Bring in the New Year with a bit of bubbly

Most of us probably missed the three-day

Les Habits de Lumi é re ("dressed in lights") Champagne fest in Epernay, France, last week. There you could have strolled down the Avenue de Champagne, gazing at the brightly lit façades and corbelled parapets while sipping sparkling favorites and discovering new ones to cherish, all while feasting on local cuisine.

As dazzling as that sounds, the sheer joy of both drinking more bubbly over the holidays as well as giving bottles away as gifts for others to enjoy, eases the distress of being left out of an ultra-chic trip to France. It also helps to invoke your inner Napoleon Bonaparte, one who celebrates with Champagne in victory and commiserates with a glass or two in defeat.

Because Champagne and quality sparkling wines make every occasion more festive, where Champagne is concerned, I believe giving is almost better than receiving!

But here's the deal: While some people use the name Champagne to designate anything with bubbles in it, Champagne can only come from the region Champagne in France, about 90 miles northeast of Paris. They work hard to protect that name, because they perfected the method more than 300 years ago.

Champagne and quality sparkling wines are expensive because they're labor intensive and still virtually handmade. A quality still wine is made first, but a second fermentation is induced (in the same bottle you purchase) by adding a little yeast and sugar. The resulting carbon dioxide becomes trapped in the bottle and dissolves in the form of bubbles that are only released when you pop the cork and pour.

These bubbles are oh-so-tiny and bead upward in your glass like a string of pearls — making watching the action in your glass another of the pleasures of enjoying

Champagne. This is méthode champenoise.

American and other sparkling-wine producers around the world convey this quality by clearly stating on their labels that their sparkling wine is made in this traditional method.

In a less expensive method, the second fermentation takes place in a large tank and delivers bigger, random bubbles. German Sekt and Italian Prosecco are delicious sparklers made by this method.

A third, really cheap way is just to add CO2 under pressure, à la carbonated beverages. No quality wine is made this way.

Many people believe sparkling wines are inferior to Champagne — and it's true that many are. If you're in a restaurant, go ahead and ask whether what's been poured is Champagne or sparkling wine. Servers at good restaurants are only too happy to talk about the selections on their wine list.

Know your label

Champagne is one of the most complex wine regions in the world, so it pays to know how to read the label.

In tiny letters at the bottom of almost every Champagne label are two capital letters followed by several numbers. The letters represent your secret code for finding great Champagne:

• NM means "negociant manipulant," a winery that buys its grapes. You're no doubt familiar with some NM Champagne houses; many represent the big names: Bollinger, Taittinger, Krug, Roederer, Perrier-Jouet and Pol Roger, among them. (About 260 Houses are responsible for selling more than 70 percent of all Champagne.)

• RM means "recoltant manipulant," a winery that grows its own fruit, makes the wine, bottles it and ships it. For me, RM wines are the ones to look for. They're always more interesting than NM, as they are small production, hand-crafted wines that reflect their individual terroirs. Some of my favorites: Pierre Gimonnet, Egly-Ouriet and Larmandier-Bernier, Barnaut.

• CM means "cooperative manipulant," a co-op of farmers who band together under one cellarmaster to make and market their wines. Some represent good value for money. Try Nicolas Feuillate or Jacquart, or ask your wine merchant for some recommendations.

• MA means "marque d'acheteur," a wine made specifically for a restaurant or retailer so they can slap their own label on it. These are often called "vanity bottles." While there is always an exception, it's a good idea to steer clear of these.

Unfortunately, it's more difficult to spot a great sparkling wine. There's no secret code, and vineyards aren't rated. Just remember that a sparkling wine is only as good as the base wine it's made from. Look for a label that says the wine is made in the traditional method, or méthode champenoise.

Rose's recommendations

CHAMPAGNES:

>>Champagne Delamotte non-vintage Rosé Brut NM ($100) Exquisitely balanced and elegant, with a long, expressive finish and a gorgeous salmonpink color with swoon-inducing aromas of wet stones, pomegranate and grapefruit and lively flavors with a hint of spice. A perfect wine to drink throughout a meal.

>>Oudinot Cuvée non-vintage Brut. NM ($32) An excellent value, this is a classy Champagne made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes with a smaller amount of Chardonnay. Round and toasty, it has fresh, clean citrus flavors and is perfect as an aperitif or with delicate seafood appetizers.

>>Pierre Moncuit Cuvee Hugues de Coulmet Blanc de Blanc RM ($38) A delicious grower Champagne made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes grown in the Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, near the famed Clos de Mesnil of Krug. It's appealingly floral on the nose and racy on the palate, with a smoky, lemony richness that unfurls on the tongue in a mineral swath.

SPARKLING WINES:

>>Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rosé ($25) A full-bodied rosé made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, this one rewards the eyes with its delicate pink blossom color and the nose with enchanting aromas of fresh strawberries and yeasty dinner rolls.

>>Schramsberg 2005 Blanc de Noir ($40) Made in the méthode champenoise way from Pinot Noir grapes, this sparkler is minerally and appley, with creamy bands of starfruit, toast and lemon hints woven right through it.

>>Gruet Brut ($20) The Gruet family of New Mexico, formerly Champagne makers from France, craft all of their sparklers in the méthode champenoise tradition. This non-vintage is toasty and bold, with delicious Granny Smith apple and lemon flavors and a justbaked apple pie aroma.

Rose O'Dell King purchased her tasting selections from Austin's Wine Cellar in Fort Myers, Total Wine in Fort Myers and Naples, and The Wine Merchant in Naples.