Bring out the bubbly

It’s that time of the year again when people are celebrating and nothing signifies a celebration better than the popping of a bottle of sparkling wine or Champagne.

You know, of course, that while all Champagnes are sparkling wines, not all sparkling wines are Champagnes! That’s because clever marketing by the French has resulted in Champagnes being placed in a separate category from ‘other’ sparkling wines, which reinforces Champagne’s exclusivity and boosts its price. An ordinary sparkling wine may be qualitatively better than a given Champagne, but if you think something is better, it is — for you — and that’s