FLYMSY, I'm going to pick up a bottle of Gruet, based on recommendations here. Have you ever heard of Jacqueline Leonne, also from New Mexico?

The thing is that most wines that are shipped overseas lose a lot of the quality in the shipment. Few importers are willing to spend the money to guarantee that the wines are shipped correctly. So the bottle that you buy at CDG duty free and hand carry in the pressurized cabin may actually taste a lot better than the bottle you buy at a store in the US. As a global traveler I only drink the local wine from wherever I happen to be.

But I totally agree with you about buying from the smaller houses. As I've said earlier in this thread, I only buy the small batch Champagne or Crémant from Burgundy or Alsace. I pay less than 10 bucks and it is as good as all but the top 1 or 2% of Champagnes. The reason Champagne is expensive is almost entirely due to marketing. The houses that make good Champagne or Crémant, and don't spend on marketing, can sell it for less than 10 bucks a bottle and still make a good living.

Do all US airports make you go through security again from a TATL flight? I know that didn't use to be the case, but I'm not sure now. Maybe someone else knows the current rules and if they vary by airport. In my case I rarely if ever make a domestic US connection. I just fly into LAX for LA, ORD for Chicago, IAD for D.C., etc.

If you are connecting to another flight, yes.

I have not heard of Leonne. If you can both the Gruet and Leonne, let us know your tasting results.

Sorry, for some reason I was thinking the other way around. Domestic flight connecting to international does not mean security re-screening assuming its the same terminal or there is a special airside transport between the terminals.

So we are back to buying wine in Europe for carry on only if you do not have a domestic connection, right?

Not necessarily. When I fly back from an international destination, I always have to take a domestic connection to get home. If I travel some place where I'm visiting wineries, I will usually buy 2-3 cases and check it as luggage. I'd do the same, even if I didn't have to connect.

Ha Ha, good one. Exactly! I believe Cristal is vintage only & may vary
from year to year in a tight aromatic/taste range. To my nose & taste-buds, it's Death-Valley-Dry,
with some yeast on the nose - I try to drink it with friends who prefer Bellini's. ;)

Don't get me wrong, I won't turn down a good Bellini - best drunk overlooking
an ancient canal in Italy - somewhere.

Try it! Why not?

I've had local NM still wine that was *fine*. I wasn't expecting
anything fabulous but it was a good house white.

Do a tasting & let us know.

Bought some Veuve du Vernay Brut today for CAD$14 a bottle and am curious to see how it tastes on NYE. I'd love to be able to afford the name brand French champagne but this year this will have to do.

Cheers to all!

Fact is a lot of name brand French champagne is rubbish and no better or worse than a decent cava or prosecco.
The allure of champagne is really down to the aggressive protection of the brand by the French and good marketing.
Every time I see a Formula 1 racing driver spraying Moet from a podium I always think that's the best use for it because it often tastes like fizzy vin de table.

To repeat my point about the perils of shipping wine, I would say that most Champagne is excellent if you drink it in Champagne or a nearby region. But most distributors do not take good enough care with shipping. So drink the Cava in Spain, the Prosecco/Spumante in Italy, etc.

Just opened the Veuve du Vernay Brut and its a light golden colour with a fresh taste and lively bubbles. A solid performer at this price point and more than I expected so pleasantly surprised. Cheers to all!

I needed a bottle for my friends and I for New Year's last night and the best I could find at Harris Teeter was Chandon Brut Classic. It was okay enough, especially for $19.99. Oh and I didn't have an ice bucket and this was the best I could do at the Hampton Inn I was staying at:

https://cmk10.smugmug.com/Travel/Fly...IMG_3679-L.jpg

There's an importer close to home that is big on Egly-Ouriet. How was pricing on the RMs in Champagne as compared to buying in the USA?

Gruet is interesting (to me anyway) because several years ago I had some and enjoyed it. A few months ago, I ordered a bottle at a restaurant and two of us hated it and two of us loved it. Server (who I know well) took a splash and thought it was fine. My reaction was sort of like when a cilantro hater eats cilantro.