The Best Festive Bubbles – Recommended By Experts

Sophie, tell us quickly how champagne, cava, prosecco and crémant are different…

“They’re each made in a particular way, from a different region, with different grape varieties and particular winemaking methods. Champagne comes solely from the Champagne region in northern France, and the process of making it is strictly regulated. It’s usually made from a combination of three grape varieties: pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. It’s made by creating a secondary fermentation within each wine bottle, otherwise known as the Traditional Method, which gives these wines their signature flavour. 

“Crémant refers to a group of sparkling wines made using the Traditional Method but in areas of France outside of Champagne. It’s still produced under France’s rigorous wine laws, but it might be made with grapes that are different from the classic champagne grapes – for example, you might find a crémant d’Alsace made from pinot blanc, or a crémant de Loire made from chenin blanc.

“Cava uses the same method again but comes from Spain. It’s most commonly made from macabeu, parellada and xarello grapes which can be blended with chardonnay, and the majority of cava is produced in Catalonia. There have been some exciting developments in cava in recent years, and we now see high-quality examples being made and labelled as Reserva, Gran Reserva and single vineyard wines.

“Like champagne, prosecco is named after a region, but in 2009 the grape name was changed from prosecco to glera so that other countries couldn’t put ‘prosecco’ on the label. Unlike champagne, crémant and cava, prosecco is made using the tank (or charmat) method, which is less labour intensive, hence the lower cost. This method produces much fruitier wines, which is why prosecco often tastes of green fruits, stone fruit, citrus and white blossom. The bubbles will be frothier and don’t last as long as champagne.”

What do ‘Brut’, ‘Sec’ and ‘Cuvée’ mean?

“Brut literally translates as ‘dry’ and that’s what it means. It’s the standard dry style across all sparkling wines – but if you want the driest of all, try a Brut Nature. Confusingly, an extra dry prosecco actually has more residual sugar than a Brut. ‘Sec’ is used to describe a champagne that is medium-dry, meaning it is noticeably sweet but not quite a dessert wine, while cuvée is a French word that means ‘blend’. This can mean the first-pressed and best grapes, but outside of the Champagne region, it usually refers to a blend of either more than one grape of wine from specially selected barrels or vats. It is not a regulated term so it can appear on the labels of any wine.”

English sparkling wines are on the up, but why are they so expensive?

“English wines may seem expensive in comparison to the typical bottle on the supermarket shelf, but it’s all relative. The majority of wine made in England comes from very small and independent vineyards; it isn’t mass produced and often involves lower grape yields. The wine-making techniques are usually more labour intensive and often made by tiny teams. When thinking about price, it’s worth remembering the quality of English wines tends to be very high and a lot of them are incredibly unique.”

Finally, is there such a thing as 'too cheap'?

“The cost of fizz usually correlates with the region the wine was produced in and the amount of labour involved in making it. Price does usually indicate quality with sparkling wines, but ultimately what constitutes a decent fizz is subjective – some might prefer the taste of a lower-cost prosecco to that of a rich, premium champagne.”

Now Eight Wine Pros Share Their Favourite Bottles Across A Range Of Categories…