Curated Guide: Alternatives to Champagne

We all love a glass or two of bubbles and not to mention how intricate and fascinating Champagne is when you really start to get the know the process and what’s involved behind the label you see on a wine bottle. There is incredible history behind the Champagne wine region but also the wine making techniques are truly admired on a global platform.

Only wine produced from the Champagne region in France, can be called champagne. France has some of world’s strictest rules in the world around for wine making and as a result, only sparkling wine made in Champagne, can be called, champagne.  

The OG of the sparkling wine world. Champagne carry quite a high price tag depending many aspects including where the grapes are grown, and more importantly if the champagne is a vintage wine.

While we love champagne and definitely don’t want to steer you away from it, we’ve got some alternatives for you to try if you are looking to branch out and explore sparkling wines and the regions they come from.

First up, Prosecco!

With a long history and originating in northeast Italy and made with the grape variety Glera, these sparkling wines are fresh and light to medium bodied with zesty citrus flavours, melon, apple and pear with a subtle floral character. Prosecco is often great value for money if it’s been produced in Italy thanks to this variety producing high yields and also because it costs a lot less to produce in comparison to the likes of champagne.

Prosecco is versatile and can be drank as an aperitif or paired with a meal, try pairing it with a spicy Thai dish! Prosecco can come in a range of sweetness levels (from dry to sweet), but most are produced either dry or extra dry.

Cava

Previously known as ‘Spanish Champagne’ Cava is what you need to know about for value for money! You can get some incredible value Cava and the beauty of it is, that it’s made in the same way that champagne is – known as the ‘traditional method’

If you’re interested in the wine-geek facts, the grape varieties cava is made from is mostly Xarello, Parellada and Macabeo, while rosé cavas are made from red grapes including Garnacha Pinot Noir and Trepat.

Cava may just be a closer rival to champagne than Prosecco based on the ageing process the wine goes through. As a minimum cava ages for 9 months on the lees, so you’ll likely find some nutty, bread and toasted flavours. If you love this about champagne, then you should definitely scout out some cava! Young cava will be more fruit focussed with citrus and apple leading the palate.

Pair your Cava as you would with a champagne, perfect with a cheese platter or pair with seafood and light chicken dishes.

Crémant

When you want the same great taste as champagne without the price tag, Crémant is what you need to seek out. Made in the traditional method, or the same method as champagne, these wines scream value for money. Crémant is a French sparkling wine, but as it is made outside of the Champagne region, it of course, can’t be called champagne.

Coming from France, laws apply around where Crémant is produced, how it’s produced and the varieties of grapes it can be made with. There are only some appellations in France where Crémant can be produced so keep an eye out for the likes of Crémant d’Alsace, Crémants de Loire, de Bourgogne, du Jura, de Savoie, de Limoux and Crémant de Bordeaux.  

What’s the flavour profile and how does it differ to champagne? Typically, these wines give you a lovely biscuit and nuttiness on the palate, tied incredibly with flavours of soft grapefruit, lemon and apple. Soft but impactful, super easy on the palate and an easy food pairing option – what more could you want?

Pet Nat

Shall we call it the sparkling with the least intervention? Pet Nat (formally known as Pétillant-Naturel) is another sparkling wine on the rise, which you may want to check out. Given its minimal intervention when it’s made, you might hear Pet Nat classified as a natural wine. Similar to the other alternatives we’ve mentioned, Pet Nat doesn’t carry the typical price tag champagne does, but it is made in the traditional method.

Fun facts on how Pet Nat is made: Yeast are obviously added to the wine to kick start the fermentation process in order to bring you that wine you’re holding out for, but what you will get with Pet Nat is, that the fermentation process is finished off in the bottle and delivered to you in the same bottle it all started in. That’s right, those dead yeast cells are never released (disgorged) and the wine is unfiltered with sediment and lees (aka dead yeast). Count these as completely harmless, you have nothing to worry about except sitting back and enjoying all that goodness.

Here we’re talking about a wine on a different level to the likes of champagne, but if you want to explore wines made in a similar method, and those made in a more ‘natural’, minimal intervention way, then Pet Nat might be one to add to your list to try.

Its light, spritzy, funky and everything in between. Perfect for long summer lunches and best enjoyed with friends over a long lunch.

Aside from these wines mentioned above, many regions around the world now create their own sparkling wines still using the traditional method that champagne is made in, so you might find you have many more options at your fingertips to scout out. Try seek out wines from cooler climate regions where you’ll reap the rewards of a light, acidic, zippy sparkling – just delicious.

There we have it! 

If anything, this article will open you up more to the world of sparkling wine, and if you aren’t able to track down some of the wine styles mentioned in this article, revert to checking out stunning sparkling wines from around the globe! The world is your oyster when it comes to sparkling wines.

Cheers wine lovers and hope you’ve got something out of this article to get you on your way to drinking better wines!

Be sure to follow us on @curated_drops for all things wine, food and experiences.

Cheers!