The millennium bubble hasn't nearly burst - so say the champagne and sparkling wine producers, who predicted long ago that it was a matter of gearing up, not just for a single night, nor even a single season, but two long and fizzically challenging years. People who never drank champagne or sparkling wine before will have developed a taste for it, they say, while those of us who have always loved the stuff will have been reminded of how yummy it is. I can't argue with that logic. If it turns out to be correct, the big names will be in short supply - but some lesser-known houses, like Gimonnet, Billecart-Salmon, Alfred Gratien and Deutz, also produce respectable, delectable bubbles. Like Gimonnet, Billecart-Salmon, Alfred Gratien, Deutz . . .
Try: Champagne Deutz Blanc de Blancs Brut 1993 (Thomas's Foxrock, Vineyard Galway and a few other outlets, about £40). Vintage champagne when you're trying to turn all economical for the new year? Yes, because you never know when you might need to produce a superlative bottle, and this is classy stuff. Look out for it in restaurants, too.