Christmas fizz - your questions answered

Should I buy ready made Bucks Fizz?

Nooooo! The pre-mixed bottles range from toxic to barely acceptable. And how hard can it be to pour fizz into a glass or jug and top up with orange juice? Don't consider putting anything grander in it than the most basic Prosecco or Cava - but do make sure the orange juice is top quality. Freshly squeezed, if you're up to it, would be the most delicious option.

What sort of fizz is best for Christmas Day?

If you are having a glass of something to sip while you open the pressies (I do, don't you?) then something tasty but not hugely expensive would be my preferred option. People will be busy with their presents, poring over the favourites and putting a brave face on for the more "interesting" gifts, so attention will hardly be on what's in their glass. And you don't want anything that you might cry over if it gets knocked flying in the mêlée.

As rosé is an ever-popular option these days, a fresh and flavoursome crémant rosé from the Loire might be just the ticket. Try Langlois-Château Crémant de Loire (£13.15 from thedrinkshop.com and independent merchants). At the budget end of things, Lindauer Special Reserve from New Zealand has a reputation for being a cut above many New World sparklers, as well as great value for money at around the £10 mark at Majestic  and Waitrose. These two would also make great choices for party fizz over the festive period.

A pre-dinner aperitif needs to be light and preferably dry to get the appetite sharpened for the meal ahead. A Blanc de Blancs Champagne (or Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine labelled "traditional method") would be a good option here. If your tastes are for the really dry, then search out Champagne labelled Ultra Brut or Zero Dosage, the absolute driest ones available.

Pudding, whether the traditional steamed variety or other rich treat, should really be matched with something as sweet and weighty as the dessert itself - like an Oloroso Sherry or Australian Liqueur Muscat. But if you don't like that style of wine, or just want to contrast with something lighter and frothy, then a sparkling wine can make another appearance in the form of a Moscato d'Asti, with its featherweight grapey flavours and gentle sparkle. 

If buying fizz as a gift, does it have to be Champagne?

Well no, but there is undoubtedly a cachet attached to the real thing. And if you are faced with the awkward situation of giving a bottle of Champagne to someone who you think knows more about it than you do, what will impress wine buffs?

Billecart-Salmon Rosé is a classic Champagne lover's pink fizz: elegant, restrained and dry (£56.99 from Adnams; £60 from Berry Brothers, bbr.com). Laurent-Perrier Rosé is a bit more bling, but its easy charm means it's sure to be welcomed (£44.97 as part of Majestic’s Mix and Match offer, £40.72 at thedrinkshop.com).

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV (£42 from Berry Brothers; £36.05 from thedrinkshop.com) has long been a favourite amongst wine insiders and they are right back on their best form now, fine and full flavoured in style. One word of warning, there are many Heidsiecks in the Champagne world, so make sure you've picked up the right one.

A non-snobbish Champagne lover would be happy to receive an award winning supermarket own label Champagne - Tesco and Waitrose have both done well in competitions this year and a little online research should point you in the right direction. I particularly liked the Waitrose Blanc de Blancs Brut NV (currently on offer at £19.99 and winner of a Gold medal at the IWSC and Bronze at the IWC) and Waitrose Brut Special Reserve Vintage 2006 (currently £26.99).

What’s hot in the world of Champagne?

Grower Champagnes have become hip this year, so choosing one shows you have your finger on the pulse. But what are they and how do you spot one?

The big name Champagne houses, the grandes marques, usually own some vineyards, but never enough to supply them will all the grapes they require, which they need to buy in from growers across the region.

An increasing number of these more than 15,000 growers are now making their own Champagne from their own vineyards, giving scope for a much more individual, artisanal and, some would say, authentic style of Champagne. But it can be difficult to tell the difference between one of these grower Champagnes, which will have an unfamiliar name on the label, and one of the profusion of unheard of Champagnes that populate supermarket shelves at this time of year.

The biggest clue is price - grower Champagnes are not going to be on offer for half price at £10-12. The concrete proof requires sharp eyesight and a good look at the label.

A bottle of grande marque Champagne will have the letters "NM" and some numbers printed in small type at the bottom of the front label, which stands for "negoçiant manipulant" – an organisation which buys in grapes or wine and makes Champagne. What you are looking for is "RM", for “récoltant manipulant”, meaning someone who harvests grapes and makes wines from their own vineyards.

There are so many offers on Champagne at this time of year. How can you make sure you don't pay over the odds for your Champagne?

A little light internet browsing is all that's required. Check out www.bringabottle.co.uk to see who is offering the best price for your chosen fizz and make use of their historical price chart to judge if a special offer really is special, or just par for the course.

