Champagne isn’t the only game in town. In fact, with a little intel, you can find a bottle of bubbly that’s much cheaper than Champagne, but is just as bubbly.

If you’re playing host on New Year’s, please say you plan on popping open a bottle or three of bubbly. (If you’re not, don’t bother inviting me.) And then please, consider all your options.

Yes, Virginia, there is more to sparkling wine than Champagne, which, let’s admit, is the reigning champ of festive beverages. Cava, prosecco, franciacorta… so many choices, so many reasons to party.

But what’s the difference? What distinguishes cava from Champagne? Why does one bottle cost $15 and another $50? And is one type of bubbly going to start 2016 better than another?

Let’s find out.

HOW BUBBLY GETS BUBBLY

Sparkling wine is produced either by the traditional method (“methode champenoise”) or the “charmat” method.

In the traditional method, sugar and yeast are added to the base wine, triggering a second fermentation directly in the bottle. As the yeast cells nibble the sugar, they produce carbon dioxide, creating those appealing bubbles. The bottles are slowly rotated (for some Champagnes, this can take years!) until they’re neck down; the spent yeast collects and is eventually removed.

In the charmat method, that second fermentation takes place in big pressurized tanks before the wine is bottled.

The traditional method, the way Champagne with a capital C is made, yields the richest, most complex flavors.