If your only choice was a cheap champagne or a dessert wine, which would you go with?

Answer 1

There are cheap champagnes that are pretty good. Dessert wine isn't going to work for more than a few sips - too sweet. One of my favorite cheap champagnes - technically sparkling wine, not champagne - is Mountain Dome. It is made in Spokane, WA, of all places. The wine maker came from France and has a background with the well-known Vive Cliquot house. You should be able to get this for about $15 a bottle or less.

Don't make fun of Spokane ... there are some pretty decent wineries there.

Answer 2

It really depends what you're eating, and what your tastes are. A Champagne is going to be dry. A dessert wine is going to be sweet. Those are exact opposites of the flavor spectrum. So if you have say chocolate cake and Champagne, the Champagne will taste awful. The sweetness of the chocolate cake will make the Champagne taste like vinegar. On the other hand, if you have chocolate cake with sweet dessert wine (say a tawny port) they will taste wonderful together.

It's like brushing your teeth and then drinking orange juice. If you've never tried that, give it a try - it's a good example of how certain flavor combinations clash.

I would always opt for the dessert wine because you can get a really good dessert wine for say $15 where if you're going for a Champagne there aren't many in that price range. What I actually would do though is save my pennies and go for a *good* (say $25) Champagne if your aim is to have a special celebration, and make sure the meal went with it. It's very romantic and celebratory to have Champagne, while you can guzzle dessert wines pretty much any time :)

Lisa Shea
WineIntro.com

Answer 3

It depends on what you eat, if you take fresh oyster, cheap champagne can make you feel fresh. Champagne could be a good drink for starting.

For dessert wine, it usually take after meal, it like a dessert, but cannot take too much since it is very sweet.

If you didn't have fresh oyster or sea food, I would choose dessert wine, because it is easy to match with the meal and can be more relaxing after the meal.

Answer 4

It depends on your definition of cheap. Most people say cheap when they actually mean inexpensive. If you are looking for an inexpensive sparkling wine (champagne style) check your store's shelf for St. Hilaire from France. It is just outside of the Champagne region of France, so it does not legally have to be called Champagne. It shares basically the same soil and climate as the Champagne region, so the taste and quality in my opinion are very comparable to Champagne. It should retail for around $10. Pound for pound, one of the best sparkling wines available.

Answer 5

If you like a sweet wine I would go with the dessert wine, but not just any. I would get an Ice Wine. It goes by different names but it is a wine where the grapes are picked after the first frost of the season. The frosting of the grapes creates sugars in the grape making it very sweet. My favorite is Ste. Chappelles Ice Wine. It is available in the Northwest. If you do not like a sweet wine, I would go with the champagne.

Answer 6

If cheap means around $15 a bottle - I'd go with Mirabelle Sparkling Wine. It's still made in the Methode Champenoise style, but it's a blend so it's less expensive. I had some last week with Indian Food and it's excellent for the price.

Answer 7

go for the cheap champagne the dessert wine is very sweet unless you are going for the sweet taste

Answer 8

Definitely the wine. Cheap champagne is very bad, has a sour after taste and makes whatever you're eating taste bad as well.

Answer 9

Some Champagnes are flavored, I personally like the peach flavored ones.
Just enough to satisfy the palate without over kill.

Answer 10

Cheap sparkilng wine like Ballatore...a wine geeks secret shame.