There are many articles that detail the euphoria of drinking sparkling wine at Christmas. Here’s another one. I’ll try my best to sidestep any saccharine images of popping bottles and earnest festive toasts, but the simple reality is that it’s not Christmas without a bottle of something fizzy. The question, therefore, is never whether you should acquire some sparkling wine, it’s where on earth do you start?
Go to the sparkling wine section of any supermarket or independent bottle shop, you’re hurled headfirst into a wall of cursive text and puzzling languages. The heavy, opaque bottles all look rather similar and you have nothing to guide you except first impressions and vague memories. Hurried along by a wailing child or impatient partner, you pick the one with the nicest label and pray to Father Christmas you’ve made the right choice.
