Photo: oskay, Flickr

Gretchen Roberts writes the wine blog Vinobite, has passed the introductory course at the Court of Master Sommeliers and is studying for her sommelier certification this fall.

August, in all its hot, humid, waning-of-summer glory, is my favorite month of the year. It may be sweltering and sticky, but August is like the bachelorette party before the wedding: Live it up while you can, because school is gonna start soon.

Which is why sparkling wine is the perfect antidote to impending fall. Light, refreshing, and bubbly, it has all the ingredients for celebrating (mourning?) the passing of Casual Season. (Besides, I'm still practicing Champagne service for my sommelier test. I almost have the silent "pop" perfected, but if you have any tips, I'm all ears!)

So what kind of sparkling wine do you like in the summer? Tyler Colman, author of "A Year of Wine," recommends saving the expensive and complex Champagne for chilly winter and sticking to simpler bubblies when it's hot, and I happen to agree (except for my anniversary on August 26, when Champagne is the only way to go ... are you reading this, honey?).

After the jump, my criteria for smashing, wallet-friendly summer sparklers.
Three rules for the best hot-weather bubblies: They must be simple, cheap, and tasty. Not hard to find all three when you look for. ...

Crémant, France's name for sparkling wine that's not made in Champagne. It's cheaper and delicious. Look for Crémant d'Alsace, Crémant de Bourgogne and Crémant de Loire.

Cava is an inexpensive bubbly from Spain that's made in the traditional Champagne method (i.e. bottle-fermented instead of fermented in a huge tank, which is supposed to make it more elegant). Most Cava is a steal, which makes it the perfect party wine.

Lambrusco, a slightly sparkling red from Italy, is the butt of a lot of jokes because there is so much bad Lambrusco out there, but I really dig its fruity, simple strawberry flavors and low alcohol in the summertime.

Prosecco, from Italy, is light and crisp. It tastes exactly like green apples and is my favorite summer bubbly because it's so light and refreshing.

I ran a giveaway on Vinobite last week asking for readers' burning wine questions, and one reader asked how to keep sparkling wine. The obvious answer: Drink it up! But seriously, my absolute favorite wine gadget is a freebie from Yellow Tail. It's just a plastic Champagne stopper that looks just like this one featured on YumSugar a couple of months ago, but it works perfectly. If you can't get your hands on a freebie, then just buy a regular one from Crate & Barrel or somewhere. Or tell us how you save sparkling wine in the comments.

And now, a toast to summer. Cheers!