Have a sparkling Christmas!

Sweep them off their feet - but do your homework first

I claim there ain’t

Another Saint

As great as Valentine. 

-          Ogden Nash

Here we are on that day of the year about which I have mixed feelings:  Valentine’s Day, when we are all supposed to toe the love line and demonstrate our devotion to our loved one. Now who am I to pooh-pooh the notion of a day given over to romance? But the idea that millions, nay billions, of us should all feel the lurve, to order, on 14^th February every year induces a certain sullen bolshiness in me.

Romance is dead – it was acquired in a hostile takeover by Hallmark and Disney, homogenized and sold off piece by piece.

-          Lisa Simpson, The Simpsons

And have you seen the Valentine-themed merchandising?

At a local convenience store I spied such treasures as fake sparkly single red roses (sensible, can be re-used), red heart bunting to adorn your love nest (bit OTT and actually a bit scary) and, bafflingly, packs of twenty heart-shaped napkins. Twenty napkins? I didn’t realise Valentine’s Day was a group activity. Have I missed something? Are we supposed to throw Valentine’s parties nowadays, or are they designed for mopping up extravagant food and drink spillages without breaking the romantic spell by having to make a grab for the kitchen roll?

If you have made no particular preparations for your night of romance please do not pick up a card, flowers and a bottle of rosé from the garage on the way home. Nothing says “meh” like forecourt flowers and petrol stations are not renowned for their classy wine choices. Better to go home empty-handed than to bring home gifts that scream zero effort.

Better still is to spend a couple of minutes at your desk researching your options before setting off for home. The best shortcut to celebration is Champagne (I would say that wouldn’t I), though at this late stage you are not in a position to go chasing after a particular grower’s exclusive cuvée. However, there is equally no need to grab a bottle of anything that sports the name Champagne from a gondola end in the nearest supermarket.

May I respectfully point you towards a site called Bring a Bottle (www.bringabottle.co.uk), which provides useful information on where to pick up most of the Champagne grandes marques at the best price from major retailers. My eye was drawn to Bollinger Special Cuvée Rosé NV at £36.99 from Waitrose (hint, hint). One of the things I particularly like about the Bring a Bottle site is that it includes a handy graphic, illustrating price movements over previous weeks for your chosen Champagne – so you can tell whether the best price on offer really is a good deal, or whether you are just getting the going rate. “My” Bollinger Rosé has been pretty consistently available at an average of just under £39, so I’m happy that the Waitrose offer is worth taking up, albeit not a tremendous bargain either.

Other Champagne brands have far more volatile pricing – Veuve Clicquot NV, for example, which frequently varies from between £27 to £35 a bottle. If this is your Champagne of choice, you’d be well advised to wait until the price dips below £30 before buying. The Bring a Bottle site allows you set up an email alert which will advise you when a particular wine drops below its current lowest available price.

If you have more time available to winkle out your chosen bottle then a virtual trip to www.wine-searcher.com  allows you to search across a wider range of suppliers, including many independent merchants who also mostly now offer online ordering. This is often the best way to find the keenest price for any particular wine that you are after.

Pink fizz seems to be de rigueur for Valentine’s Day and it will no doubt not have escaped your notice that you have to shell out more for the rosé version of a house’s Champagne. Viz, Bollinger Special Cuvée is currently £32 at Asda, £32.49 at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, compared to the lowest price for the rosé of £36.99. It would be a churlish valentine who would turn their nose and Champagne flute up at “merely” the Bollinger Special Cuvée, surely.

If you really want to show that you know your stuff, THE pink fizz of the Champagne cognoscenti is the delicate, understated and food-friendly Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé – though at around £50 a bottle currently it is not a bargain. Another favourite is Laurent-Perrier Brut Rosé (prices range from £44 to a frankly ridiculous £58), which has more overt red fruit and can be happily sipped on its own.

Do chocolates and Champagne mix? In any objective way, of course not. Champagne lacks the body and sweetness (even the sweeter, demi-sec styles) to stand up to the mouth coating sweetness and richness of chocolate. Putting them together is flattering neither to the Champagne nor the chocolates. If you want a wine to match with a box of chocs, then a rich old Oloroso sherry would be a far better choice. But there is undoubtedly something decadent and endearingly batty about showering your loved one in luxury items, whether they should ever be consumed together or not.

And a final piece of advice if you’re thinking of buying something for your female Valentine to wear, remember that, in the words of Dorothy Parker, “Brevity is the soul of lingerie.”