Welcome 2012 with bubbly, no matter what your budget

What better way to celebrate New Year’s Eve and the prospects for 2012 than with bubbly? Because sparkling wines can be so festive, light and ethereal — full of life and bursting with bubbles on the palate — how can you go wrong?

Furthermore, hearing corks pop creates the proper mood to get a party started on the right foot.

Champagne traditionally has been at the top of the quality pyramid of sparkling wines. A subcategory of this deluxe French bubbly worth checking out is what is referred to as "grower" champagne (designated on the label/bottle somewhere with the initials "RM"). Some stipulations of this category include owning your own vineyards, growing your own grapes and producing your own wine.

In the finest renditions, this translates to artisan, handcrafted wines as opposed to mass-produced and mass-blended versions. Although not necessarily a determinant of quality, with a little bit of digging around, one can find some high-quality gems in the RM champagne category and at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Some that already have made their way to the islands include the nonvintage Varnier Fanniere Brut Grand Cru, a very focused, "quietly" complex Blanc de Blancs (chardonnay only) champagne from Avize, which retails for about $65 a bottle.

For those who prefer a prettier, rounder, gentler style of champagne, consider the Henri de Billiot Brut Rose Grand Cru, at $80 a bottle retail.

In both cases, the grapes come from the highest rating for the region’s vineyards, designated as grand cru, and offer terrific pedigree, elegance and sophistication with tiny bubbles and prices well below those of the larger houses.

Folks on a budget should consider the Simmonet Febvre Cremant de Bourgogne, a champagne taste-a-like is grown in the chablis region of France. This region’s limestone soils and extreme, cool growing conditions are remarkably similar to those of the champagne region and result in a dry, amazingly light sparkling wine that, at less than $20 a bottle, offers sensational value.

Finally, for those looking to buy local, we suggest a bottle of Rosé Ranch Cuvée from Maui’s Winery and Tedeschi Vineyard ($27). This pink blend of pinot noir and chardonnay is delicious, delightful and a refreshing way to toast the changing of the years and celebrate how lucky we are to live in Hawaii.

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Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants chain.