I want to get a bottle for a friend who just landed a great new job. Can anyone suggest something that is good and moderatly priced? Like in the 50.00 range is there such a thing? I don’t know anything about champagne obviously 
This thread would probably do better in Cafe Society. I’ll ask a mod to move it for you.
My recommendation is to find a decent small wine shop (not a huge liquor store or a grocery store) and ask for recommendations there.
I like Nicholas Feuillat champagnes, which are in that price range (at least here in CA they are- wine prices do vary with location).
There are quite decent sparkling wines that aren’t champagnes. Cava is sparkling wine that comes from Spain. A lot of sparkling wine that comes from California is just called “sparkling wine”. Non-Champagne sparkling wines can be quite good. They can also be quite a bit cheaper for similar quality- French wine prices are high right now because the euro is so high against the dollar 
(The euro is $1.31 right now :eek: ) Spain uses the euro, too, but Spanish Cava isn’t as prestigious as French Champagne, so they can’t charge as much for it.
I’ve always been partial to Moët & Chandon.
Thanks for the suggestions! All sound good. I’ll head to the wine shop and see what they have.
I’ll second Moët & Chandon (in a pretty cabinet).
Moët is so 2002!
Seriously though, over here, M&C is the default Mickey-D champagne.
I second this recommendation: I have a bottle of this in the fridge “for a special occasion”. So far it’s escaped Christmas, New Year, and Valentine’s day. It’s very nice indeed, as we shall be reminded when we finally get round to drinking it.
Well la-di-da, Your Grace! 
My parents always got Christian Brothers, but it doesn’t look like it’s made anymore. I’m sure it wasn’t $50 though.
The $35 Moet I got for a friend’s birthday went over well. We’re just plebians though. 
This is my favorite champagne at any price.
Well, I’ve never had thousand dollar champagne. But I guarantee I won’t like it appreciably more than the above.
My personal favorite is Schramsberg, especially their blanc de noirs – very smooth & yummy.
jjimm is right about M&C, but V-C is only a step or two above. I’m particularly fond of the southern Champagnes - Tassin (which I doubt you’ll find in America) and the like - but then I know relatives of vintners who live there. And I recommend the Blanc de Blancs over the Brut: it’s a more complex taste. Not better, mind, more complex.
I was the home of my best friend’s parents, major major pretentious wine snobs and they served me the tastiest champagne ever on New Year’s…it was an almond champagne. They claim they got it from a local winery in Morgan Hills or Gilroy California and that they’re surprised it’s so awesome because it’s pretty cheap.
If you google almond champagne, a couple of options pop up.
If you’ve got a Trader Joe’s near you, you should check out their sparkling wine section. They have a decent (not as good as the more expensive stuff, but decent) almond-flavored sparkling wine for something like $5.99.
Of course, if you like wine in general, and have access to a Trader Joe’s, you should check out their wine section. They have lots of nice wines at much lower prices than you’ll find the same wines for anywhere else.
Moving this to Cafe Society as it really isn’t what we think of as a General Question.
samclem GQ moderator
Gruet Brut (from New Mexico!?) and Domain Ste. Michelle Brut(from Washington) are surprisingly good, and eminently affordable at 10-12 dollars a bottle.
I know it’s way cheaper than what you’re asking for, but Ballatore Gran Spumante was poured at my wedding to Only Mostly Dead and we both like it enough to keep a few bottles on hand at all times for random celebratory moments. Our friends all like it too.
Yeah! What he said 
VCNJ~
Yes, from New Mexico! I especially like the Blanc de Noirs.
You’ll note the OP did specify ‘moderately priced’. If you must be ever so so, then aim for the Dom, of course.
Hmph.