For special occasions, a French Champagne splurge is worth it

This column typically features only wines on sale for less than $20 in Pennsylvania stores, since this is a common threshold for spending on one’s own wine needs. However, once a year we recommend a “great wine value” at a higher price, up to $50 or even $100, more suitable for treating friends, family, or colleagues when it comes to holiday gifting. Wine has long been seen as an ideal gift for those adults who drink alcohol, in part because wines have some of the advantages of gift cards, in a package with far more satisfying heft and gravitas. Wines are easy to find at any desired price point from $10 on up, so you can spend exactly what you’ve budgeted, but they don’t telegraph the precise dollar amount spent.

While most wine styles come in such a wide range of prices that no one can be sure what price was paid, there are a few “blue chip” styles that make popular gifts because they always taste superior and are rarely found under $50. French Champagne makes a perfect example. These sparkling wines are expensive to make and have a unique ability to embody both celebratory decadence and restrained elegance simultaneously.

This classic example features a striking Art Nouveau bottle design and offers a flavor experience that is even more memorable. The wine may be bone-dry with a subtle filigree of apple and lemon flavors, but these are embellished with pastry shop aromas of fresh-baked croissants and enriched by a creamy texture that somehow evokes crème brûlée while leaving the palate as clean as a whistle.

$45.99; 12.5% alcohol

PLCB Item #7342

Sale price through Jan. 3 — regularly $53.99

Also available at:

Hops & Grapes in Glassboro — $43.98

http://www.hopsandgrapesonline.com/

Kreston Wine & Spirits in Wilmington — $46.99

https://www.krestonwines.com/

Original Canal’s in Pennsuaken — $49.09

http://www.canalsliquors.com/