Happy popping New Year!
Happy New Year! As we look forward with hope for a better year to come in 2026, many of us will pop the cork on a sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve.
Are you planning to celebrate with sparkling wine? Will you go for fancy and spare no expense, or look for something decent and affordable? Tell us about your choice!.
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I’m sending out The 30 Second Wine Advisor out early again this holiday week, offering a few thoughts on sparkling wine, a good compromise between top shelf and bargain bin, and an unexpected snack that might make your blass of bubbly even more fun.
If you want a sparkling wine that’s made in the spirit and style of Champagne without the price tag, look for French sparkling wine with the word Crémant on the label.
Since international treaties and European Union regulations have more strictly forbade the use of “Champagne” and “methode champenoise” for any wines but those made in Champagne, “Crémant” has been reinvented as the term of art for sparkling wines made by the traditional Champagne process in other parts of France.
Crémant was established as a formal category for sparkling wines from Burgundy, Alsace and the Loire during the 1970s. More have followed, from such major regions as Bordeaux and less well-known regions like Limoux and Dié. In each case, the wine is made like Champagne but swaps in locally traditional grapes: Riesling in Alsace, Chenin Blanc in the Loire, and Cabernets and Merlot in Bordeaux, for example.
So, Crémant de Bourgogne is based on Burgundy’s classic varieties – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – which by coincidence of proximity are also the grapes used in Champagne. It doesn’t get much closer kin than that, and this week’s featured wine – Victorine de Chastenay Crémant de Bourgogne Brut – shows that relationship in a sparkling Bourgogne that shows Champagne style.
A big bowl of Rancho Gordo crimson popping corn awaits a glass of sparkling wine.
Now, speaking of popping, here’s that snack advice: Try sipping your New Year’s bubbly with a bowl of hot, buttered and salted popcorn. Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it. Lightly buttered, freshly popped popcorn makes a surprising match. Something about the light carbonation makes the match as addictive as movie popcorn and a giant cola. Just take care not to let the seductive flavors prompt you to over-consumption.
The fizzy chill and rich fruit in a decent sparkling wine make a memorable match with the salty, crunchy goodness of popcorn, a delicious demonstration of the happy news that wine doesn’t have to be reserved for fancy fare.
Happy New Year! As a holiday treat, I’m removing the paywall that would normally descend for this $20-plus wine.
Today’s Tasting Reports
Victorine de Chastenay Crémant de Bourgogne Brut ($24.99)
A blanc de noirs blend of 75% Pinot Noir, 10% Gamay, 10% Aligoté, 5% Chardonnay, Victorine de Chastenay Crémant de Bourgogne Brut is a clear straw color; it pours up with a frothy mousse that quickly falls back to a moderate but lasting bubble stream. Pleasant, complex aromas start with mixed roasted nuts, adding elements of apple and citrus with toffee and toast back notes. On the palate it’s quite acidic, suggesting an affinity with food, while its carbonation shows as a prickly, mouth-filling sensation that gives way to a sense of stone-fruit flavors before it finishes clean and dry. 12% alcohol. U.S. importer: Skurnik Wines, NYC. (Dec. 28, 2025)
FOOD MATCH: Although often sipped on its own, this quality sparkling wine will serve well with seafood and fish entrees, tofu-based entrees, and, of course, popcorn!
WHEN TO DRINK: Although there’s some tradition for aging quality vintage Champagnes, there’s little to gain from cellaring non-vintage Crémant. Buy it, enjoy it, buy it again.
VALUE:
It’s not cheap, but it’s good. And at Wine-Searcher.com’s $23 average U.S. retail and my local $25 price, this is a great value at half the price or less of a quality Champagne.
WEB LINK:
Here’s a link to importer Skurnik’s fact sheet. For more on producer Victorine de Chastenay, follow this importer link.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Victorine de Chastenay Crémant de Bourgogne Brut on Wine-Searcher.com.
Read about Crémant de Bourgogne and find other wines in this style at this Wine-Searcher link.
Click this Wine-Searcher link to read Wine-Searcher’s report on Chardonnay-Pinot Noir sparkling-wine blends.
Find the wines you want
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Good wines we’ve tried under $10.99!
Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $10.99 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases, the prices may have risen over the $10.99 mark since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!
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This will be the first time I celebrate New Years with alcohol, so I figured I'd do it with champagne. I haven't bought champagne before, but I have had one glass of it. I just went with the classic Veuve Cliquot because it is what I've had before.
I have been trying to plan the NYE food, so I'm excited to try the popcorn idea!
Thanks Robin--always a great time to enjoy sparkling wine or champagne. This year I will be enjoying a reasonably priced Crémant. I have found many enjoyable choices in this category but if someone gifted me with a bottle of grower champagne I wouldn't complain. Cheers to a wonderful New Year ahead.