New Year’s Eve and champagne are synonymous. So what should you pop on that special annual fête? Like most good things in life, the better you understand champagne the easier it will be to choose the right one for your celebration.

Champagne is the most misunderstood category of wine, since most believe that if it has bubbles, it’s champagne. To be a “true” champagne, it must be from the Champagne region in northeastern France. However, several other wine producing regions create sparkling wines at various price levels and quality – Cava from Spain, Cremant from Alsace, Prosecco from Italy and just plain sparkling wine from the United States, Australia, Chile, Argentina and South Africa.

The most important part of any wine is the grape. The crucial elements to a great wine are cool climate, chalky soil, and grape varieties. Sparkling wines are typically made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Muenier and sometimes Pinot Gris.

There are different types of Champagne. Brut is the driest and the traditional “standard.” Extra-dry is actually less dry than Brut. Sec is sweet, and Demi Sec is even sweeter. Vintage bottles are, like most wines, from a single year’s grapes. Unlabeled or non-vintage bottles are from a blend of years.

The most important factor when choosing a champagne or sparkling is to look for the phrases Methode Champanoius and Methode Traditional on the label. This will ensure that the wine is made in the true French methods that allow in-bottle, secondary fermentation of the wine to effect carbonation. The result: that exhilarating experience of sipping the lively bubbles.

Methode Champenoise is the special way of getting the sparkle in the wine. The wine is fermented for a few weeks in stainless steel tanks. Afterwards, the wine sits for many months. This is when the wine undergoes a special process – second fermentation. At this point, the wine maker adds extra sugar and yeast; depending on the winemaker, this process can go on for years. The gas generated by the second fermentation has nowhere to go and thus is dissolved back into the wine creating millions of bubbles. When the second fermentation period is over, the yeast must be removed from the bottle by storing the bottles in riddling racks. The rack positions the wine vertically allowing for easy removal of the sediment. The removal process is called disgorgement. The neck of the bottle is stuck into a machine which freezes it. When the cap is removed, the sediment is removed and wine is added to fill in the space in the bottle. Finally, the wine is corked with the standard, large Champagne cork. The cork does not start out in its wide-thin-wide shape. It is the pressure and system of corking that gives it its mushroom head and flared bottom.

Typically, Champagne is more expensive that other sparkings, but does not mean that French Champagne is more superior. However, the traditions, consumer demands and the value of real estate in the Champagne region warrant higher price tags.

Like other wines, Champagne is best when stored on its side at around 55˚F in a dark, damp location. Champagne should be served at about 45˚F. A few hours in the fridge should bring the temperature down, but never store any wine for more than a few days in the fridge.

Serve your Champagne in tall, narrow-necked glasses, called flutes. Wide-brimmed glasses cause the drink to quickly lose both bubbles and the flavor that everyone loves.

No doubt, Champagne is the wine of celebration. No other wine is associated with seeing stars, toasting momentous occasions or launching ships. Whether you choose a true Champagne, Prosecco, Cremant or Sparkling, raise a glass to a blessed New Year!