# New Year's Eve, California style

By Dan Person, winemaker and co-founder at Carboniste. Published 2026-10-19.
Canonical page: https://carboniste.com/blog/pop-clink-cheers-your-ultimate-guide-to-a-sparkling-new-years-eve

![A bottle of Carboniste V21 "Solera" Brut on a party table with New Year's Eve party hats, noisemakers and glasses of sparkling wine](https://carboniste.com/images/blog/p25-new-years-eve-2400.webp)
**The short answer:** if you usually buy Champagne for midnight, pour our **V21 "Solera" Brut** instead. It's our solera-style Reserve, blended across vintages and aged in barrel, so it has the depth and polish people want from Champagne, with California fruit underneath. It's great for the midnight toast, and just as good through dinner.

## New Year's Eve is a dinner party

To me, New Year's Eve is fundamentally a dinner party. You get your people together around something you're looking forward to in the new year, or a highlight from the year you're closing out. The food can go pretty far afield. Chinese takeout is great. In California, you might still be grilling outside on December 31st.

Whatever's on the table, open something you're excited to share.

## What to pour instead of Champagne

If you want something Champagne-like, reach for our Reserve wines, and the V21 most of all. It's our solera-style Brut: mostly wine from 2021, blended with older wines going back to 2018, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay aged in barrel on their own yeast. That gives it layers, richness, and a savory depth that stands up to a celebration. It's a great pairing for the toast at midnight and for everything you eat on the way there.

## Should you saber at midnight?

Yes. Saber all night long if you like. If you've got a group and you're opening a few bottles anyway, there's no need to be precious about leaving the top on. Just knock it off.

But be careful. Sabering is a real blade against a bottle under pressure, so practice safe habits:

- **Chill the bottle well,** all the way through. Cold glass breaks more cleanly.
- **Take off the foil and the wire cage,** and keep your thumb over the cork until you're ready.
- **Point it away from everyone,** and from windows and anything breakable. Clear the room in front of you.
- **Find the seam** that runs up the side of the bottle, hold the bottle at about 45 degrees, and slide the back of the blade along the seam, firmly, into the lip.
- **Pour off a little first** and check for glass before anyone drinks.
- **Practice before the party,** not for the first time at midnight.

If you're not sure, just open it the normal way. The wine tastes exactly the same.

## The one thing to remember

Carboniste is a really enjoyable wine when you're having fun with friends. It's a wine for sharing.

[Meet the V21 "Solera" Brut](/products/v21-california-brut)

## Quick answers

**What should I drink on New Year's Eve instead of Champagne?** A California sparkling wine made in the traditional method. Our pick is the V21 "Solera" Brut, a solera-style blend with real depth.

**What food goes with sparkling wine on New Year's Eve?** Almost anything you'd serve at a dinner party, from Chinese takeout to something off the grill.

**Is sabering safe?** It can be, with care: a well-chilled bottle, the cage off, the bottle pointed away from people, and a clean stroke along the seam. Practice first, and check the first pour for glass.

**What's the best sparkling wine for the midnight toast?** One you're excited to share. For a Champagne-style toast, I'd open the V21.

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Wines in this post: [V21 "Solera" Brut](https://carboniste.com/products/v21-california-brut)