Help choosing a Champagne for a romantic evening!!!?

Question

Well, i'm planning a surprise romantic evening for my boyfriend. We will be celebrating out 1 year anniversary. We'll be staying in a beautiful Jacuzzi Suite with a fireplace and i am going to decorate it with candles and rose petals everywhere. I've got all the details planned.

Now, i just need help choosing a good, but not too expensive Champagne. I've never drank Champagne before so I don't know anything about it. I just want it to be a special and romantic night. I've heard of Dom Perignon, Cristal, and Moet. I would really like to try one of these just because i heard alot about it. But are they very expensive??? Around how much. Oh, by the way I will have chocolate covered strawberries and peaches and cream as a sweet treat :)

Any help or advice would be really appreciated. I just want to thank everyone in advance for your help. Thank you :)

Oh, sorry, forgot to mention that. Around $30-$45. Maybe even upto $50. Why not! LOL

Answer 1

I would recommend White Star by Moet & Chandon (the makers of Dom Perignon). It's an all-around noteworthy champagne. It costs about $30 a bottle. Cheers.

Answer 2

In your price range, I'd actually recommend staying with an American Sparkling wine. A Schramsberg Cremant if you like sweeter and a Schramsberg Blanc De Noirs if you like somewhere in the middle. These are FABULOUS wines that can usually be found for around or under $30. If you can go a bit drier, then their Brut Rose is fabulous. It's a gorgeous pink that's oh so romantic. But beware, it is NOT sweet.

When buying a French Champagne, you are going to be paying a LOT for name brand and importation. So unless you can get a Vintage Frenchie, stick with a vintage US (meaning it has a year on the label). Any Schramsberg is basically going to be on par, if not better than, any NV (non-vintage) French bubbly. While NV Veuve is great for it's purpose, I'd prefer one of the above. Moet's White Star is something that you can't even get in France; it's a lower quality that's shipped out to US markets. Our tour guide at Moet kind of turned her nose up at it.

Now, if you can find a *vintage* french champagne and it's in your price range, this could be fun. The 1998 Veuve is yummy, as are the 1998 Moet and Moet Rose. I actually have one of each of these in my closet (the Rose on the Veuve).

As far as prosecco and similar, this is fine for sitting at home, but for a special occasion, this is not nearly special enough.

To answer your question about prices, a 1998 Vintage Dom is roughly $110 around here (at our local Costco). A '99 Cristal is about $250. The Cristal is EXTREMELY overpriced. Only do this if you have the extra cash and want the experience.

Good luck to you and happy anniversary!

Answer 3

What a nice treat for your anniversary, your boyfriend will love it I am sure!

I agree with the other answers that he will appreciate anything that you do, but it is fun to go for REAL champagne for an occasion like this. Sparkling wine is fun (asti spumante, cava from spain, sparkling from California, New Zealand, or even sparkling shiraz from Australia) but champagne is definitely the ticket since the French do romance so well! :)

A few of my favorites that I have seen at Coscto, Cost Plus and Beverages & More at good prices (in the $40 and under range) are:

Piper Heidsieck Savage Rosé (Great packaging, pink champagne, long lasting and tasty and very sexy!)

Delamotte Brut Blanc de Blancs(probably have to go to a wine shop for this one, but the critics call it "baby Salon", excellent for the price, a drop dead in your tracks champagne)

Bollinger Brut NV (James Bond's choice...your BF might get a kick out of the trivia! Classy, tasty and also a good top champagne house)

There is also an excellent primer about champagne and sparkling wines written by Karen MacNeil (author of the Wine Bible) on Sunset.com

Answer 4

Depends, if your not a wine drinker, then I suggest a desert white wine, often times a bottle around 10-14 dollars is really good for this. If you don't drink wine that often I would stay away from the red wines. A perfect moment doesn't want to be spoiled by a wine whose taste feels like you just wasted 15 dollars on a bottle that will sit on the counter for months and then get pitched. Remember, wine has always represented "Sophistication", however, the best way to enjoy a romantic evening be honest with the server, tell them you enjoy wine, however kool-aid can still can be found in your cabinet, tell him/her that a gentle white wine will do the trick...

Answer 5

I work for a wine distributor. You can find some very reasonable champagnes for the money. Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label retails for $45.00 - $50.00. I like it better than Dom. Moet is good for the money or even Mumm. If you can find it, Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee is also a good choice. If you are not a drinker....you might want to try a Prosecco...it is an Italian sparkling wine. They are much more reasonable and I think just as yummy! Try Moletto Prosecco, Martini & Rossi Prosecco, or Biso Prosecco. They retail for $13.00 - $25.00. I just got married in November and spent my honeymoon in Boston. On my honeymoon, my husband and I shared several bottles of Prosecco. We both love it!

Answer 6

Most people who are unfamiliar with Champagne usually find it too "dry," and you are likely to be left wondering what all the fuss is about until you have tasted several good Champagnes and become familiar with their virtues. A nice Asti (which is also a sparkling wine that comes in a Champagne-like bottle) would probably be much more to your liking. I'd particularly recommend Martini & Rossi Asti, which is easy to find and costs about $12.00 a bottle. It is a delicious wine, slightly sweet and very smooth. It should be a good match with your sweet treats. Enjoy!

Answer 7

My husband and I have two inexpensive champagnes that we keep on hand. The first is called "Cristalino" It is a spanish sparkiling wine. It is less than $10 a bottle. The second is :varichon and Clerc Privelege Brut" It is about $10. They are much better -imho- than Cooks or Asti, etc. The ones that you mentioned are in the $50-$100 range. Veuve Cliquot ia another good, pricey one. About $50. Remember that brut is dry, demi-sec is sweet. The sweeter the wine the worse the hangover!

Good luck!

Answer 8

Moet and Chandon is really good and runs about 70-80 dollars. If you have a Beverages and More by your house, you can get a club card and get a discount. If you want to go a cheaper route, they have split bottles which are baby bottles that go about 8 to 10 dollars, but you only get about 2 glasses worth. Maybe you can get a couple and try them out.
Hope you have a great Valentines!

Answer 9

Moet and Chandon is a good call, but I like the idea of Prosecco, expecially since you'll have a lot of sweets with it. Prosecco is not as sweet as champagne, and is sometimes taken with a sugar cube for added flavor.

It should be noted though, that unless your boyfriend is a total jack@$$, he won't care as much about your wine choice as he does about spending time in such a romantic setting with you. If you have to spend more than a few minutes talking with him about your superb selection, something is going wrong. So why not go with whatever you're familiar with already and like the taste of, regardless of price? Just my $.02

Answer 10

If you can find it, a nice bottle of Prosecco would be nice. It is an Italian Sparkling Wine and is usually reasonably prices ($8 - $25) a bottle if you can find it in your area. It is not imported in all states so you may not be able to find it. However, the next closest thing to this would be an Asti Spumante and probably a bit cheaper. Good luck!