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This holiday season, and throughout the year, look beyond traditional champagne to make a meal special. Sparkling wines make great alternatives to the traditional New Year’s champagne toast, and are also an elegant and festive way to start or finish any meal, according to Michelle Kern, director of beverage marketing and development for Olive Garden.

“The temptation is to call anything with bubbles champagne,” said Kern. “But true champagne comes only from the Champagne region of France. Everything else is a sparkling wine and something that we should all enjoy more often.”

There are some terrific sparkling wines by America’s and Europe’s most noted vintners, made in a variety of styles. Because of this, sparkling wine is extremely versatile and can span a wide range of occasions, menus and price ranges. Sparkling wine is after all…still wine, made from great grapes such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it just happens to have bubbles.

Kern dares anyone to not have a great experience when the meal begins with a sparkling wine. And a great start could be with a wine from the Prosecco family, the quintessential light, white Italian sparkler, which pairs perfectly with most appetizers.

Sparkling wines are often under-appreciated for their ability to enhance the main course. Italian Spumantes (not to be confused with sweeter style Asti), Spanish Cavas and American Sparklers from California and Washington, with their medium-bodied characteristics, complement roasted pork, turkey and salmon very nicely.

Sweeter sparkling wines make for a great after-dinner beverage. The light, slightly sweet Italian Asti works especially well with fruit and fruit-based desserts. And a sparkling red Brachetto, also from Italy, can make chocolate even better. When choosing a dessert wine, make sure the wine is at least as sweet as the dessert.

Kern offers these tips for storing and serving sparkling wine:

•	Sparkling wines are served chilled. Refrigerate for several hours or quick chill in a bucket of half ice and half cold water.
•	Once opened, a bottle of sparkling wine can be enjoyed for up to three more days. To store, keep the bottle on its side in the refrigerator at about 55 F.
•	Fluted wine glasses, with their narrow shape, hold the bubbles in best and keep the wine sparkling longer.

Did you know… what makes the bubbly sparkle? It occurs during the fermentation process. The sugar is slowly fermented, producing carbon dioxide. Because the carbon dioxide has nowhere to go, it remains dissolved in the wine and creates that festive fizz.