Your Guide to Buying Champagne and Sparkling Wine at the Right Price
What is it about popping a bottle of Champagne that makes any occasion feel special?
You probably know that to be a true Champagne, a wine must originate from France’s Champagne region, made with Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir grapes. Traditional Champagne averages around $50 at the lower end, with seemingly no upper limit for the prestige pours, but there are plenty of other styles of sparkling wine available at as many price points as there are bubbles in a glass.
Tahiirah Habibi, an Atlanta wine educator and sommelier with a penchant for bubbly, recommends cava, a diaphanous and toasty Spanish sparkling wine made from grapes like Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Parellada. “If you want some really affordable great sparkling wine, it’s comparable to Champagne,” Habibi says. It can hover between $10 to $15, but bumping your budget a bit over $30 will net you truly exemplary cava.
Crémant, a traditional-style sparkler made throughout France, is worth seeking out. Rules governing what grape varieties are used are not as prescriptive as in Champagne, so winemakers celebrate and experiment with their regional varieties. Part of Champagne’s extended family, Crémant is similar in texture and style but with flavors like oyster shell, honey, and even herbal teas. Expect to pay from $20 to $50.
Finally, pét-nats can be a bit less self-serious than prestige Champagne. Made using the méthode ancestrale—a precursor to méthode champenoise—these typically have a looser, sometimes foamy bubble structure. Ranging from funky to fresh and fruity, pét-nats are proof positive that bubbly doesn’t have to be snooty to be delicious.
Whether you’re looking for a complex bubble or a playful pét-nat, here’s your Champagne and sparkling wine buying guide.
The Business of Bubbles
According to sommelier Victoria James, executive beverage director at Cote and Coqodaq, both in
New York, the quality of a wine’s bubbles depends on the method in which it was made. The méthode champenoise—where, among other things, a second fermentation within the bottle produces additional carbon dioxide—creates a highly pressurized environment. “The more pressure you have,” James says, “the tinier the bubble, the more sharp it’ll feel on the palate.”
The Charmat method famously used in prosecco production creates less pressure, as the secondary fermentation occurs in a tank, creating “looser, more expansive bubbles,” whereas in pét-nats, you’ll find “broad, generous” bubbles. James says it’s worth noting that some carbonation escapes through the cork over the years, so older bottles and vintages might express less aggressive bubbles.
Bubbles We're Loving Right Now
Recaredo Cava Brut Nature Terrers, Penedès, Spain ($38)
Full-bodied, mineral, green apple
Falconry Pink Smash Chenin Pét-Nat, Margaret River, Australia ($30)
Lush, velvety, grapefruit zest
Cruse Wine Co. Tradition Sparkling Wine, NV, California ($45)
Structured, creamy, lemon zest
Champagne Telmont Réserve de la Terre, Champagne, France ($106)
Toasty, citrus, almond
Champs de l’Abbaye 2021 Crémant de Bourgogne, Burgundy, France ($28)
Nimble, fresh pastry, jasmine blossom
Wine Glossary
Blanc de blancs and blanc de noirs refer to the grapes used in the wine: Blanc de blancs refer to white grapes, whereas a blanc de noirs is made with red grapes exclusively.
Dosage refers to the amount of sugar added to bottles during their second fermentation. The less sugar added, the drier the final wine will be.
Frizzante and spumante designate the strength of carbonation in Italian sparkling wines. The former is gently sparkling, whereas the latter features stronger, more persistent bubbles.
Pétillant naturel, often shortened to pét-nat, is an ancient method of winemaking unattached to a specific grape or region. Additionally referred to as “méthode ancestrale,” these wines see only a single in-bottle fermentation, where naturally occurring yeasts which are left inside the bottle to continue fermenting. The result is a gently sparkling wine, which can express funkier flavors thanks to the natural yeasts.
Nonvintage bottles use a blend of grapes from several different years unlike wine from a specific vintage, which refers to grapes of one single harvest.
Forced carbonation is the practice of using machinery to carbonate a still wine instead of letting yeasts do the heavy lifting.
Secondary fermentation is one process by which a wine transforms into sparkling. First it ferments in a barrel or steel tank, then it’s bottled, where remaining yeasts activate the second fermentation.
The Charmat method is a less-expensive way to complete a second fermentation. Wines made with the Charmat method, like most proseccos, undergo their second fermentation in a large-format steel tank.
Méthode champenoise, or méthode traditionnelle, is how all Champagnes are made—it refers to the practice of completing the second fermentation in the bottle.
A cuvée is each Champagne house’s proprietary blend of grapes they mix into their specific expression of Champagne.
Lees are the spent yeasts left inside bottles during their second fermentation. “Resting on the lees” refers to the amount of time the wine matures in contact with these yeasts before disgorgement—the longer the wine rests, the more toasty flavors you’ll taste.
Tasting Notes
Toasty sparkling wines are typically those that have been aged—they have a distinctly bready, brioche aroma or flavor that comes from the yeast used to make the wine.
Fruity is often used to describe aromas or flavors of, well, fruit in a sparkling wine. Often these are citrusy, like lemon or grapefruit, but notes of orchard fruits, stone fruits, and berries appear as well.
Structured sparkling wines deliver a bit more vim on your palate. A wine’s structure refers
to its balance of taste, texture, aroma, and acidity. A well-structured wine will have an impressively subtle balance of everything all at once.
Mineral or minerality describes chalky or flinty flavors. These notes can help to balance sweetness and acidity.
Golden Hour
Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
