I was a happy camper when the UPS man arrived with the BIG box from Napa Valley last week. I happily signed to receive the latest samples from Domaine Chandon in California. The Napa Valley winery is known for its spectacular sparkling wines. And I for one, think a glass of bubbly is good ANY time of the year, not just at New Year's Eve or a wedding reception. Tasting the new releases, and seeing the eye-friendly new bottle packaging reaffirmed my fondness for sparkling (aka Champagne) wines.

Here is a VERY basic lesson in champagne/sparkling wine. (Complete details, history and styles at www.chandon.com) All Champagnes are sparkling wines but not all sparkling wines are Champagnes. The French folks in the Champagne region claim ONLY the sparkling wines from that area can be labeled "champagne".

Domaine Chandon in California is part of Moet & Chandon in France. I visited the original French Champagne house in 2000 and the charming village of Hautvilliers. This is where sparkling wine was born in 1690. A Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon accidentally created the first bottle by allowing a second fermentation to occur, thus creating the "bubbles", which Dom Perignon referred to as "stars".

Making sparkling wine is labor intensive. Winemakers create a blend (usually from the grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier). This becomes that Champagne houses' "Style". Every year the winemaker works to create the exact same blend and thus same flavor profile. Unlike regular wine, champagne/sparkling wine styles should always taste the same. So when you find a style from a house that you like (such as Chandon), you know it will always taste the same. Regular still wine changes from year to year so flavors change.

The blend (or cuvee) is fermented in barrel, then transferred to bottle where it sits on its side and is gently turned (or "riddled") as it re-ferments. Once that occurs, the winemaker adds a "dosage" or blend to ensure the style/flavor and then adds the cork.

Sparkling wines are labeled Brut, Dry, Extra Dry. Brut style is usually dry. Dry style is usually semi-dry. And Extra Dry style is usually sweet.

I find the styles of Domaine Chandon to be food-friendly, lush, and well balanced.

And widely available. The bottles can be found at local grocery stores, wine shoppes and big box outlets. And most are under $15 a bottle.

My sampler box came with 6 different styles of sparkling wine. I chose 3 bottles to sample first and to do so I shared them with friends and food.

Here are our thoughts.