Don’t Drink Champagne On New Years

The vast majority of champagnes we buy and drink in the US are over-priced luxury brands made of cheap materials, harmful farming practices, and at times exploitive labor. We get told constantly that Champagne, the region, is “moving toward” more sustainable practices, and that it is continually “doing better” with regard to ecological viticulture, but that’s because it has so far to go. As a region it consistently uses the highest percentage of pesticides of any wine region in France. Its governing body made a commitment for all of its producers to be pesticide free by 2025. But by 2025 they had abandoned this commitment, and instead this year several growers were found to be exploiting vineyard workers from North Africa and Ukraine in squalid, indentured-servitude conditions. The big brands that Americans pay over $60 + for to have a boujee soiree are sparkling pesticide-laden swill.

Champagne was always a marginal climate for wine. That’s why the English back-sweetened the tart, flavorless barrels of cheap booze, accidentally initiating a re-fermentation and inventing sparkling wine… they were trying to make it palatable. And climate change isn’t helping. Yes, they get some more ripeness now… but also more rainfall, hail, and fungi. Pinot noir and chardonnay – the big varieties of Champagne – aren’t 21st century grapes. Some of the most susceptible to mildew and disease, they require enormous amounts of sprays… and being organic doesn’t help. With these varieties it just means you’re creating a toxic environment with copper and killing your soils with compaction. The hybrid grape Voltis, which is less susceptible to mildews, was approved for use in Champagne, because of all of this… but it has only been allowed to make up to 6% of the blend. There are some very thoughtful producers doing a lot of hard, amazing viticulture… but they are small scale. Most Americans outside of the coasts will never see or even have access to their bottles.

So let’s call most Champagne what it is: A con job. It’s a shoddy, environmentally-damaging concoction sold as VIP experience. It’s snake oil.

Instead, start the new year right. Drink something local, authentic, and organically farmed at least. A prime choice for an incredible price is the Northern Spy from Eve’s Cidery in Van Etten, New York. Amazing bubbles and a sweet appley nose, but bone dry, flinty and tart lemony palate. It’s a fine, champagne method sparkling wine from New York, using organically farmed apples of a variety that was bred in New York. Or try Ci Confonde Rose from La Garagista if you like your bubbles to be pink. This is a special wine that will blow your mind, made with Frontenac Gris and using uncertified but organic and biodynamic practices. Or try Lightning Bug from Appolo Vinyards in New Hampshire, a sparkling from their no-spray Brianna grapes. Or try the certified organic sparkling rose from Loving Cup winery in Virginia, a stunning rose made from mostly Cayuga White with a splash of Corot Noir for blush. One of my favorites of 2025 was Dear Native Grapes sparkling Deleware, made in the Catskills from organic Finger Lake Grapes. For 100% American native bubbles you can’t beat the Muscadine Pet Nats of Botanist & Barrel in North Carolina. And if you really need that “imported” feeling to feel special, the most special sparkling wine I had in 2025 was a bottle called Pelechacz, Cuvee Exceptionelle, Vidal Brut Nature 2011. It’s a sparkling Vidal Blanc that spent 12 years… yes, I said 12 years… on lees before disgorgement. It’s from Sugar Hill Winery in Quebec, and worth whatever it takes to smuggle it across the border into the US.

On the west coast we have so many options… In California we have everything from Domaine Anderson if you want that traditional method vibe certified organic and biodynamic; to the selection of sparkling treats from Tilted Shed if you could care less about grapes; to the historic and amazing no-spray Pariah from North American Press – a sparkling rose with the most yummy flavors you can only get from American grapes like Catawba; to Durham Cider & Wine’s selection of unique and local flavors, to the biodynamic line-up of sparklings from Montinore in Oregon… among so many others who I regret not mentioning. The point is you can do sooo much better than Champagne… and you can do it locally, organically, and without paying exorbitant amounts to support bad farming and bad practices.

Happy New Year!

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