Nothing says celebration more than a glass of fine Champagne appropriately paired with caviar, smoked salmon, shrimp, lobster or mild cheeses like St. Andre, Brie, Chevre or Camembert. In fact, Champagne goes well with many dishes and is particularly delightful all by itself.

The delicate bubbles and crisp texture of fine Champagne is a discovery borne out of a problem. Champagne produced wines long before it made sparkling wines. For centuries the wines produced in Champagne were still wines that were held in high regard by the nobility of Europe. But the cool climate of the region and its effect on the wine-making process was to play an important part in changing all of that.

The cool climate required that grapes remain on the vine until late in the season to ripen. This left little time for the wines to ferment in the cellar before cold weather moved in and stopped fermentation. The wines were bottled to prevent oxidation, and in the spring when temperatures warmed up, fermentation would start again causing many of the bottles to explode. This is where Dom Perignon came to the rescue. Many believe Dom Perignon invented Champagne. In fact, the bubbles were considered a problem until he developed a stronger closure to put on a thicker glass bottle and the Champagne cork was born. He also developed the technique of blending wines from different vineyards and areas in Champagne to create a blend better than the sum of its parts.

Not all that sparkles is Champagne. The unique limestone chalk soil that runs through Champagne and the cool growing season of this northerly region imparts qualities found nowhere else in the world. By European law, only sparkling wine grown in the Champagne region can be called Champagne. All the rest is just sparkling wine.

The most popular type of Champagne is a house’s Brut non-vintage. These are the yearly production blended with “reserve” (usually vintage Champagne stored in magnum bottles) which offers a consistent product year in and year out. A tasting was staged with our wine staff to compare the more popular Champagnes with several smaller houses and the results are reported below. They are listed in order of preference.

We found that the adage “bigger is better” does not apply to Champagne houses. The smaller houses all placed higher than the “Grand Marks.” They seem able to mature the wines longer on the yeast, creating smoother Champagnes with richer flavors. Many of the big name Champagnes were a real disappointment, especially compared with the much finer small production wines. Another caveat: prices are up this year. I won’t even blame the Champagne houses as new shipments arriving for the holidays are bought with the weakest dollar in history. The exchange rate is hovering close to $1.50 to the euro. The prices listed are standard, but the best stores (like Schneider’s) will have most Champagnes on sale for the holidays.

The Champagnes

1) Jean Laurent Blanc de Noir Brut ($50)
Everyone’s choice for number one, this 100 percent Pinot Noir has a beautiful floral nose of ruby red grapefruit, honeysuckle and acacia flowers followed by very round and creamy flavors of white cranberry, some spice notes and a long, bright finish. That’s really long … I mean really, really long. Delicious!

Note: The 1996 Vintage Blanc de Blanc from Jean Laurent is one of the finest Champagnes on the market and sells for only $70.

2) Bertrand Delespierre Brut 1er Cru ($50)
A ripe, crisp nose of apple and brioche lead to flavors of apple and pear with a slight toasty yeasty character. It’s ripe and creamy with hints of Crème Brule. The finish is long and crisp, with impeccable balance. Very fine indeed!

3) Montaudon Brut ($35)
Bright with lots of bubbles, the Montaudon is classic in style with a bouquet and flavors of apple and pear, a fine delicate mousse, foamy and a long, crisp finish. Very nice!

4) Jean Laurent Blanc de Blanc Brut ($50)
Floral notes abound in the nose of this 100 percent Chardonnay Champagne. Creamy, round flavors of orange zest, nectarines and vanilla lead to a long finish with crisp, vibrant acidity. Lovely stuff!

5) Charles Ellner Brut Reserve ($50)
Very delicate aromas of pears and flowers lead to round flavors of Asian pear and pear with a honeyed elegance. The finish is long with foamy bubbles. This is beautifully elegant and balanced Champagne of superior quality.

6) Taittinger Brut ($40)
Taittinger is a light bodied crisp Champagne with bright lemon and pineapple fruit and a clean, balanced finish.

7) Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut ($35)
This is the quintessentially medium Champagne. It is medium bodied, moderately flavorful with a clean balanced finished. Quite pleasant!

8) Pol Roger ($40)
The current non-vintage brut seems lighter than I remember with an elegant nose of delicate orange leading to a light, clean finish. Did I mention light?

9) Deutz Brut Classic ($40)
I enjoyed the toasty, yeasty nose of the Deutz with its creamy mouthfeel. It finishes a little short but is quite pleasant.

10)Nicholas Feuillatte Brut ($35)
Bright lemon and citrus notes lead to lemon, toasted nuts and an almost sherry-like finish. Pleasant.

11) Piper Heidsieck Brut ($30)
This house produced a full-bodied Champagne with a toasty nose leading to flavors of burnt toast, yeast and pine nuts. The full finish is long.

12) Louis Roederer Brut Premier ($40)
The vibrant nose of apple and pear leads to flavors of citrus and citrus peel that show up bitter on the finish.

13) Laurent Perrier Brut LP ($40)
A very light wine with little to sense in the nose. The flavors of lemon and lemon peel lead to a short finish.

14) Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut ($45)
This wine was a real disappointment. The muted nose of soap (the glass was clean!) leads to a thin bodied wine with a short, bitter finish. Moet purchased the winery a few years ago and stopped making their Brut to add to the production of Clicquot. Given the taste of this Champagne, its successful sales are a surprise to me.

Jon Genderson, co-owner of Schneider’s on Capitol Hill, writes the monthly “Wine Guys” column for the Hill Rag. He can be reached at 202-543-9300. Schneider’s is located at 300 Massachusetts Ave. NE, or visit the store online at www.cellar.com.