Time to Champagne!! Lets Celebrate the New Year in Style!
"Too much of anything is bad ,but too much Champagne is just right." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
Time to Champagne! Lets Celebrate the New Year in Style!
Why Do We Drink Champagne on New Year's Eve?
The tradition of popping bottles of Champagne to celebrate dates all the way back to the 16th century when European aristocrats would pour glasses of the bubbly beverage at their royal parties. At the time,only the elite could afford to drink Champagne. However, the drink’s popularity at celebratory occasions persisted until Champagne became less expensive and more accessible in the 1800s.
Once the price of Champagne declined, wine sellers began marketing it to lower- and middle-class members who still thought of the beverage as an aspirational drink. Visually, Champagne overflows with bubbles — symbolically, with joy and abundance —making it perfect for a toast. Although many customers still could not afford to drink Champagne regularly, they could afford to buy bottles for special occasions.
As time went on,Champagne became the centre piece of numerous secular rituals that replaced formerly religious practices. For example, christening a ship with the"holy water” of Champagne became a substitute for having a priest present. This ritual, in particular, often involved simply smashing a bottle of Champagne on the bow of the ship for good luck and safe travels.
Eventually, winemakers began to develop the modern-day technology for bottling carbonated wine. Namely, Dom Perignon who added two safety features to its Champagne packaging to prevent bottle explosions — a rope snare to keep the cork in place and thicker glass so the bottles could withstand the pressure of holding a carbonated beverage. These improved Champagne bottles proved to be perfect for popping open on special occasions.
Champagne sales continued to boom throughout the Industrial Revolution, quickly becoming a staple of celebrations everywhere. To this day, popping Champagne symbolizes a joyful occasion. In particular, New Year’s Eve is the perfect occasion to pullout all the stops and flourish your aspirations with this bubbly drink. For many people, the sound of a Champagne bottle popping has come to signify the official start of the New Year.
What Is the Best Champagne for New Year’s Eve?
Choosing a good Champagne for New Year's Eve should be based entirely on your personal preferences and what you appreciate in a bottle of wine.
Now that you’re familiar with the backstory of how Champagne rose to become the holiday’s signature drink, it’s time to discuss what a good Champagne for New Year’s Eve is. Many people think that the most expensive bottle must be the highest quality bottle, but that is not always the case. Just like any other commodity, Champagne is typically sold for a price the market is willing to pay.
Another common misconception about choosing good Champagne is that every sparkling wine is Champagne. In reality, Champagne refers solely to sparkling wine from Champagne, a specific region in France famous for growing Champagne grapes. Authentic Champagne from this region tastes a bit more delicious and special because it comes from such a distinctive and unique place, making it difficult for other sparkling wines to rival.
Still, other sparkling wines, like Italian Prosecco and Spanish Cava, can be great values. If you are on a tighter budget this New Year’s Eve, these variations of sparkling wine can be an excellent way to stock up on wine for your party guests without overspending.
Finally, you typically don’t have to worry whether a bottle is an older vintage when you’repurchasing sparkling wine. In general, sparkling wines are usually non-vintage, meaning reserve wine from previous years is blended with newer wine to produce a consistent house style. While expensive bottles or older bottles might be more highly touted than other varietals, you don’t have to purchase the most popular Champagne for New Year’s Eve. Choosing a good Champagne for New Year’s Eve should be based entirely on your personal preferences and what you appreciate in a bottle of wine.
From high-quality value buys to classic Champagnes, there’s nothing like enjoying an eclectic bottle of festive fizz. Whether you’re looking for one bottle to splurge on for an intimate, low-key celebration or a wine you can keep pouring all night long, York Wines has the perfect bottles of Champagne and sparkling wine to start the New Year with a bang.
Ultimately, what type of wine you get for New Year’s Eve is completely up to you. Although Champagne is the traditional New Year’s drink of choice, you should purchase whatever variety of wine you and your guests will enjoy the most.
Take a look at our selection of Champagne and sparkling wine HERE.
New Year’s Eve Cocktails With Champagne
If you want to bring in the New Year right, you need some New Year’s Eve Champagne recipes that will wow your party guests. In this section, you’ll discover a list of the best Champagne cocktails for New Year’s Eve, along with a few morning Champagne recipes for New Year’s brunch the next day.
1. Classic New Year’s Eve Champagne Cocktails
When it comes to the best New Year’s Champagne cocktails, it can be hard to beat the classics. A simple Champagne cocktail is easy to prepare and often steals the show at celebrations. All you have to do to get your New Year’s Eve party off to a roaring start is drop a sugar cube into a flute of Champagne and marvel at the fountain of bubbles it creates. In addition to making your glass sparkle, this Champagne cocktail will taste delightful.
2. Prosecco Cocktails
Another easy mixed drink to prepare for New Year’s Eve is a Prosecco cocktail. This cocktail is sophisticated and classy, featuring citrus notes and plenty of bubbles. By adding an orange twist to your glass of Prosecco, you can have a fancy cocktail in mere minutes. The fruity flavours underlying the stronger taste of Prosecco make this cocktail taste like a night time version of a mimosa.
3. Chambord and Champagne Cocktails
Chambord and Champagne Cocktails. The raspberry taste of Chambord gives the bubbles of Champagne an extra flavour boost, creating a delicious and sophisticated cocktail.
This cocktail recipe couldn’t be easier — just combine Chambord and Champagne. These two drinks area dynamic duo that play off of each other’s characteristics well. The raspberry taste of Chambord gives the bubbles of Champagne an extra flavour boost,creating a delicious and sophisticated cocktail.
4. Kir Royale
Making a Kir Royale offers you another opportunity to make an easy cocktail that still feels festive and refined. This renowned French cocktail centres around sparkling wine and black currant liqueur, resulting in the perfect balance of bubbles and berries. The simplicity of a Kir Royale makes the drink’s fruit-filled flavours shine.
5. French 75 Cocktails
A French 75 cocktail might just be the most sophisticated and refreshing Champagne cocktail recipe for New Year’s Eve you could choose. French 75 cocktails are festive, bubbly,tangy and a bit botanical. The best part about this mixed drink is it requires only a few simple ingredients. All you need for your French 75 cocktails is Champagne, gin, lemon juice and sugar.
Here's to the bright New Year
And a fond farewell to the old;
Here's to the things that are yet to come
And to the memories that we hold.
~ Anon