Champagne originates in regional France, but sparkling wine can hail from anywhere. Chandon, for one, has been crafting elegant sparkling wines in Victoria’s Yarra Valley for more than three decades. Their wines are affordable, quaffable and enlivened with exceptionally fine, itsy-bitsy bubbles created using traditional winemaking expertise imported from France. Chandon’s ethereal beauties are delightful to sip on their own, and their effervescence can also transform a basic cocktail into something festive, fashionable and wonderfully fizzy.

A splash of liquid gold

Sparkling wine is an all-purpose beverage that can be paired with countless dishes and served at any occasion. A holiday brunch with eggs Benedict? A chilled bottle of liquid-gold Chandon Brut imbues it with absolute glamour. Prawn salad by the pool on a lazy Sunday? Try a bottle of Chandon Brut Rosé, a vibrant pink wine whose cherry flavours complement seafood and shellfish. The best part is that sparkling wine is accessible enough not to warrant a special occasion. Feel free to uncork a bottle while reading this story.

Lip-smacking cocktails

Chandon S is the perfect sparkling cocktail for the summer. It’s Chandon blended with hand-crafted orange bitters. All the hard work has been done for you. Just serve in a stemless glass over ice, add a twist of orange, and you have the ultimate refreshing aperitif. Citrus fruits and sparkling wine are an exquisite match. Muddle lemons, sugar and bitters, and pour over sparkling wine. Combine ruby-red grapefruit juice with equal parts gin and sparkling wine for a summery beverage. Add a dash of bitters, elderflower liqueur and a few lemon slices to rosé bubbles – your guests will be impressed by this rosé spritzer. Experiment with different flavoured Bellinis. The classic is peach, but nectarine works beautifully, too. Try an Italian sbagliato: pour sparkling wine into an ice-filled glass. Add vermouth and bitter liqueur, then top off with soda water.

Sparkling food ideas

If you have any sparkling wine left over, you could use a dash in your cooking. It lends recipes a delicate flavour. Use white bubbles as a dressing for vegetables, to poach lobster, or as a marinade for chicken. Sparkling rosé jazzes up a mignonette to be served with fresh oysters. Wherever a recipe calls for champagne, including favourites such as champagne risotto, grilled prawns with champagne sauce, and champagne-battered zucchini flowers, try substituting sparkling wine instead. One of the most decadent ways to use surplus bubbles is in a sparkling wine jelly. It’s the perfect coda to an effervescent meal.