Crémant sparkling wines under £20
French crémants are always a good starting point when looking for the best sparkling wine for value options, and many can offer a convincing alternative to Champagne.
Our list below includes a ‘crowd pleasing and great value’ Crémant de Loire Blanc de Blancs, for £17.99 at Majestic (down to £14.99 when you mix six), made from 100% Chardonnay, and ‘a great alternative to an entry-level Champagne’ from a Crémant du Jura for £15.50 from the Wine Society. The Gratien & Meyer, Brut, Crémant de Loire has ‘simple, pretty scents of apples, pears and white peaches enveloped by a veil of white blossom,’ and is just £12.
Crémant de Limoux, from the Langeudoc in southern France, produces some good options below, including the Cuvée Royale Brut Crémant de Limoux NV from Waitrose which is ‘a great, affordable Champagne alternative’ and from The Wine Society, the Antech-Limoux, Heritage, Crémant de Limoux ‘a straightforward sparkler, with fresh, crisp green appley fruit.’
The two Crémant de Bordeaux sparkling wines on the list offer incredible value, with a £9 bottle from Marks & Spencer with ‘bright, breezy palate that shows more juicy apple, a bite of redcurrant acidity and creamy yeasty notes.’ Marks & Spencer also have a Crémant de Bourgogne for £10.
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For other traditional-method sparkling wines that offer great value, it’s worth looking to Cava – the Juvé y Camps Reserva Familia NV listed below has ‘bready, citrus aromas with hints of honeyed peach and white blossom’ and is £14.99. Or the Roger Goulart, Gran Cuvée 2012 for a vintage cava, where ‘five years on lees adds complexity and a lovely honeyed note to the palate.’
It’s not easy to find the best Champagne at the £20 price point, but we’ve found a few options. There’s Lidl’s Comte de Senneval, Champagne 2014, a wine ‘all about crisp red apple and red berry fruit – vibrant, youthful and fresh’, as does the Tesco Finest, Premier Cru Champagne, which is ‘fresh, and lively, with toasty notes and a good weight of crisp apple fruit.’
Prosecco under £20
Looking beyond France, Italy is home to many great sparkling wines – the most famous being Prosecco. As it’s popularity grew, there are many wines out there that do a disservice to the name, but our team have picked the best Prosecco to look out for, including the Morrisons £7 option, ‘refreshing green apple, white blossom and lemon on the nose, crisp and frothy on the palate’.
The new category of Prosecco rosé DOC has also been approved recently and the first bottles hit the shelves in recent months. This category is one that Decanter’s Amy Wislocki recently called a ‘great success…Prosecco and rosé wine have been such a hit, separately, with consumers.’
Amy has tasted a range of the first bottles on offer in the UK, the Harvey Nichols Prosecco Rosé, which has ‘lively red berry and redcurrant, citrus and some cherry flavours, fragrant and juicy’. There’s also one from the Kylie Minogue wine range , which is £12 at Tesco and ‘perfect for summer parties.’
You could always transport yourself to the Italian gastronomy heartland of Emilia-Romagna with a bottle of Lambrusco, such as Monte delle Vigne Lambrusco 2018, ‘a fine example made from 100% Lambrusco Maestri’ and great for pairing with food. Or the sparkling Grillo from Sicily, ‘perfect to enjoy on the warmest evenings.’
English sparkling wine under £20
For fans of English sparkling wine, it can be harder to find examples around this price point – but Tesco’s Finest English Sparkling which is ‘full of both fresh and baked green apple aromas and flavours, with creamy notes and a lick of lime’, and comes in at exactly £20. Morrisons has also released one at £17 which is has a ‘crunchy palate of green apple and citrus with depth of brioche and butter’ – or you can get the vintage one for £18.
For something a bit more off-beat, there’s the ‘Pét Not’ from London urban winery Vagabond, for £15.95. A ‘non-disgorged, traditional-fermented sparkling’, hence its name of “Pét-Not”… Fast, furious bubbles, quite yeasty and fresh, with a dry, crisp character.’
New world sparkling wine under £20
Cool-climate New World wines are also ones to explore, as highlighted by Dirceu Vianna Junior MW who picked a selection of New World sparkling wines under £20, where often your money can go that bit further.
There’s an ‘extraordinary example of blanc de blancs, made with 100% Chardonnay that was hand-selected’ from Cape Beck for £16.99, or at a similar price point a ‘harmonious, complex and beautifully made’ sparkling wine from Wairau Valley, Marlborough.
Best sparkling wine for under £20: 30 wines to seek out
First published in 2020 and most recently updated July 2021.
