By the Glass: Make your party better with bubbles

This is the time for bubbly. Sparkling wines foster gaiety and start the ball rolling at all of December’s festive occasions.

Store shelves are stocked with all kinds of sparkling wines, a virtual wall of choices. Selecting the right one is key, not only in terms of finding the best quality or price. It’s really about finding a wine that can kick off the fun and set the tempo for an evening of enjoyment. Here are four that fit the bill:

Ruggeri Prosecco (roughly $22 a bottle): In the late 1980s and early ’90s, when the Hawaii food scene was being rocked by a whole new generation of chefs and their foods, it became evident that we needed to reexamine what kind of wines would work with the dynamic, contemporary, often fusion, foods these chefs were creating.

In the sparkling category, for instance, Champagne had been the front-runner, but what would be viable alternatives moving forward? Foremost in my mind was Italian prosecco. While not as minerally as Champagne, or even as fully sparkling in many cases, really good prosecco can have an innate tastiness, lightness on the palate and a wonderful etherealness, which could meld with the myriad new foods. Plus, proseccos typically were a fraction of the price of better Champagne.

Italian prosecco has grown to be one of the top wine import categories into the U.S. While that may be a good thing, it also means there’s been a flood of wines with marketing glitz, catchy packaging and cheaper prices, but of questionable quality.

One of my early discoveries, still worth seeking out, is from Ruggeri, a multigeneration, family-owned winery in the heart of the prestigious Valdobbiadene area. The winery still produces a very tasty, uplifting wine, a true example of what Italian prosecco can be.

>> Elvio Tintero Moscato d’Asti “Sori Gramella” (roughly $19 a bottle): For those seeking a sparkling wine more fruity, slightly sweet and lower in alcohol, this is for you.

Moscato d’Asti went through an evolution similar to prosecco in the U.S. market. It, too, is one of the top wine imports into the U.S. The challenge, again, is finding the really good ones.

This is undoubtedly an all-time favorite. My wife, Cheryle, my cousin and I visited Elvio Tintero in October. I just had to meet the family and see their vineyards. Although I have been buying this wine continually since the 1990s, I walked away from the visit even more impressed than I could have imagined.

This is a family project, owned and operated since 1900 and passed down through the generations. Their vineyards are absolutely breathtaking, and I felt a strong sense of their commitment to keep it a “living” vineyard, as stewards of the land.

Lastly, their moscato is the best I have tasted — so incredibly light, airy and uplifting. Truly amazing! I just wonder how it can still be so affordable.

>> J. Lassalle Brut Rosé Premier Cru (roughly $63 a bottle): The category of rosé champagnes is sizzling hot, the pink hue somehow adding to the cachet — and, therefore, enjoyment — of the bubbly.

My wife’s favorite is from J. Lassalle, an iconic, small family estate currently run by three generations of women. They grow and produce one of the most lovely, ethereal Champagnes today, which also features the tiniest of bubbles. I would say the word “sheer” is very apropos. This wine is really worth the search.

>> Chartogne-Taillet Brut “Sainte Anne” (roughly $52 a bottle): Like the J. Lassalle, Chartogne-Taillet is a “grower” Champagne. To earn a “grower” designation (officially named Recoltant Manipulant), you have to own and farm your own vineyards, make and bottle your own wine, just to name a few stipulations.

While those requirements do not necessarily determine quality, they do say something about the artisanal and handcrafted nature of the wines. Only a handful of these “grower” Champagnes are really worth searching out — the. J. Lassalle and Chartogne-Taillet among them.

In fact, Alexandre Chartogne is considered one of Champagne’s most prodigious, game-changing producers. This is his magic.

Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants group. Follow his blog at chuckfuruya.com.