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Here's something you won't often hear from a deathbed: "If only I'd had less champagne."

Money, spare time, good-hair days and champagne - who couldn't use more of each? Not just fancy French bubbly, but any one of a growing number of impressive facsimiles from around the world, including Spain, California, New Zealand and Canada.

Sparkling wine is the standard toast at celebrations, of course. But for those who take white wine seriously, good bubbly is itself a reason to clink glasses. It's not just about the pop of the cork and the froth in the glass. It's about complex flavours and high-tension balance.

Those complex flavours are partly the product of extended exposure to added yeast, which feeds off grape sugars to produce the bubbles that get trapped under pressure in the bottle. Yeast contact can add creamy texture, bread-like aroma and even mineral-like flavours. Champagne's palate-teasing acidity and effervescence also help make it the ideal aperitif.

If you insist on reserving sparkling wines for celebrations, consider celebrating this: Great sparkling wine has never been more plentiful or affordable. The best, by the way, are almost all made in the champagne method (a.k.a. the "traditional" method), in which extra yeast is added to the bottle. (Lesser wines are refermented in pressurized tanks and then bottled, yielding aggressive, soda-like bubbles.)

Let's start with some bargains and work up to the more expensive and even age-worthy stuff.

Released several months ago in Ontario and remarkably still available in decent quantities is Segura Viudas Lavit Brut Nature 2004 ($14.95, No. 277269). Spanish, with an elegant, modernist label, it's made in the labour-intensive champagne style but at a small fraction of the price. Bone-dry, with flavours of citrus, green apple and nuts, it shows a fine, persistent mousse. Best as an aperitif, but it would also pair nicely with salty snacks, such as nuts, potato chips or tapas. It's also a great, offbeat choice for ringing in the new year.

The pink version of this wine, which is also dry and excellent, Segura Viudas Lavit Rosado Brut, is available in British Columbia ($16.49, No. 122769).

In British Columbia, Alberta and a couple of other provinces, make a point of seeking out Sumac Ridge Stellers Jay Brut ($25 in B.C., No. 264879). The current, 2003 vintage of this reliable, refined wine from the Okanagan Valley took home a silver award at the All Canadian Wine Championships in May.

Just arrived in Ontario and available for the holiday season in limited quantities is a new, super-premium sparkler from Spain's Codorniu. It's called Codorniu Non Plus Ultra ($20.95, No. 053660) This medium-bodied, dry white was launched recently to honour the Regent Queen Maria Cristina of Austria, who in 1897 made Codorniu an official wine provider to the royal house, a designation alive today. It's a mix of chardonnay (a key grape of champagne) with traditional Spanish sparkling wine grape varieties xarello and macabeo. Bone-dry, it delivers flavours of bruised apple, wet stone and a hint of sherry-like nuttiness.

From the same winery is the seasonal two-pack consisting of the white Codorniu Reserva Raventos and Codorniu Pinot Noir Brut rosé ($29.95, No. 006379), both in the same bell-shaped bottle as the Non Plus Ultra. Available in Ontario, it comes in a clear-plastic carrying case with a rope handle.

Just discontinued in Ontario but available in British Columbia and elsewhere is the winery's entry-level Codorniu Brut Classico ($12.99 in B.C.; $13.50 in Quebec), which is very decent for the money. Quebec also stocks the double-sized 1.5-litre version for $24.75.

From today's Vintages release in Ontario, don't miss the best buy amid a slew of bubblies, Roederer Estate 25th Anniversary Brut ($27.95, No. 294181). This is a particularly good vintage from the California outpost of French champagne house Roederer, which makes the famous $265 label enjoyed by no shortage of hip hop and Hollywood stars, Cristal. A yeasty-floral aroma gives way to sweet apple, sourdough bread and zesty acidity, with a very dry finish. Also look for Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut ($23.95, No. 192898), from California.

For the money, another superb choice is Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Brut from Niagara ($29.95, No. 616441). Nutty, crisp and laced with mineral-like flavour.

The best champagne of the release is Bollinger La Grand Année Brut Champagne 1999, with a price to match ($148.95, No. 145169). This top-flight vintage wine from a producer known for its robust, full-bodied style is teeming with flavours of lemon drop, brioche, apple turnover and spice. Don't waste it on a raucous toast at midnight, where its subtlety may get lost in a haze of hugs and kisses and off-tune singing.

Also excellent and worth the premium is Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut Champagne ($67.95, No. 384529). Exceptionally delicate bubbles enliven a silky-oily texture, with flavours of apple peel, yeast and citrus. The finish lingers deliciously. Hard to believe it's just $3.60 more than the ultra-popular non-vintage Veuve Clicquot (which, I admit, does invest a lot more on advertising and has a bright label).

And another excellent non-vintage champagne at Vintages is Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Reserve Champagne ($55.10, No. 51953), brimming with nuttiness, fresh bread, baked apple and spice. Very rich in style.

I mentioned this one a couple of weeks ago, and it's worth mentioning again, since it's a great deal and available widely across the country, including British Columbia. Lanson Black Label Brut Champagne ($49.99 in B.C., No. 41889) also happens to be on sale right now in Ontario for a whopping $5 off, for a dirt-cheap price of $39.95. Also available in Ontario and British Columbia is its pink counterpart, the excellent, dry Lanson Rosé Label Champagne ($59.99 in B.C., No. 172130).

Also worth a special mention is an offbeat wine from Italy called V illa Franciacorta Brut 2003 ($35.95, No. 48603). Don't confuse this with prosecco, the light, sparkling wine that seems to be synonymous with Italian bubbly these days. Franciacorta is a small appellation in the north-central part of the country where top-notch, bottle-fermented wines are made to exacting standards rivalling those of Champagne. This one shows typically rich fruit, with notes of lemon, hazelnut, wet stone and lightly toasted bread. Very dry and worth the money.

bcrosariol@globeandmail.com

PICK OF THE WEEK

Lanson Black Label Brut Champagne ($49.99 in B.C., No. 41889) leads off with apple and citrus-like flavours, complemented by honeyed-toasty overtones.