Sparkling Wine type of thing

I'm wanting to make some quick and easy sort of sparkling wine for New Years (yeah, this year, yeah, bad timing I know). We only ever buy some cheap sparkling wine ($6 or so a bottle), so I'm not sure how big of a deal it will be with it being so young. Anyway, here is what I was thinking:

1. Using a mix of apple juice and white grape juice (so it would be half apfelwein i guess)
2. Of course wanting it bottle carbed, so I would just use the standard 5oz of corn sugar?
3. I'd like it to finish a little on the sweet side, so I would use lactose for this? At what point should I add this?
4. I know time is short, do you think it would be pretty terrible to drink on new years, or decent enough? (thinking, we already drink the cheap stuff, it's only for midnight glass clanking, and most are pretty toasted by then anyway)

I would only make a gallon, and figure if it turned out decent, I could make a bigger batch and have it able to age for at least a year or more after.

Thoughts for the new guy?

Thanks!

Kosch

P.S., planning on making some of edworts apfelwein this weekend for the first time!

I'd say your only option would be a lower ABV cider or something, anything wine like probably won't taste much better than the cheap stuff you normally buy. Read the threads about pastuerizing cider and that will give you an idea of something you could do to get a sweeter beverage. As long as it's lower ABV you could maybe try some other fruit juices, but with only a little over two months you'll be rushing it. Might as well try though! At least you'll have something to talk about that evening, and a good new years resolution for the next year.

This is quite good idea...Thanks a lot for sharing...Keep it up...

Thanks Hophead. I'm honestly not too worried about it tasting any better than the cheap stuff I buy, just it being "about as decent". Since it's rather last minute, it's more of a novelty thing, then hoping I can have something better for the following year.

Do you think with that, knowing it just has to be decent for people that are already sloshed, I could pull it off? (I know that goes against one of the reasons for doing it yourself, but I just think it would be cool)

Kosch

I'm doing a sparkling cider now, that will be ready to drink in about 2 months total time so I don't see why not. I'll be drinking off a keg, but I don't see why you couldn't bottle condition and pasteurize or keg and bottle a couple nights before your poppin the cork.