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Toast the new year with these Champagne substitutes

When celebrating a special occasion, many of us reach for a glass of Champagne. It’s a classic choice, but there are plenty of other options for your holiday toast.

VinoVoss is a digital sommelier that lets you search for wine, then uses artificial intelligence to learn your preferences. And if you don’t like a classic, dry Champagne, there are tons of other options, especially when celebrating the new year.

“You can just open up VinoVoss and search a style of white wine with a certain flavor that you’re looking for, and it’ll bring up a million different options,” Brand Ambassador Nicolette Bonkowski said. “It’s like almost having your own sommelier in your pocket at all times.”

She said there are different varieties from across the world that “stand shoulder to shoulder with the world-famous Champagne” from France. That includes sparkling wines from Italy, South Africa, Argentina and Tasmania.

“Some of the ones that have a lower alcohol content are going to be the ones that allow the grapes to actually age longer in the fermentation process, and you get a more intense flavor,” Bonkowski said.

For Moscato from Piedmont, Italy, Bonkowski said that process allows you to taste “notes of orange blossom, apricot and honey peach.”

She said Sekt, a sparkling wine from Germany and Austria, has a “vibrant acidity.”

According to VinoVoss, South Africa’s Cap Classique has “notes of brioche and hazelnut,” while Tasmania’s sparkling wines have a “vivid fruit intensity.”

Bonkowski said our tastes are constantly evolving, so try something different this holiday season: “Bring in 2025 and toast to change in you and to trying new things.”

WTOP’s Valerie Bonk contributed to this report.

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