10 celebratory Champagne alternatives

There’s no such thing as a celebration without bubbles, but those bubbles don’t all have to be the same. Beer drinkers deserve the chance to saber bottles too, and there’s no reason fine ciders can’t be enjoyed in a coup. This holiday, you’re more likely to find a weird pét-nat in our wine chiller than a pricey bottle from Champagne. Here are 10 celebratory sparklers that prove that in this century’s roaring ’20s, we can enjoy a little more variety than Gatsby.

Tilquin à L’ancienne Oude Gueuze
Parker’s Table beer buyer Chris Chartrand is very excited about this blended lambic. He said the oude gueuze style, made exclusively in one small Belgian river valley, has become so hyped that Parker’s is lucky to get a couple of cases a year. It’s a great holiday beer. “This one has kind of a tart green apple cider quality, but also that musty, funky, leathery quality,” which is typical of the style, Chartrand said.
$24. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

Côme Isambert Cosmobulle Blanc
We want this pét-nat, a blend of chenin blanc and pineau d’Aunis, on our holiday table. “It’s super low-key and effervescent,” said Civil Alchemy co-founder Ian VanDam. “It’s got notes of honeysuckle, white pepper and apple brandy.” Civil Alchemy’s new online ordering platform makes picking up a bottle even simpler; purchases are currently available for pickup only, with local delivery coming soon.
$22. Civil Alchemy, 8154 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.801.7577, civilalchemy.com

Progetto Calcarius Ca Frecciabomb Pét-Nat
The pétillant naturel (or “pét-nat”) process produces naturally effervescent wines sans additives like extra sugar or yeast. This version is made with 100% bombino bianco grapes, indigenous to Puglia, Italy. “It’s definitely yeasty,” said Cork & Rind marketing manager Scott Stieven. “It’s going to have some big citrus notes as well as orange blossom in the background.” A skin-contact wine made with no filtering or added sulfur, it’s a great example of the funky bottles Cork & Rind has become known for carrying.
$32. Cork & Rind, 555 First Capitol Drive, St. Charles, 636.896.4404, corkandrind.com

Tag + Jug Cider Co. Brut Perry
Tag + Jug Cider Co. uses winemaking techniques to produce a range of unique ciders aged in French oak. Parker’s Table owner John Parker recommended the rich and floral Brut Perry pear cider. “Bright, fresh, a little tart on the edge, it has a nice fruit to it without being sweet and a touch of effervescence,” he said.
$24. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

Side Project Brewing Blended 2020
Maplewood’s Side Project Brewing has an international reputation for its luxe barrel-aged beers. Co-owner and brewer Cory King recommended the gueuze-inspired Blended 2020 as “a good counterpart to Champagne, especially for a beer drinker.” It’s a blend of three different Missouri wild ales fermented in French oak, made just to be combined for this beer. The labor-intensive method produces a dry, light and highly carbonated pour that will leave you saying, “à votre santé.”
$50. Side Project Brewing, sideprojectbrewing.com

3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek
If fruited lambics make you think of Lindemans’ sweet, soda-y brews, think again. “Kriek means they add cherries in the barrel,” Chartrand said, but “oude means it’s refermented, so it’s drier, and more of that funky quality comes out.” The tart, red fruit-forward flavor makes this a great substitute for a brut rosé. $18. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

Side Project Brewing Oude du Blé
The Oude du Blé is a Missouri wheat saison inspired, like many Side Project beers, by wine. Styled on white Burgundy, the light farmhouse ale is aged for an extended time in French oak barrels previously filled with chardonnay. “A lot of wine drinkers really enjoy that one because of the oak influence and white wine aspects,” King said. We’re also into the bottle’s party-level carbonation.
$40. Side Project Brewing, sideprojectbrewing.com

Las Jaras Sparkling Carignan
“A fun little sparkling,” according to Stieven, this California bottle is made with 100% red carignan grapes. The medium-bodied natural wine pours a rose-gold color and features fine bubbles perfect for a party. Notes of strawberry and peach are underscored by a hint of almond and a little chalky minerality.
$50. Cork & Rind, 555 First Capitol Drive, St. Charles, 636.896.4404, corkandrind.com

Domaine Sicera Florentin
This all-native French cidre de Normandie is classy AF. Domaine Sicera has been producing cider in Normandy since the 1800s. The Florentin has a beautiful pale orange hue and looks like a bottle of expensive wine. “It has a little richness, a touch of sweetness but is still elegant and floral and earthy,” Chartrand said. The natural fermentation process used to produce the cider also lends “an almost bitter quality” he noted, adding an additional layer of complexity.
$15. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

Sierra Nevada Strainge Beast Hard Kombucha
Offer something completely unexpected this holiday with a ginger, lemon and hibiscus hard kombucha from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.“It’s definitely got that yeasty, vinegar flavor people associate with kombucha,” VanDam said. Who are we to say that kombucha doesn’t belong in a Champagne bucket?
12 ounces: $3. Civil Alchemy, 8154 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.801.7577, civilalchemy.com