Two good value sparkling wines

Lucien Albrecht CREMANT D'ALSACE BRUT ROSE (Alsace, France) -- Gorgeous pinkish-salmon color. Amazingly effervescent, with tons of tightly bunched bubbles that persist and persist. Lots of dry raspberries and steely minerals on the nose. Crisp and dry, with loads of clean, refreshing fruit. This was around $20 at Spec's on Smith. With Champagne prices going up and up, I have been looking more and more to Cremant d'Alsace and Cremant de Bourgogne when I need sparkling wine. They are made by the same method as Champagne, and I would put a good Cremant up against any of the big Champagne house non-vintage wines any day.

Capasaldo PROSECCO (Veneto, Italy) -- While not as bubbly as the Cremant, this Italian sparkler had stunning apply/pear fruit and a refreshing mouthfeel. This was a gift, so I'm not sure where to get it, but from a quick Google search it looks to retail for $15 or so.