One of the great ironies in wine is the exclusive association in our minds between Champagne and New Year’s Eve. It’s ironic because Champagne is one of the most versatile, food-friendly, and increasingly sanely-priced wines in the world. That so many of us “splurge” on Champagne only once a year, and then drink it at midnight paired only with a kiss, well, it’s as shameful as ABC hiring poor Dick Clark to embarrass himself at their party in Times Square, just for ratings.

Personally, I try to break the Champagne-on-New-Year’s connection by:

1. Keeping an inexpensive bottle of bubbly in my refrigerator at all times, so that I’m equipped for all the special occasions that do pop up between January 1 and December 31, from milestone birthdays, to historic presidential elections, even my nephew’s new tooth. Any of the delicious sparkling wines that come from regions other than Champagne in France, including Cava from Spain or Prosecco from Italy, are perfect for this purpose.

2. Celebrating Sunday mornings with breakfast in bed and a bottle of decent bubbly, whether it’s “real” Champagne (i.e., from Champagne) or a good equivalent from California. Schramsberg from Napa Valley or Gloria Ferrer from Sonoma are current favorites for this exercise.

3. Drinking Champagne with meals. Turns out, this is surprisingly easy to do. Because it is low-alcohol (typically between 11 and 13 percent), fresh (it has a higher, mouth-watering level of acid than most other wines), and comes dry or off-dry, white or red (well, rosé to be exact), Champagne is the perfect pairing for almost any food, even some of the most notoriously difficult to pair with wine, like spicy Asian food or apple pie. I have enjoyed Champagne with everything from turkey to chicken in mole sauce.

So there you have it, the perfect New Year’s resolution: to break the Champagne=New Year’s tie. It’s a noble one. And did I mention that at about 75 calories per flute, drinking Champagne may help you with another promise you may have made recently?

One last question: did I really write that Champagne is “increasing sanely-priced”? I’ll explain this shocker in my next blog, so stay tuned for my report on the Ladies Tasting Society’s 6 Champers to Continue Celebrating with in 2009.