is good and the painted floral bottle pretty and romantic.
Consider springing for the set that comes with two hand-painted glasses. Save them and use them on your anniversaries, or keep as a momento of the honeymoon trip.

[JumboFriendly]

Andre!



It's the best bottle of sub-$5 champagne there is.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by JimB52

Congratulations and best wishes.
Perrier Jouet.
The wine is good and the painted floral bottle pretty and romantic.
Consider springing for the set that comes with two hand-painted glasses. Save them and use them on your anniversaries, or keep as a momento of the honeymoon trip.

Beat me to it! +1

Congrats!

[TSanders]

Thanks for the input fellas.

[PSPookie]

Originally Posted by JimB52

Congratulations and best wishes.
Perrier Jouet.
The wine is good and the painted floral bottle pretty and romantic.
Consider springing for the set that comes with two hand-painted glasses. Save them and use them on your anniversaries, or keep as a momento of the honeymoon trip.

Another +1 here.

Tasty stuff.

Congrats, Travis.

Funny, I'm attending a wedding tomorrow as well. 'Tis the season I suppose.

[Mark Latimour]

Champagne is a very personal thing as, like wine, it comes in all sorts of varieties and flavours. If you (and your partner) are not experienced drinkers, you can't go wrong with choosing a nice bottle that "looks" the part, Perrier Jouet is a good option as would be anything from Moet and Chandon, Tattinger, Bollinger,of course the Dom Perignon bottles, Verve CLiquot, Krug or Kristal. They are all "good" and its really just a matter of picking your price point. There is no point getting a $140 bottle of some random brand that is exceptional if your partner has never heard of it if the point is to impress with a "treat". Its the same reason that people are more impressed with a Tag Heuer or a Rolex than a Patek Phillpe or Jaeger LeCoulture.

[lousybassplayer]

Not a true champagne, in fact German sparkling wine, but consider Henkel Trocken (sp?). I can't stand champagne as a rule, but I bought my grandmother a bottle of Dom for her birthday and she mentioned to my mother that she still prefers Henkel.

And anyone more impressed with a tag than Jaeger or a Patek is an absolute fool. That is all moot, though Baume et Mercier Riviera auto chrono is the choice of true watch professionals (might be a little biased). Is there a watch club on here yet?

[TheDarkReaver]

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

Champagne is a very personal thing as, like wine, it comes in all sorts of varieties and flavours.

That's because *shock horror* it is wine.

Continuing from lousybassplayers point; consider getting something like cava instead. You can sometimes get better cava for similar prices to a mediocre champagne. It's essentially the same thing, it's just that the grapes don't come from the Champagne region. We had some champagne over christmas, as well as cava, and the cava (although cheaper) was better than the champagne. I have therefore come to the conclussion that in a lot of cases you are just paying for the name.

Also Mark's point of it being a personal thing is also quite true, some people's reccomondations arn't going to neccersarily reflect your tastes. The best thing to do is go to a shop and get some expert advice and/or arrange some tasting.

[Mark Latimour]

I disagree with the two posters above on this one. It sounds like the OP wants a bottle to impress by having "champagne" rather than getting the best value for money sparkling wine. Personally for drinking I agree that you can get bettter value out of sparkling wines that are not from champagne. HOwever, in this situation, someone getting something other than champagne is like someone who buys a competitor product to an iPod. Sure, it may be just as good and have just as many features, but you are going to have to spend 20 mins explaining that to everyone who asks "why didn't you get an iPod".

[TheDarkReaver]

I see what you're saying, and thinking about it you're probably right. However, personally I'd rather have something that was actually good rather than something overpriced because it came from some region in france. This is all imo of course and imo french wine in general is overrated.

[JumboFriendly]

I think I misread your initial post. You were asking for sub-$50 champagne.

[Lady Kayri]

Moet en Chandon!

[lousybassplayer]

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

I disagree with the two posters above on this one. It sounds like the OP wants a bottle to impress by having "champagne" rather than getting the best value for money sparkling wine. Personally for drinking I agree that you can get bettter value out of sparkling wines that are not from champagne. HOwever, in this situation, someone getting something other than champagne is like someone who buys a competitor product to an iPod. Sure, it may be just as good and have just as many features, but you are going to have to spend 20 mins explaining that to everyone who asks "why didn't you get an iPod".

Well in that case pour some welches sparklingwhite grape juice in a Dom bottle and leave it under the radiator for a few months. Should impress everyone if all they can taste is the label.

[RS]

Originally Posted by JumboFriendly

Andre!



It's the best bottle of sub-$5 champagne there is.

+2

[TheDarkReaver]

Originally Posted by lousybassplayer

Well in that case pour some welches sparklingwhite grape juice in a Dom bottle and leave it under the radiator for a few months. Should impress everyone if all they can taste is the label.

You could probably do that to people and they wouldn't be able to tell.

[lousybassplayer]

I can't stand champagne or sparkling wine or whatever, but I found Dom to be too dry and I prefered the Henkel. Considering it was either my wedding or new years, my taste buds might have been a bit...off.

[TheGrizz]

Originally Posted by JumboFriendly

I think I misread your initial post. You were asking for sub-$50 champagne.

I was thinking the same thing when I read your post. Amen to drinking on a budget

[jamie'sdad]

Lanson Black Label is v.nice and is a good price. Also Mumm is another good one. Both are quality champagne houses, but less well known than many.

Or you could find Dom Perignon (James Bond's favourite).

[MatticusMania]