This morning I joined the team at KXAS/NBC DFW to share some tasty ideas for toasting this New year’s Eve. If you need a bubbly, or prefer a traditional still wine, here are a few ideas that may not be on your radar…but should be. The segment from the News is linked here.

Moet & Chandon Imperial with Diamond Suit insulated sleeve. Moët Impérial is the House’s iconic champagne. Created in 1869, it embodies Moët & Chandon’s unique style, a style distinguished by its bright fruity palate with great freshness and subtle toasted brioche notes. Diamond Suit Sleeve acts as an insulator to keep your bubbles chilled all night. $45 at Kroger stores

Sister winery in Napa Valley, Chandon Brut Classic Sparkling Wine from Sustainably farmed vineyards in Napa. Traditional method, with the 2^nd fermentation creating the bubbles happening in the bottle, creating a light and fresh sparkler with apple, pear and citrus flavors and aromas with a hint of spice that leads to a soft, dry finish. The mini 187 ml bottles are ideal for hosting a crowd and giving everyone their own bottle with a cute little straw. $7 each, widely available.

My best bang for your buck wine, always, Segura Viudas Brut Cava and Brut Rose Cava. From the Penedes region of Spain, home of Cava, the méthode champenois (traditional method) sparkler made from traditional Spanish grapes. Their Brut Cava delivers aromas of white fruit and citrus, along with tropical and light floral notes with a dry, crisp finish. Brut Rose Cava is filled with strawberry, redcurrant and pomegranate lead to a refreshing palate full of cherry fruit and a light acidity. Both are $10 (but can often find for $8 at Spec’s and World market stores.)

If you are entertaining a crowd and want a great value wine that also delivers incredible quality and flavor, Bodega Garzon from Uruguay. Established in 2008, by Argentine oil and gas billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni and his wife, Bettina, who discovered the town of Garzón outside of Jose Ignacio about ten years before, and fell in love. The landscapes reminded them of a “little Uruguayan Tuscany.”

The vineyards of Bodega Garzon are filled with decomposed granite, well-draining rock and sand, and sit at an incredibly close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean (Jose Ignacio is about 30 minutes away.) This terroir, along with the high amount of rainfall each year is quite similar to Rias Baixas, Spain, the land of great Albarino, making it the perfect grape for the region.

Their highly aromatic Albarino is filled with white flower and citrus with bright, crisp acidity and with the slightest hint of briny salinity (like great Spanish Albarino.) But here, it delivers taste for a bargain, about $15 a bottle at Spec’s.

Boedga Garzon Tannat, traditionally a very high tannin wine with intensity, is actually quite balanced and approachable from Bodega Garzon. Thanks, in part, to the terroir and Atlantic influence, as well as the well draining soils, creating a wine that is both fruity and lively, but also earthy with floral and soft herbal notes. $20 at Spec’s.