Champagne — the "real stuff" — comes only from France, but the variety of styles and prices uncorks a flagon of celebratory possibilities.

Truth be told, who among us would wish to follow in the sad footsteps of Lord Keynes, whose dying words were, "I wish I'd drunk more champagne!"? Now is the time to make your own champagne memories, and this holiday season you will find a wonderful variety of styles and producers in all price ranges.

Let's be clear about one thing: Real champagne comes from Champagne, in France, and from nowhere else. Only in that place do the soils, climate and grapes produce sparkling wine this elegant, complex and long-lived. How do you know you are getting the real stuff? If somewhere on the wine bottle it says Champagne and "Produce of France" then you have hit the mark.

Most champagne producers make a range of products that fall into roughly half a dozen categories. Most common are the nonvintage brut champagnes, house blends, bone dry, whose flavors remain consistent year after year. They try to express a particular style, whether fruity, steely, toasty or creamy, and are often a producer's best value.

Blanc de blancs may be vintage or nonvintage. They are made exclusively from chardonnay grapes and are usually the most refined — a style epitomized by "Salon" from Le Mesnil. Blanc de noirs are made from the two dark-skinned grapes, pinot noir and pinot meunier, and may have a slight blush color. They are meaty, fruit-driven and often taste lightly of cherries.

There are also vintage brut champagnes, made only in the best years. These usually cost more, for they get the winery's best grapes, and extra time en tirage (resting on the yeast in the cellar). Vintage champagne reflects the particular conditions of the harvest; some years are lean and concentrated, suitable for aging, while others are luscious, forward and drink-me-now fruity; 1990 was the best year in recent times, and you may still spot some wines of that vintage for sale. Most houses have now released their 1995s, a much fatter and more forward vintage. I don't find that all of the '95s have enough acidity to balance the fruit, but some — Bollinger, Dom Perignon and Piper-Heidsieck in particular — are extraordinary. The very best offering from each of the major champagne producers, called the tete de cuvée, is usually a vintage bottling.

Producers may also offer "extra dry" champagne which, unfortunately, is actually a bit sweeter than brut. They may do a "demi-sec" which is sweeter still, and some may do an "extra brut" or "brut sauvage" — the driest of all. And then there are rosés, which often include some regular pinot noir still wine blended in for extra color and flavor.

For serving champagne you will want to chill the bottle but not freeze it. An hour in the refrigerator or 10 minutes in a bucket of cold water and ice will do the job. Glassware need not be fancy but should be slim. If your champagne is not sending up a festive amount of bubbles, it may be the fault of the glass, not the wine. Take a nail and make a tiny scratch in the very bottom inside the glass. This will often solve the problem.

Brut champagnes are among the most food-friendly wines you can buy — especially for salty, oily or spicy dishes. Champagne and caviar, champagne and oysters, champagne and foie gras are all celebrated matches, but it's just as tasty with smoked salmon, a simple pâté or plain salted nuts.

BEST BUBBLIES
In order of preference, here are some recommended bruts. (Note: Prices are frequently discounted over the holidays, so shop wisely.)

Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut; $36. A monster! Yeasty and layered with streaks of citrus and stone, saturated with baked bread scents and bursting with flavors of fresh lemons and peaches.

Perrier Jouet Grand Brut; $35. Lovely ripe, creamy fruit flavors show layers of citrus, tangerine and blossoms. Elegant and deep, with appealing textures throughout.

Delamotte Brut; $28. Here is a pinot-dominated blend that brings forth extra fruit intensity and hints of fresh red cherries. The finish is crisp and lingering.

Duval-Leroy Brut "Cuvée Paris"; $26. New to the market, Duval-Leroy is sure to make a splash with its bold, artistic "Paris" bottle, silk-screened by artist Leroy Neiman. Excellent flavors, lively and interesting, with hints of mint, honeysuckle, hazelnut and vanilla cream.

Henri Abelé Brut; $20. This stylish, sophisticated wine has a big, plush, yeasty nose, sweet notes of cracker and toast, and layers of lime and mineral. Round and rich, with hints of tropical fruit, and a great price.

Laurent-Perrier Brut L.P.; $28. Sweet fruit, with a citrus tang — grapefruit, skin of lime, and nectarine. A slightly chalky, mineral backdrop adds texture to a long, citrus-and-wet-stone finish.

Taittinger Brut "La Française"; $35. A distinctly spicy bouquet suggests clove and fresh ham. A classy, assertive, stylish wine, still quite green, but extending itself through a lingering, immaculately clean finish.

Heidsieck Monopole Brut; $35. Nothing too fancy or precious, just good, full-bodied, mouth-filling fruit with a nice pink-grapefruit flavor that carries through into a round, generous finish.

Veuve Clicquot Brut "Yellow Label"; $40. Luscious fruit dominating a full, fleshy palate. Always a top performer.

Pommery Brut "Apanage"; $38. More chardonnay (45 percent) in the blend than Pommery's Brut Royal. A restrained nose expresses interesting iron and mineral elements, wrapped into the steely, trim fruit.

Pol Roger Brut; $32. Smooth and supple, with toasty flavors of roasted hazelnuts and a hint of honey/lemon. I much prefer this to Pol Roger's doubly expensive 1995 vintage bottling.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier; $32. Big and toasty, a bit like the Bollinger, with round, somewhat beery flavors. A hearty glass of bubbles.

Deutz Brut Classic; $25. Deutz comes across as rich, even oily, with a nutty quality that suggests a higher percentage of older wines in the blend. For those who enjoy a softer, rounder, toastier style.

Moet & Chandon Brut Impérial; $41. Well-made, with mainstream weight and the dependable flavors of green apples and light citrus.

Piper-Heidsieck Brut; $32. Marked by the scent of gun metal, a faint trace of smoke, and a clear mineral streak. Well-defined, dry, spare; a classic oyster wine.