Every January, we try and do a refresh and take some time off from drinking alcohol.
But, as we still enjoy good flavor, we take this time to try some non-alcoholic wines and see how the industry is progressing. Oddbird has a rather delicious Blanc de Blancs worth trying and, while perhaps not quite a perfect substitute for a fine wine, it is getting there!
When planning our trip to Champagne, we have to admit we didn't kow where exactly we wanted to make our base. This famous region has wineries all over that we would've happily booked a tasting, so planning where to stay in Champagne required some extra thought.
Although we settled on Epernay primarily for a small town feel and easier access to some of the Champagne houses we actually booked, we could've just as easily booked a stay in Reims or any number of other small towns nearby.
So in this one, we wanted to talk about planning logistics for Champagne and how that impacts where you may ultimately want to stay!
We will be the first to admit that sparkling wine, like Champagne and Cava, doesn't have to just be reserved for special occasions.
Sparkling wine, particularly bottles that come from Champagne in France, often has a history associated with parties, milestones, and good times. But it is also versatile with food and darn good to drink on its own, too- so much so that you can and should open them up just because it is a Monday and you want wine just as easily as celebrating a milestone.
In this one, we thought we would share 10 bottles of Champagne, Cava, and other sparkling wines that have made the biggest impression on us for their quality. So whether you are gearing up to have a nice bottle of sparkling wine with a meal, are celebrating something special in your life, or planning ahead of that one celebration everyone around the world is looking forward to, we've got you covered.
Note: This list only features bottles of sparkling wine we've personally tried and enjoyed. We consider them our top 10 favorites; however, we recognize that this list is incredibly subjective. We will likely update this list more over time as we try more sparkling wine!
If you are planning a trip to go wine tasting in Alsace, you will likely be thinking about where to make your base, as the region itself is quite large.
We went back and forth on whether we wanted to stay in Strasbourg, in the north, the smaller city of Colmar, to the south, or find an even smaller town somewhere in between. We were visiting both in tandem with Christmas markets during the holidays (which have special considerations we'll get into later), and really struggled with the best choice of where to stay.
Ultimately, we settled on Colmar, and we were quite glad that we did- it was the perfect location for wine tasting and Christmas markets!
To say that we love Alsatian wine is an understatement. It is one of our favorite wine regions, not just in France, but anywhere in the world.
World-class Riesling? Yep. Stellar Pinot Gris? You know it. Even some sparkling Cremant? There really is a lot to love about Alsace!
During our visit, we got a chance to check out six great wineries in Alsace, and wanted to share a bit more about each in this one.
Note: Wineries in Alsace tend to have limited tasting appointments. Unless otherwise noted, contact wineries significantly far in advance when inquiring about tasting times. Most wineries we visited were not set up to accommodate walk-ins.
Champagne has always been a wine region that was rather high on our list to visit, and we were lucky enough to spend a few days in the region in late 2025 on our way to Alsace to check out the Christmas markets.
Although our time in the wine region was a bit more brief than we otherwise would've liked, we got a chance to visit five truly amazing wineries in Champagne to get our fill of spectacular traditional method sparkling wine.
From classics with world-famous cellars to new gems that redefined what world-class Champagne truly means, we hit a really nice cross-section in these wineries during our visit!
As with all of our winery roundups, this article only features the Champagne houses we personally visited when traveling in the region. We look forward to visiting more in our next trip to Champagne!
Note: Most producers in Champagne require advanced reservations. Some larger houses may have on-site bars for walk-in tastings; however, we booked all of our tastings well in advance. Reconfirm these details prior to visiting as Champagne houses can and do book up in advance.
If you've spent any time going down the rabbit hole of fine Champagnes, odds are good you've heard the name Jacques Selosse.
Selosse is synonymous with some of the finest wines in all of Champagne, and when we say they are highly sought after, we really mean it. Not only are bottles almost impossible to find, when you do, they likely come at a price that will make even the most interested Champagne drinker do a double take.
When we visited Alsace, we were on the lookout for bottles of Selosse and were, unfortunately, turned off by the price point for bottles to bring home. But we did visit the winery's restaurant, Les Avises, for a lunch on Thanksgiving day where we decided to splurge on their solera style Blanc de Blanc, Substance which has its origins dating back to my own birth year- 1986!
Was it the most expensive bottle of wine we've ever purchased? Yes. Are we glad we bought it? Still yes. And are we glad we did tasting notes in the middle of lunch so we could write a review? You know it.
If you've read our wine reviews for a while, we generally always like to say don't sleep on Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc. Yes, we adore the GSM blends of the traditional red Chateauneuf du Pape, but the white blends are always quite the surprise and are regulars in our drinking collection.
Brotte's Les Hauts Barville Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne and Bourboulenc, and is one of those bottles that disappears quickly.
The Champagne region is full of many famous producers whose names we easily recognize, but never have tried before.
After staring at Moet & Chandon's Imperial Brut at the store for many years, we decided that it was time to finally try this famous wine. After trying this, we do have to admit, we can see why it is popular- although we wish the flavors were as intense as the aromas!
Whenever we think of French sparkling wine, it is easy to go to Champagne.
But there are many other great wine regions producing their own delicious sparkling wines, often referred to as Cremants, using the same methods as Champagne just, you know, not in Champagne.
JC Calvet is one such producer, and makes a beautiful, and affordable, off-dry sparkling wine in Bordeaux from Merlot and Semillon in the 2022 vintage!
Note: It seems this wine has different grapes and blending percentages depending on the vintage.