This time of year always brings an avalanche of articles on Champagne. Every wire service and print syndicate gushes forth with top 10 lists, bargains of the season, entertainment guides. Why should this space buck the trend? Here are a few “Champagne Tips”.

Tip #1: Drink Champagne or Sparkling Wine often. Here is where many people make the worst mistake of all, the mistake of omission. Good crisp sparkling wine is the ideal aperitif. It is also a fine accompaniment to light foods, especially luncheons. Most of us can’t afford the everyday use of genuine French Champagne. We may have to content ourselves with Sparkling wines from Spain, Italy, the USA or South America. Still, perfectly acceptable sparkling wines can be purchased for $8-$12, and some pretty fine stuff can be had for a few dollars more. It is sad that most people think of sparklers only for special occasions when a good Cava (Spanish) or Prosecco (Italian) is less expensive than most everyday Chardonnays.

Tip #2: Use proper glasses. This could be said of any wine. Sure, never pass up a good wine just for want of the “perfect” glass. However, try to provide a glass that shows off the wine. In the case of Champagne, good glasses are tall and slender exhibiting a graceful column of bubbles cheerfully lacing through the wine. Careful study (personal and scientific) seems to indicate that fine Champagne more fully offers up its apply, toasty, yeasty perfume if the glass opens up from a narrow base to a slender tulip-bloom shape at the top. Fine Champagne freshly poured into a fine crystal glass can delight all the senses.

Tip #3: Trade up. Yes, everyday sparklers have their place. Still whenever possible, celebrate with something special. The Champagne region has dozens of great and famous trademarks. The mere mention of these famous names tends to elevate an occasion to memorable status. Pommery, Taittinger, Roederer, all contribute a grand element. And yes, Dom Perignon, Crystal, and other luxury cuvees truly do add something to even the most auspicious occasions. You may not be holding a coronation at your house, but you can act like it once in a great while.

Tip #4: Handle with Care. Premium Champagne and Sparkling Wines go through complex production and aging processes before shipment. In most cases they leave the winery at or near an optimal age and condition for drinking. There are exceptions, but most sparkling wines should be consumed within a year or so of shipment from the producer. That special bottle from last year’s wedding should be used to mark the first anniversary, not the tenth. Store Sparkling wine undisturbed, on its side, away from heat and direct light. A wine cellar is perfect, the fridge is not, since the corks harden under refrigeration. Keeping a bottle cold and ready to serve makes sense. If a month goes by, declare an “occasion” and drink it.

Tip #5: Handle with care part II. Opening Champagne can be theater, but it should not be high drama. Champagne is under pressure and deserves respect and special care. First, be sure that the bottle is cold. The pressure behind the cork is too explosive if the wine is not very well chilled. Plan ahead and store the wine in the refrigerator. If you have not planned ahead, submerge the bottle all the way up to the neck in ice water – not the freezer, not ice – ice water. Even in ice water allow at least 30 minutes – plan ahead. When opening, hold the cork firmly in one hand and with the other hand twist the bottle until the cork pushes out into your hand. Try for a “sigh” not a “pop”.

Tip #6: Drink Champagne or Sparkling Wine often.

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