15 sparkling wines rated - including 1 to avoid (photo gallery)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – I am a big believer that sparkling wine should be considered as an option for serving with dinner, just like you would pair Chardonnay with mac 'n' cheese, Cabernet Sauvignon with steak, Pinot Noir with pork, red blends with burgers and pizza.

Sparkling wine IS wine. But many times we think it's only for New Year's Eve or when a team wins a championship. That said, New Year's Eve is coming up, and sparklers are crowding the shelves like amateur drunks packing Times Square.

A few weeks ago we ran a list of 15 wines by a variety of price points to consider as potential gifts. Today, we'll take a similar approach but with 15 sparklers. Our photo gallery shows a close-up look at the labels for the wines on this list, along with the suggested retail price, to scroll through as you shop.

Our diverse tasting panel of wine drinkers – some experienced, some novices, some sweet fans, some dry drinkers – tasted these, all of which should be available in the Northeast Ohio market. Only one was universally disliked. Here are our findings:

LESS THAN $60

The most expensive sparkler on the list, Moet & Chandon 2006 Grand Vintage ($59.99), is "made only in exceptional vintages," a rep says. We described it as feisty with a long, pleasing finish.

LESS THAN $40

2007 Ferrari Perle ($35) is pleasantly dry and one of the few we tried that has that classic yeasty Champagne taste. ... Mionetto Prosecco Valdobbiadene di Cartizze DOCG ($35) also is dry but very light, with nice fizz – definitely inoffensive with little finish, but very sippable. ... Berlucchi Franciacorta Rose ($34.99) brings some nice oomph to it; its red-wine taste was obvious to some.

LESS THAN $30

If you see the lone swooshing "J" on a bottle, odds are it will be very good. And the J Vineyards Cuvee 20 Brut ($28) is that and more. This blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a touch of Pinot Meunier drew high praise. ... By far my personal favorite of the night was the Mumm Napa Cuvee M ($22), just a delicious, creamy, smooth sparkler. Not far behind on my personal list was Mumm Napa Brut Prestige ($22), another very drinkable wine whose flavors would compliment but not overpower food. ... Rosa Regale ($20) definitely fits the bill for sweet fans; this would be perfect as an after-dinner drink or with dessert.

LESS THAN $20

Mionetto Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore ($19) starts promising but has a finish that fades; one of our tasters called it "tame," a perfect description. ... Parxet Cuvee 21 Brut ($15) has some tart apple notes that come through clearly. ... The best thing we can say about Mionetto Il Spriz ($12) is that its color – orange-magenta? – is distinctly festive. It goes downhill from there. It tastes like orange soda – which actually is more of an insult to orange soda. Several people detected a flavor of Aspartame, the artificial sweetener that is not the best flavor to have in a wine. I wouldn't even pour this on my compost bin. Several of us dumped it straight into the kitchen sink. Tasting notes suggest adding vodka, I kid you not. This was the only one we tried that came topped by bottlecap instead of traditional cork and cage. ... 2013 Ecco Domani Prosecco ($10.99) isn't very complex but a nice crowd-pleaser of a wine that leaned to the sweeter side. ... A trio of Jaume Serra Cristalino sparklers ($9-$10 each) were the pleasant surprise of the evening. These wines – the most inexpensive on our list – taste like they would cost more: The Extra Dry, with a bit of lime on the palate, is perfect Mimosa fodder. The Rose Brut is dry with a rich, red color. And the light-colored Brut is a fine sipper. All would be great to mix and match as multiple affordable bottles for a party.

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