WINE EXPERTS RAISE A TOAST TO CHEAP CHAMPAGNE

WINE EXPERTS RAISE A TOAST TO CHEAP CHAMPAGNE

YONKERS, N.Y. (Wireless Flash) -- Are you rushing out to stock up on expensive champagne in anticipation of the supposed Y2K shortage? You might be better off buying a case of cheap bubbly instead. According to "Consumer Reports," many wine experts are now raising a toast to inexpensive champagnes -- including one that sells for $4. The magazine invited a panel of experts to taste several types of bubbly in a blind taste test -- and when all the bubbles cleared, cheaper champagnes topped the list. Tasters rated five champagnes that cost $35 or less higher than the ever-popular Dom Perignon, which costs $115 a bottle. The experts even gave high marks to Andre champagne, a well- known supermarket cheapie that costs about $4 a bottle. One item missing from the "Consumer Reports" review is whether cheaper champagnes result in worse hangovers than the more expensive brands.