Is this good Champagne? Here are a few tips for buyers.

It’s nearly New Year’s Eve, and you might find yourself in a local wine shop, scanning for a good bottle of Champagne to ring in 2024. Questions abound: Blanc de noir versus demi-sec? Is Champagne really better than prosecco or cava? How much should you spend?

There are a ton of varieties of sparkling wine, and plenty of info on the labels that may help you better understand what you’re looking at — and if the price is worth it. I spoke to Mark DeMarchena, a restaurant consultant who teaches the Wine Spirit Education Trust courses at Johnson & Wales University, about the basics of sparkling wine. Here’s what he told me.

Champagne vs. cava vs. prosecco

You’ve probably heard it before, but Champagne cannot be labeled as such unless it is actually made using grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and by following specific production processes. Crémant is also a French sparkling wine, but is produced using grapes from other regions of France. You may be more familiar with prosecco, which is from Italy, or cava, which is from Spain.

OK, you want Champagne. But do you want it drier or sweeter?

I tend to reach for a Brut, which is on the drier side. Sugar, DeMarchena explained, plays a vital role in the Champagne-making process. The big Champagne houses use methode Champenoise, in which the wine goes through a secondary fermentation process directly in the bottle and the winemakers remove dead yeast, add sugar to counter the high acidity of the grapes, and then recork the wine. Depending on how much sugar is added, the final result ranges from dry to sweet.

Here are the terms to look for, from driest to sweetest: sauvage or brut nature, brut, extra sec or extra dry, sec or dry, demi-sec, and doux.

How sweet is demi-sec? Is it a dessert wine?

“When you say ‘wine’ and ‘sweet’ in the same sentence, there’s this cringe in the room. It’s not like a dessert wine,” said DeMarchena. “If you’re having something with a hint of spice, the heat and sweetness of the demi-sec can really connect on a cool level.” That same hint of spice may bring out too much sharpness if you pair it with a brut, he added.

I also see blanc de blanc and blanc de noir on the labels. What do those terms mean?

DeMarchena said Champagnes that say “blanc de blanc” on the label are made entirely from chardonnay grapes. It means “white from white” in French. “Blanc de noir” is French for “white from reds,” which means red grapes are used in the process, and they’re usually pinot noir. There’s also “brut rosé,” which can have a slightly pink coloring due to red grape skins making contact during the wine-making process.

Most of the wines I buy have a year on them. But most Champagnes do not. Why not?

Champagne is usually made from grape juices harvested in different years and blended together to produce a consistent taste from year to year. In the rare case that Champagne has a year — that’s the “vintage” — on the bottle, that means the winemaker has used only grapes harvested during that single year. These are usually more expensive since it means the climate would also need to be nearly perfect for that region that year, said DeMarchena.

How long should you keep a bottle of Champagne?

“I always say, ‘Why wait?’ I wouldn’t hold onto a bottle for any more than a couple of years,” said DeMarchena.

How should you store Champagne?

Keep it on its side and cool around a consistent 55 degrees, said DeMarchena. Like any liquid product, keep it out of the light.

How much should you spend on a bottle of Champagne?

The winter holidays and New Year is the bubbly wine season, so there might be some deals out there, said DeMarchena.

“I’m 58 and I remember buying Berkeley in Manhattan for $20 a bottle. The problem with getting old is knowing when cable costs $9 per month. It’s the same for wine,” said DeMarchena, who said he usually spends about $17 or less when he purchases an “everyday bottle” of wine. “But when I’m buying Champagne, I know I have to stretch my game.”

A basic bottle from one of the major Champagne houses (like LVHM, which is a massive brand) can cost about $50 or more, said DeMarchena. If you’re looking to buy a bottle to create mixed drinks, DeMarchena said to skip Champagne and reach for another sparkling wine — like prosecco — for $15 or less.