Fizz Fixes for the Festive Season

8 sparkling alternatives to Champagne

As I write this, I’m fighting my way through the soupy fog that is jetlag. So you’ll be either pleased or disappointed to hear that this week’s article is a little less in-depth than usual…

On 1 December, my monthly Wine Watch column was published by DutchNews – this time, covering affordable alternatives to Champagne. But due to space restrictions and the need to hit three (and only three) distinct price categories, there were a lot of recommendations I had to leave out. So I figured I’d use this week’s Substack to bring you a few more sparkling wines to get into the festive spirit.

First, let’s just get some things straight when it comes to Champagne versus other bubbles

Actual Champagne comes from the region of the same name in France – don’t let labels saying things like “Californian Champagne” (which I saw all over Florida last week) fool you.

Most Champagne is made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes – although these are certainly not exclusive to the Champagne region, and you’ll find plenty of sparkling wines based on the same grapes elsewhere.

The production of Champagne involves two fermentations, the second of which is in the bottle itself, where the wine spends more than a year in contact with the lees (dead yeast cells). This is what’s known as the méthode traditionnelle (translated variously as the traditional method, classic method and so on) and, again, it’s not exclusive to Champagne.

French Crémant uses the traditional method, as does Spanish Cava, Italian Franciacorta and many others. If you taste a sparkling wine that has bready, biscuity flavours (on top of fresh citrus and green apples), chances are it’s been made using the traditional method.

So, let’s get down to those recommendations I promised you…

Prosecco: Typically made from local Glera grapes, Prosecco is produced using the “Charmat method” (a single fermentation in steel tanks without lees ageing), which makes it considerably cheaper to produce than all the traditional method bubbles mentioned above. If I’m drinking cheap Prosecco (under €10) I’m probably mixing it with orange juice in a mimosa or turning it into some sort of spritz. For the good stuff, you need to spend a bit more and buy Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG. Just trust me on this one and try something like this L’Antica Quercia.

Sekt: Also made using the tank method but this time in Germany, at its best Sekt is equal parts freshly zesty and smoothly elegant. Look out for “Deutscher Sekt” made from Riesling, which is considerably higher quality than its regular Sekt counterpart. During a visit to the Pfalz region in September, I tasted this 2022 Riesling Brut by Kassner-Simon and loved it: subtly citrusy, cleanly mineral and eminently refreshing.

Cava: Like Champagne, Cava is made using the traditional method – but with local Spanish grapes Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo instead (a few others are permitted but are less common). It’s one of my favourite sparklers because it’s often a tad less mouth-puckeringly dry than Champagne, and has plenty of that creamy mouthfeel. In Amsterdam this year, I’ve enjoyed the Oriol Rossell Cava Brut (and its Brut Nature Reserva brother) from Bilderdijk Wijnhuis and the Dominio de la Vega Cava Brut Nature from Wijnhandel van Krimpen.

Crémant: Perhaps my default sparkling wine when I’m out and about, Crémant is also made using the Champagne method, but it comes from other regions in France and often uses the grapes you’d associate with that region. In other words, Crémant de Loire is likely to be Chenin Blanc, Crémant d’Alsace is likely to be Pinot Blanc/Gris/Riesling, and Crémant de Bourgogne (my favourite) is likely to be Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Earlier this year, however, I was blown away by this Crémant de Luxembourg by Alice Hartmann: apple, pear and cream were prominent, but also cocoa beans and burnt matchstick. Gorgeous.

Franciacorta: I first tried Franciacorta – Lombardy’s answer to traditional method sparkling wine – during my WSET level 2 course (not part of the syllabus but we were in Italy at the time). In a blind tasting, it was my favourite bottle of bubbles on the table. Fine mousse, brioche goodness, like Champagne’s suave Italian cousin. It’s quite hard to get hold of outside Italy, but I’d love to give this Franciacorta from Clarabella a try.

South African sparkling: Look out for “Cap Classique Method” sparkling wines from South Africa for some great value bubbles. I discovered this Pongrácz Brut Rosé, made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, a few years ago: think subtle red berry flavours, a full-bodied texture and an elegant mousse. (If you’re not in the Netherlands, look it up on Wine-Searcher.)

English sparkling: All the British wine writers have been going nuts for English sparkling in recent years, while I remained sceptical (it’s also not that easy to acquire outside the UK). Those I’d tried seemed a little thin and lacking in body compared with their French brethren, until I tried this Nyetimber Classic Cuvée Brut from Sussex. Complex and delicate, it easily rivalled real-deal Champagne.

Dutch sparkling: The climate in the Netherlands is similar to that in both Champagne and the south of England, so of course the Dutch have now started making their own bubbles as well! Frisian winery Frysling is producing several examples of brûswyn – one of which is made from Johanniter, a lesser-known white grape variety that’s particularly well suited to cooler climates, and lengthy lees ageing for greater texture and body. I’ve been recommending it to anyone who will listen!

Over to you: which cork do you plan to pop this festive season? And do you drink your bubbles on their own or alongside breakfast pastries and aperitif canapés?