Since its founding in 1840, Simonnet-Febvre has specialized in the production of sparkling wine from Chablis, or Crémant de Bourgogne. This Crémant is produced in the méthode traditionelle also once known as the méthode Champenoise, as in Champagne. The Chardonnay and Pinot noir fruit are hand harvested from vines averaging 20 years in age. The grapes are whole cluster pressed and are fermented in stainless steel tanks. Select wines from several vintages are then blended and bottled with the liqueur de tirage which causes the secondary fermentation to take place in the bottle, giving the wine its magnificent mousse and sparkle. After three years of aging, the bottles undergo remouage and disgorging, and a dosage is added to the finished crémant. The result is a wine quite similar to Champagne, after which it is surely fashioned. Fresh and vivacious on the nose, with suggestion of toast, citrus, flesh of green apple and just an inkling of summer rain soaked limestone; delicately frothy, crisp and refreshing on the tongue, yet round and tantalizingly flavorful to the finish. Easily among the best values in fine bubbly for anywhere near $20, and it’s under $15!

Roederer Estate was founded in 1981 by France's Champagne Louis Roederer in Mendocino County's cool, fog-shrouded Anderson Valley. The "multi-vintage" Anderson Valley Brut debuted in 1988 to great acclaim. The unchallenged favorite 'round here among California bubblies, Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut well reflects its Champagne origins, too. This is a new world wine to be sure, but mirroring the style of its sister house in Champagne with its use of oak-aged reserve wines, Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut strikes an elegant balance between fresh and vivacious and bold and richly flavorful. Regularly $19.99 the bottle, on sale now at:

As a grape grower in the sun-drenched southwest, just how do you beat the heat? Well, for starters, you plant at 4,000 feet. Then, come evening, you chill with some bubbly… Gruet’s vineyards were planted to Pinot noir and Chardonnay at elevations of about 4,300 feet near Elephant Butte, New Mexico in 1984 by Gilbert Gruet, whose own family firm, Gruet et Fils, had been producing Champagne since 1952. In New Mexico, the days during the growing season are certainly warmer than those in Champagne. But at this elevation (the vineyards are some of the highest in the United States) the nights are way cool, with temperature swings of as much as thirty degrees, allowing for a more well-rested vine and a more gradual ripening. This together with a sandy loamy soil and the dry weather conditions one might expect out this way allow Gruet to harvest a consistent quality of fruit year in year out. And these are the sparkling wines our discerning clientèle choose first and most often for their house suds!

Gruet Brut Blanc de Noirs is produced with a higher proportion of Pinot noir and shows just a glint of copper in color, bright berryish fruit on the nose, a touch softer and creamier on the palate, too; long and fresh on the finish with flavors of berries and light touch of spice and cream.

Bouvet Signature Brut is produced from about 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Chardonnay grapes grown in the chalky limestone (tuffeau) soils of the Saumur appellation in the beautiful Loire Valley of France. The base wines are vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve the delicate aromas and elegant fruit. The second fermentation takes place in the "Méthode Traditionelle" that is, by the Champagne method, in the bottle in Bouvet-Ladubay's cool, moist cellars at St-Hilaire St-Florent. The wine is pale straw-golden in color with fine pinpoint bubbles; initial aromas suggest the fresher side of Loire Valley Chenin Blanc, say flesh of green apple, lemon-curd on toast with just a tell-tale hint of fresh-picked mushroom and limestone; excellent balance on the palate; a delicate and sustained frothy effervescence carries the fresh flavors right on to the mouthwatering finish. For Champagne tastes on micro-brew budgets, Bouvet is yet again among the season's best deals on affordable high-quality suds.