Wow, 2018 went round fast didn’t it! With luck, you’re celebrating a good 12 months on New Year’s Eve but heck, even if you’re just celebrating the end of a bad one, sparklers are the way to do it folks.

Champagne and sparkling wines have long been associated with celebration, which is believed to date back to the French royal house. Champagne was an almost exclusive drink of the royals and courtiers, but after they lost their heads it was adopted as a drink to celebrate and mark special occasions. All I know is that my good lady doesn’t enjoy it and I only like the top-end stuff which costs a bleeding fortune. Thank heavens Krug still produce world-class champagne in half bottles!

There are some cracking New World sparklers out there, mind you, but other than the ever so lovely Pelorus from Cloudy Bay in New Zealand, I find the fruit in them a bit too soft for a proper celebration wine.

I’ve started to favour the dry clean affections of the Blanc de blancs these days. Blanc de blanc is a style that denotes a Champagne made entirely out of Chardonnay, but the most popular style still tends to be the cuvees using all three of the allowed grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. There is another style called blanc de noir which just uses the red varieties to produce a white wine but I find it a bit too fat and squidgy for my liking.

Now, unless you’re celebrating a Formula 1 victory this New Year’s eve, here’s how to open the precious bottle without wasting bubbles. Firstly, make sure the bottle is well chilled because the right temperature helps contain the bubbles so that they effervesce in the glass rather than on your clothes. The most important tip is to rotate the bottle in your arms rather than twisting the cork off the top. Rotate while holding tight onto the cork and when it comes to the threshold of the bottle neck, hold it there for a moment to release any pressure gently before removing it completely. The other way to remove the cork is actually to remove the entire neck of the bottle with a sword – and some champagnes still carry a sword mark to help you with your aim!

Anyway, I’ve selected my wine for the evening and it’s a bottle of Lenobles awesome Grand Cru blanc de blanc from 2008, so pip pip for this year and I’ll see you all in 2019.

Gerard’s picks

n Lenoble Grand Cru 2008 Blanc de Blanc: Pears and apples on a very concentrated nose with hints of vanilla and orange blossom on the finish. A very rich and full flavoured champagne. Great for any occasion but fabulous with smoked salmon. Richardsons of Whitehaven £65.

n Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve, England: Baked apples and brioche on the nose with a lovely toasty flavour and a fine mousse. Fun and patriotism in the same glass. Shill’s of Cockermouth, £32.50.