PUTTING ON YOUR WHITE TIE FOR BUBBLES

As the season when bubbles get up everyone’s nose approaches, it is timely to look again at the choices available.

Champagne is clearly top fizz in the field, with a host of names known even by those who don’t drink it very often – Bollinger, Dom Perignon, Krug, Heidsick, Lanson, Mumm, to name but a few.

But though its bubble has not actually burst, champagne is being seriously challenged by other sparkling wines that offer good quality alternatives at more reasonable prices. In such times as these, and with the need not to be parsimonious with party booze, such considerations are to be taken seriously.

Prosecco has long been thought of as something of as a poor relation to champagne, if thought of at all in the UK. But Brits have become much more aware of it recently, and now a campaign is underway to promote a newly established prosecco regulated quality, along the lines ofchampagne.

Put on your white tie and tails from Huntsman and enjoy a glass of bubbly - Italy's prosecco now offers a quality dry fizz to be drunk young.

The finest prosecco comes from the Veneto region of  Northern Italy, in the hills around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. Made from the grape of the same name, it was enjoyed by no less a personage than Pliny the Elder and doubtless helped many a Roman orgy go with a swing.

In more modern times, it had been deemed too sweet, rather like Asti Spumante, and was produced in a wide variety of qualities without any controlling regional regulation. Then, from the 1960s on, production improved immensely, leading to the  dry, high quality versions that are available today.

It’s a lighter drink than champagne, less alcoholic at 11-12% proof by volume, with brut, extra dry and dry variants. It should be drunk as young as possible, preferably in its first year.

Look for 'Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene', 'Prosecco di Conegliano' or 'Prosecco di Valdobbiadene' on the labels. Those with other, non-protected designation, such as "IGT-Veneto", are generally cheaper and of a more varied quality.

And now the proseccos from the hillsides of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene region will have the added accolade of DOCG, Italy’s highest mark of distinction for food and wine from a particular region - Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. It will take until next spring before all the wines to be covered by this distinction are in the bottles and then they will start to be available in the UK later in 2010.

The UK is the fifth most important market for prosecco, following Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the US. To date, it has been largely more available in restaurants than in retailers but as a campaign gets underway to promote the DOCG standard, expect to find more of the good stuff in upmarket wine shops.

The preferred glass for prosecco, allowing the full fruity bouquet to be appreciated.

At a tasting in London this autumn, the variety of this Italian fizz was evident in the range presented from Conegliano and Valdobbiadene producers alone.

Of these Bisol is one of the oldest, a family run business making wine since 1542. and one of the best, garnering a collection of awards and commendations for its various qualities, marketed in the UK through Bibendum Wine. La Marca may be one of the more familiar to UK enthusiasts, offering five prosecco variants and distributed through Thierry's Wine Services. And from Astoria, producers of a variety of other wines and spirits, including Grappa, comes the Prosecco Millesimato at top of the range, through UK agents Alivini Company.

JAPANESE WHISKY IN FAMOUS SCOTCH DEN

In a corner of Soho that will be forever Scotland there lies one of the world's great stores of Scotch whisky. And here, in this hallowed haven for Scotch connoisseurs, a tasting of Japanese whisky took place this autumn.

Suntory is one of Japan's major corporations and the first to establish a whisky distillery in Japan. That was in 1923 and since then it has gone on to open other distilleries, to produce a wide variety of whiskies that now sell around the world, and to give the Scots a serious run for their money.

Yamazaki single malt whisky is the most popular of their brands in Japan and increasingly favoured in Europe and the US. It has won a raft of medals at various top drink events and, as one measure of its popularity, has become the top duty-free drink sold at Terminal 5 both in volume and revenue.

At the tasting, it was presented in 10, 12 and 18 year old ages, which sell respectively at around £27, £36 and £65. This is a whisky clearly in vogue in the club and cocktail scene. Rather more to our taste was the Hakushu brand, a subtle, smoother single malt that retails from around £45 for the 12 year old, upwards of £75 for the 18 year old.

Oddbins, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and other specialist retailers stock the Yamazaki, and some the Hakushu, or orders may be placed with Milroys on www.milroys.co.uk

Suntory acquired Morrison Bowmore, the Scottish distillery some years ago, and has established friendly links with the industry. Even so, we wonder what the magnificent Jack Milroy, above, founder of Milroys, would have made of this tasting. He is no longer associated with the shop but exports special orders.