Ahh, Sparklers. One of my favorites. We actually went to a Champagne tasting last night for high-end stuff. Wow, could I have taken any of those home. Houses like Krug, Veuve-Cliquot, Perrier Jouet and the like. Everything $100/bottle and up. The Veuve-Cliquot Rose 'La Grand Dame' was $340/bottle, but wasn't nearly as good as the standard La Grande Dame offering. (<< that's our favorite and we have a couple bottles of the 1996 vintage sitting in our Viking awaiting a special occasion). Anyway, to your question.

I'm not a huge fan of Champagne's overall. I love them, but I think for the most part the value isn't there. I mean, Moet & Chandon White Star is ok at ~$40/bottle, but if you are just toasting on New Year's Eve and don't have any special palates you are trying to impress, try something along the lines of a Prosecco or a Cava. That's the Italian and Spanish sparkler types respectively.

Our favorite Prosecco (which we have 6 bottles of for our party toasting - 20 people) is from Villa Sandi. Now, you may not find that particular Prosecco hanging around, but any decent Prosecco will do...anything in the $14-20/bottle range is usually very, very good. Prosecco's tend to be a bit fruitier and you can get them in a more demi-sec (sweeter) style, but it really depends on local selection.

Next is Cava. I LOVE Spanish sparklers. Like their Italian counterparts, most of the major houses make them in the standard for sparklers - Method de Champagne. Meaning they turn the bottles once a day, etc. Cava's are very CHEAP. Inexpensive is a better word, because they are well made and tasty, but offer supreme value in this category. Cristalino should be widely available in most regions. Over 60,000 cases in production and should only run about $8/bottle in most regions. They have a Brut, Extra Brut and some off-dry and demi-sec (sweeter versions), but you'll mainly find the Brut and Extra Brut around.

Other major brands of sparklers to look for are Gloria Ferrer, Domaine Chandon....stay away from Domaine Ste. Michelle. Hate that nasty shit ;)

If you are looking for a nice bottle, that is really Champagne, try the Veuve-Cliquot Yellow Label. Their Demi-sec is pretty good, with lots of citrus notes and a touch of sweetness. You'll find very little toast or bakery (yeasty) type aromas in this one. Runs about $30 a bottle. I'd even suggest giving their Brut style a try. It's nicely fruity and avoids some of the big yeast-like aromas you probably do not care for.

I hope I have helped and not confused you. If you need any finer points on anything regarding sparklers, please just ask away!