Universal Eyes: About what you said, there's something I'd like clarify :
You wrote : " in Alsace, Lucien Albrecht makes a rosé bubbly for about $19 that's the best non-Champagne pink sparkler we've had in some time ".
This is a nonsense.
Why ? Because, in France , fine wines have (it's an obligation) an " AOC " (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) which I could translate (I think) as : Controlled Origin Label. This AOC has the name of the region from where the wine is native, it's a guarantee. This AOC corresponds with very specific criterions : place, taste, color, thickness....etc of the wine.
So, when you say : " a non-champagne ", it's impossible : or else the wine is from the region Champagne, and the name of the wine is Champagne, or else it's not and, in this case, we can't use the name " Champagne " (forbidden with the law) ; there's no " non-champagne " ! It's Champagne or not.
Besides, a wine from Alsace can't absolutely be a Champagne, because these 2 regions aren't in the same place so the criterions of these wines are totally different !!!! See, this map from France which shows the location of the different french wines, and you'll see that the region Champagne is far from the region Alsace (on the top, on the right) : http://www.mywineandcellar.com/Carte_vins_France.html

Many people often name bubbly wines as " Champagne ". It's totally incorrect. The Champagne has a special taste and the process for the manufacture is totally different from the other wines (rosés, for example) : the barrels aren't made with oak, they ferment during a different length, the grape harvests aren't at the same period, etc....
Sorry to contradict you, but it's just as to clarify. I live in a region with wine (Bordelais) so I'm very sensitive about this subject. I think it can be interesting for people to learn more about this.