Nothing does celebrations better than champagne (or sparkling wine). And what better celebration than for a bubbly that's downright skinflinty and doesn't suck at all?
That would be the nonvintage Kenwood Cuvee Brut, which at $10 a bottle is cheaper than stuff you would use to flush out your car's radiator yet is good enough to drink on its own or provide the sparkle in your mimosa.
It's made in the classic "methode champenoise" style, meaning the wine's secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle rather than in giant vats like industrial solvent. A blend of Chenin Blanc, French Colombard, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir produces a wine with fresh, lively fruit -- think ripe peaches, apricots, and green apples -- plus a taut lemon-lime acidity that keeps it from tasting like icky-sweet cheap stuff.
With a sparkling wine like this, you can afford a celebration even when you don't have anything to celebrate.