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.

Saw this recipe in the latest issue of Imbibe. It's named after the son of Highland Kitchen owners Marci Joy and Marc Romano. You have to be a fan of blackberries to enjoy it, since it's not only made with blackberry brandy but also has a fresh blackberry floating in it.

As I did for champagne, I have been putting together a list of some of the best buys in Sparkling Wines of the World for the holidays. I combed stores and the internet for weeks looking for great wines at great prices. Each of these sparklers is a good buy for the money, as well as tasty and interesting. I tried to include as many Rosé bubblies as well since they are becoming so hot and trendy right now. Those in the know have been enjoying their great combination of dry fruit and nose tickling effervescence for years. The following list doesn't have everything out there, but each of these is a great wine for the price, from low to high, they're all worth it. If you have any suggestions please tell us what, where, and how much. Happy Holidays Everyone!

US Sparkling Wines

• Barefoot Bubbly non-vintage Premium Extra Dry - $9
• Domaine Ste. Michelle non-vintage Blanc de Blancs- $12
• Domaine Ste. Michelle non-vintage Brut- $12
• Gruet Brut Blanc de Blancs- $13
• Korbel Sparkling Natural Chardonnay non-vintage- $13
• Piper Sonoma non-vintage Blanc de Noir- $15
• Piper Sonoma non-vintage Brut- $15
• Scharffenberger Mendocino non-vintage Brut-$15
• Mumm Napa non-vintage Blanc de Noirs- $17
• Mumm Napa non-vintage Brut Prestige- $17

I'm writing this on Christmas morning before heading to spend the day visiting family and friends. I have a big bag of presents for the kids and a special box for the grownups. It's full of various bottles of bubbly, special sparklers, that fizzy fun called sparkling wine that I like to pop open on the holidays. Looking back I've always loved champagne and sparkling wines. I can remember as a kid getting a tall, thin, glassful during celebrations and holidays; sipping the tart wine as millions of bubbles danced on my tongue. Right from my first taste I had a deep understanding why we use sparkling wines to celebrate. It's because the wine is a celebration in a bottle. As soon as you open it the wine starts to hiss or pop, and then it wants to dance forth and celebrate being released from the bottle; to go forth and make you smile, laugh, dance, and sing. The sparkling wine wants to celebrate with you, whether the reason is big or small, it wants to be part of the party. It's just like that friend we all know, who, as soon as they walk in the door, joyously makes their presence known, and it is understood that the party will now get into full swing.

Champagne is what first comes to mind when the topic is sparkling wine. It's from France, costs a lot, and is oh... so... refined. It's where many people say sparkling wine first came from, and they have tried to keep all the bragging rights. To be called Champagne it has to be a sparkling wine made in a specific province of north east France called Champagne. If sparkling wine is made anywhere else, it can't claim the name Champagne, although if it made in France it is called Cremant. But although it isn't Champagne, the other sparkling wines of the world can be excellent. I've tasted truly great sparklers from the US, Germany, Spain, Italy, Hungary, South Africa, and Australia.