25 of 2021’s best sparkling wines under £40, from £10 cava to champagne and English fizz

For the sheer joy of the ritual, nothing in the world of wine beats opening a bottle of fizz. The unwinding of the wire cage, the pop of the cork (which should be a controlled, hushed “phssst”, not a bang), the sound of foaming liquid poured into a tall flute, then the sight of the bubbles streaming back up to the top and blinking in the froth. It’s a very special joy.

Of course, actually drinking your sparkling wine should be even more delightful. Good balance is essential: there must be refreshing acidity but it should be tamed by just the right touch of sweetness. 

And there must be delicious fruity flavours in even the cheapest bubbly, while in a bottle-aged champagne or sparkling wine you should expect to find extra complexity and appeal from the interaction with yeast, giving rise to bready, biscuity, creamy hints.

The 25 bottles here have all these attributes and more. I’ve chosen 10 great-value bubblies (note, not all of them are inexpensive – the point is that all punch well above their price point, which can be pretty steep in the case of premium sparklers); then I’ve got five wines that are especially suited to matching with food, and 10 to splash out on when you feel like a special treat.

No apologies for including only one prosecco and far more crémants: premium sparkling wines made using the traditional bottle-age champagne method, but outside of the Champagne region. The quality of crémants available today is just much higher than it is for most proseccos, which are simply made in tanks and bottled young. 

Spain’s cava (also made in the traditional method) shouldn’t be overlooked for a moment, and the sheer number of English sparklers on this list is testament to the admirable recent success of the country’s winemakers. I’ve covered all bases, from bone-dry to super-sweet, so there is something here for everyone to have a sparkling rest of the summer.

Sweet or dry?

It’s important to know when buying whether a sparkling wine is dry, medium or sweet. Unfortunately the terms on a label that are supposed to tell us this information are not easy to understand. Here are the categories for champagne and cava; other sparklers including prosecco follow the same terms. Bear in mind that 4g of sugar is approximately one teaspoonful and the amounts given are per litre, not per bottle:

• Brut Nature: contains 0g-3g of sugar, so exceptionally dry
• Extra Brut: contains 0g-6g, also very dry
• Brut: this is by far the biggest category of champagne or sparkling wine, but wines labelled “Brut” can contain anything from 0g to 12g. At the maximum of 12g, the wines can taste slightly off-dry, so if you want to make sure you are buying a very dry style, perhaps choose a Brut Nature or Extra Brut instead. Many bruts, though, hit the “Goldilocks” button as aperitifs and for matching with light savoury food – they’re just right.
• Extra Dry/Extra Sec/Extra Seco: a category that causes much confusion as it means a wine that is somewhat sweeter than Brut, containing between 12g and 17g of sugar per litre, so medium-dry
• Dry/Sec/Seco: not really very dry, in fact, at between 17g and 32g. Medium sweet
• Demi-sec/seco: decidedly on the medium-sweet side, at 32g-50g
• Doux/dulce: properly sweet at 50g+ and best enjoyed with desserts

Spotlight on English wine

There is now widespread recognition that English sparkling wine made using the traditional champagne method can rank among the best in the world. It regularly wins top awards in international competitions, and wine lovers here have taken it to their hearts, with many discovering their local vineyards during lockdowns, or by visiting on UK holidays. 

Almost all the best examples are made from one or more of the classic champagne grapes – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier – grown in English vineyards and long aged after the second fermentation in the bottle. 

These fine fizzes have made a huge impression in recent tastings; our cooler climate allowing for a tingling acidity, delicate notes of flowers, orchard fruit and citrus, and richer depths of biscuit, bread, cream and yogurt. 

The blanc de blancs style – made entirely from white grapes, usually chardonnay – is especially exciting and, for me, represents the best of the English sparklers. 

As well as the specific wines recommended below, do check out the sparklers from Kent’s Gusbourne Estate, Jenkyn Place in Hampshire, Camel Valley in Cornwall, Furleigh Estate and Bride Valley in Dorset, Sharpham in Devon, and Ashling Park, Hoffmann & Rathbone, Nyetimber, Rathfinny and Wiston, all in Sussex.

10 bargain bubbles