I work in restaurants so I might have some good input here. First, I'm assuming we're aiming for wine that appeals to potential bangs. That's easy: sparkling. There are hundreds of types of sparkling wine in the world and Champagne is just one small slice of the pie. Champagne is the region, btw, there's no such thing is "Champagne grapes" or anything like that. I mean, there are, but they don't make Champagne with them. Someone thought it would be cute to call those little grapes Champagne grapes. I digress.
In France there are a number of sparkling wines that usually begin with the term "Cremant" followed by the region. So you'll see Cremant d'Alsace, Cremant d'Jura, Cremant d'Limoux, and so forth. For the most part, these are outstanding sparkling wines for a fraction of the cost of good Champagne. We're talking 10-15 bucks. And then there is Cava, which is Spanish sparkling wine, and Prosecco, or the recently designated Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. These are also typically fantastic alternatives to Champagne and much cheaper. Where to find them? Actual wine stores. You won't find them at Trader Joes (IMO TJs wine sucks hard, not even worth the value) If you're in any major city, go to an honest to god wine store. Not a liquor store. Not a grocery store, wine store. Wine store employees run the gamut from pretentious and snobby to down-to-earth and helpful. Go in and tell them, "What's a great sparkling wine for $10 that's balanced, not too dry, not too sweet?" Better yet, ask a female employee that knows her shit what her favorite sparkling wine is. If they don't have a number of options for you, the store sucks, find another. If you don't have a decent wine store in your town, order online.
As far as Champagne goes, you have two options: Bust out the Cristal and drink it from the bottle like you're in a Jay Z video, or go for something lesser known that gives more bang for your buck. I like Cristal, I've had multiple vintages as well as the non-vintage, but I'd never pay for it with my own cash. If I went high end, I'd go for Krug. A bottle of non-vintage usually starts around $150. To me high end champagne is a waste of cash on girls, 99% of them wouldn't have a clue what it is, as long as it has sparkles, and I'd rather drink it by myself and do a gram of blow and eat an ounce of sevruga on New Years and maybe give whatever girl I'm with a "taste". You can get really up there with the Salon and the vintage Henriot, but I'd only suggest doing so if you're serious about getting into wine and becoming an aficionado.
Many girls I open wine for don't really "get it", but the ones that do are typically a lot more fun and more interesting to be around.
And then there's red and white....
In France there are a number of sparkling wines that usually begin with the term "Cremant" followed by the region. So you'll see Cremant d'Alsace, Cremant d'Jura, Cremant d'Limoux, and so forth. For the most part, these are outstanding sparkling wines for a fraction of the cost of good Champagne. We're talking 10-15 bucks. And then there is Cava, which is Spanish sparkling wine, and Prosecco, or the recently designated Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. These are also typically fantastic alternatives to Champagne and much cheaper. Where to find them? Actual wine stores. You won't find them at Trader Joes (IMO TJs wine sucks hard, not even worth the value) If you're in any major city, go to an honest to god wine store. Not a liquor store. Not a grocery store, wine store. Wine store employees run the gamut from pretentious and snobby to down-to-earth and helpful. Go in and tell them, "What's a great sparkling wine for $10 that's balanced, not too dry, not too sweet?" Better yet, ask a female employee that knows her shit what her favorite sparkling wine is. If they don't have a number of options for you, the store sucks, find another. If you don't have a decent wine store in your town, order online.
As far as Champagne goes, you have two options: Bust out the Cristal and drink it from the bottle like you're in a Jay Z video, or go for something lesser known that gives more bang for your buck. I like Cristal, I've had multiple vintages as well as the non-vintage, but I'd never pay for it with my own cash. If I went high end, I'd go for Krug. A bottle of non-vintage usually starts around $150. To me high end champagne is a waste of cash on girls, 99% of them wouldn't have a clue what it is, as long as it has sparkles, and I'd rather drink it by myself and do a gram of blow and eat an ounce of sevruga on New Years and maybe give whatever girl I'm with a "taste". You can get really up there with the Salon and the vintage Henriot, but I'd only suggest doing so if you're serious about getting into wine and becoming an aficionado.
Many girls I open wine for don't really "get it", but the ones that do are typically a lot more fun and more interesting to be around.
And then there's red and white....