Champagnes are more expensive this year

With the economy tanking, you have probably noticed that wines from Europe have gone up because the euro has outpaced the dollar.

Buying vintage Champagne costs more than in years past due to the economy and increased demand for the bubbly from Asian countries.

Non-vintage Champagne has increased in price, too, but it may be a viable option given the price and scarcity of vintage Champagne.

In drinking the non-vintage variety, you can still get a sense of the house's style for vintage Champagne.

You will also find the tastes more consistent from year to year because the winemaker can use grape juice from multiple years.

My wine-tasting group compared five non-vintage Champagnes — the real bubbly from France — in a blind tasting. The results are below.

Moet & Chandon White Star Champagne, $52.99. The aroma offered scents of pears, baked apples, lemon peel, vanilla, wet stone, minerals, hints of herbs and white pepper. This wine was soft and round in the mouth with flavors of lemon peel and French pastry dough, along with baked apples on the finish. This wine was dry and crisp, but with really good fruit, earning it first place in our tasting.

Pol Roger Brut Champagne, $58.99. The bouquet suggested yeast, malt, sour apples, lanolin, cooked brown sugar and sour cream. We discovered apple flavors and rich, round tastes on the tongue, with cinnamon and clove on the finish. Mellow in the mouth but bright on the finish, this bubbly worked best with food. It ranked second in our tasting.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier, $64.99. Citrus dominated this aroma — lime, lemon and orange zest —plus apple scents. Hints of orange pith and bitter lemon appeared in the mouth with strong acidity. It ranked third in our tasting. My experts said this wine would be excellent with oysters or smoked salmon.

G.H. Mumm Joyesse Demi-Sec, $44.99. The sweet-smelling nose reminded us of baked pears, apples, bananas, brown sugar and sweet tree bark. Flavors in the mouth included cooked sugar, bananas, cotton candy and caramel corn. This was the sweetest wine as demi-sec is a level of sweetness significantly higher than brut.

Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain, $64.99. We found scents of white peaches, lemon oil, papaya and pineapple. The palate was light-bodied in a clean, elegant style. Its nice acidity would make it a perfect complement to oysters.

Surfing the shelves
2006 SKN Napa Valley Old Vine Zinfandel, $14. Dark berries and spice led the aroma. Dark cherry was backed by white pepper in this juicy light-bodied wine. It had an abrupt finish.

2005 Rosemount South Eastern Australia Shiraz Grenache, $10. This wine offered aromas of cotton candy, candied cherries and hints of licorice. Tastes of the candied cherries melted into flavors of mulberries and black raspberries in the mouth of this smooth-textured wine.

2007 Woodbridge Chardonnay, $7.99. An easy-drinking, everyday chardonnay with flavors of pears, peaches, apples and a hint of oak. A better vintage year gave this wine more oomph than usual.

2006 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, $11. Ten percent syrah, 2 percent cabernet franc and 2 percent petite syrah gave some life to this wine. On the palate, flavors included black cherries, ripe dark fruit and a touch of oak.

2007 Frog's Leap Napa Valley Chardonnay, $26. We detected aromas of peaches, grapefruit, lemon, honeysuckle blossoms, sweet grass and minerals. There were more minerals than toast on the palate, with mouth-watering acids. A good white with or without food.

2008 Sauvignon Republic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $19. Aromas of grapefruit, lemon, pineapples and a hint of minerality. Nice crispness on the finish.