Champagne’s magic lies in the tension between its power and its playfulness, the way it can explode out of the bottle but still dance lightly on the tongue. In other words, it’s in the bubbles. And, like fireworks, it wouldn’t feel quite like New Year’s eve without them.

From brand-name champagne houses like Dom Pérignon, Perrier-Jouët and Veuve Clicquot to lesser known limited-release grower champagnes to diverse sparkling wines from regions across the world, there are exceptional options for every palate and price-range. Still, there’s a reason the big names are known so well.

“It’s very hard to be disappointed with the big brand-name champagne houses,” says Kailua-based master sommelier Roberto Viernes. “That’s kind of funny to say because you might think it would be the other way around, but the big houses make their wines to be more palatable for the greater population. With these champagnes, you don’t have to think about it as much–they’re plain, hedonistic and joyful.”

Of course, there are plenty of impressive sparklers that aren’t from the Champagne region of France, which means they aren’t technically champagnes at all. While champagnes often have a complex, almost buttery or toasty flavor, sparkling wines from other regions in Europe and the United States tend to bring a lighter, citrus taste.

“My first recommendation would always be a Prosecco from Italy,” says local master sommelier Chuck Furuya, who became one of the first 10 wine experts in the U.S. to earn that title in 1988. “The one I have in mind is Ruggeri. What I love about it is it’s very airy, it’s very crisp and delicious. And you can get it for something like $20 a bottle.”

Furuya says it’s important to remember that champagne can be pricier than sparkling wine simply for the regional distinction–in the same way that jewelry is marked up at a place like Tiffany & Co., due to its prestigious name. Furuya points to L’Hereu, a Spanish sparkling wine, or cava, by Ravéntos i Blanc, which is also in the $20 range, as another favorite.

“The Raventos is also effortlessly light but it’s like a laser beam,” he says. “It’s very refined, it’s riveting, mineraly, very lemony and crisp and refreshing. It’s one-of-a-kind. It’s just gorgeous.”

Furuya says he likes to make wine selections based not only on quality and value but also on the story of those who manufacture it, gravitating toward wines that exude the culture and history of the families who make them.

“The L’Hereu cuvée is produced from three indigenous Spanish white grapes that are grown in limestone soils which are similar to the Champagne region, and made by a family who is in the 19th generation of making this wine,” says Furuya. “The reason why all of this is important is that, to me, the wines of the world that I look for would be made from indigenous grapes to a region and, more important, have culture and heritage beyond the wine itself.”

It’s in this same vein that some of the most exciting champagnes and sparkling wines, and those with some of the strongest ties to the families making them, are still largely unknown.

“One of the more interesting segments is the concept called grower champagne,” says Furuya. “With grower champagne, you have to own your own vineyard, grow your own grapes, bottle your own wine. So the people who make grower champagnes have the opportunity to control their wine from the vineyard to the bottle, and they make it in small enough quantities so they can nurture it along. They don’t have the marketing dollars to promote themselves. There may be only 300 cases that come into the whole United States, so who’s going to know them? There’s no name-brand recognition.”

In comparison, big-name houses like Veuve Cliquot may make 5 million cases a year with grapes from myriad sources and a mater blender to make sure the product adheres to house style. A grower champagne doesn’t necessarily indicate better quality–but it does represent a more personal kind of winemaking, and has a certain appeal to those who like supporting smaller businesses, though it may require buyers to look in specialty wine stores.

“The one we really like right now is Henri Billiot,” says Furuya. “Billiot makes a sensational brut rosé using 100 percent grand cru grapes. It’s made very slowly and long aging, I think like four years. The bubbles are very tiny and there’s a lot of nuanced pedigree, a lot of finesse. It’s just really classy and sophisticated.”

To Viernes, the differences in the processes of creating big-name champagnes versus grower varieties are expressed clearly in the taste of the products themselves.

“For big champagne houses, they blend different qualities of grapes,” says Viernes. “The way I put it is, that’s more like a symphony orchestra where you have all these different notes playing. The grower champagnes are virtuosos in their own right, they’re like the soloist.”

While both Viernes and Furuya tend to offer value-driven recommendations, one of the perks of being a master sommelier is the opportunity to try rare and expensive wines. Viernes recalls a Krug Clos du Mesnil, which usually starts around $1,000 per bottle and can reach well into the $5,000 range and above, depending on the vintage.

“That’s not only a great champagne but it’s truly one of the great wines of the world and it just happens to be a champagne,” says Viernes. “It’s 100 percent chardonnay. It’s really a virtuoso, it’s like listening to Jimi Hendrix or Pavarotti. It’s like no other champagne. It’s an awesome, awesome experience.”

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