Fabulous fizzes to toast new year

Tulip glasses at the ready as we count down to 2020, says Sam Wylie-Harris

Pop! A sure-fire way to get the party started is the sound of corks popping, and cementing New Year celebrations with the happiest of drinks especially when it’s the dawn of a new decade - is one of life’s glistening pleasures.

As the French poet the Abbe de Challieu wrote in 1715 upon first tasting champagne: “Hardly did it appear, than from my mouth it passed into my heart.”

And for those heartfelt, celebratory moments, this luxurious experience continues to defy the odds with champagne playing a dominant role - especially when we want to shine as bright as the bubbles in our glass, and toast the chorus of good wishes and kisses.

But which bottle to choose? Here’s our pick...

Les Pionniers Champagne NV, France (£18 from £19, until Jan 3, Co-op stores)

Top of the pops and extraordinary quality for a budget bubbly, this little nugget was awarded a Decanter Best Award this year and is cited by some of the country’s top wine critics as their supermarket champagne of choice. Rich, round and toasty without being heavy, it’s one of our favourites too.

Champagne Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs NV, France (£47.95, The Finest Bubble)

Choosing a champion champers does have its drawbacks, especially in the case of this World Champion (in magnum) at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2019. Sumptuous and expressive with its floral nose, toasty, round, pristine fruit flavours and elegant mineral character providing freshness and drive, it’s the Rolls-Royce of blanc de blancs (100% chardonnay), and so engaging you won’t want to share it with anyone.

Moet & Chandon Limited Edition 150th Anniversary Imperial Champagne NV, France (£50, Harvey Nichols)

What says celebration better than a limitededition 150th bottling from the world’s most famous champagne house? Moet & Chandon’s rite of passage has taken the brand to the silver screen, the winner’s podium and countless star-studded events. “With Moet Imperial we are looking for a style that consistently blends in three essential elements,” says their cellar master. “A bright fruitiness, a seductive palate and an elegant maturity.” An A-list champagne that’s deliciously accessible.

Champagne Vilmart Grand Cellier d’Or 2013, France (£55.99, Virgin Wines)

A very stylish small grower champagne, this blend of chardonnay (80%) and pinot noir shows impressive structure, with an exceptional bouquet replete with creamy, fruity aromas with hints of candied fruits and nuts, and the perfect support act for the lovely nutty, fruit and minerally, lengthy, heavenly finish.