Great-value sparkling wine: 18 bottles to try

Established in the mid-1980s, Graham Beck focuses solely these days on Cap Classique (traditional-method sparkling) wines. This 100% Chardonnay vintage bubbly was half barrel-fermented and aged for four years on lees in bottle before disgorgement. It offers a creamy brioche depth, lively acidity and a purity of apple, pear and lemon citrus fruit. Enjoyable drinking now, but this will also develop nicely over the next decade. Mix-six price: £19.

Good value champagne, made for Waitrose by Aube's Alexandre Bonnet with up to 40% reserve wine. Both rich and vibrant with luscious Asian pear, guava, white grapefruit, dried apricots and lemon curd. Almond croissant and toasted almonds add subtle nuttiness. Pleasant and approachable, perfect as an aperitif or a palate-cleansing companion to cured cheese and charcuterie.

Winemaker Elisabet Figueres (you'd have to end up in Penedes with a surname like that!) worked stints in California and New Zealand before ending up at Castillo Perelada, the Cava producer behind this good-value own label. Like all Cavas, it's made in the traditional method, and this one is aged on lees for 15 months; far longer than the mandatory minimum nine months. Made in an aperitif style, this is clean as a whistle, crisp and easy drinking, with green apple and lemon pith vibrancy. Mix-six price: £9.

<p>At £8.75 this vintage Cava is an absolute bargain. A blend of the classic Cava grapes from old vines grown in Castillo de Perelada, it's well balanced and fresh, with lightly toasted creamy citrus aromas. Lovely vibrancy to the palate, which is light and lemony with brisk bubbles, layered with hints of stone fruit and some evolved toastiness and roasted nuts.</p>

Crisper and more precise than its Veuve Monsigny Brut partner, the Pinot Noir-led premier cru is not quite so eye-catching in terms of price, but it is a very elegant Champagne, with a tingle of pure-lemon acidity and an appealing oatcake savouriness.

<p>Always a great-value sparkling, made the same way as Champagne and left on its lees for 18 months for toasty, yeasty complexity. The 2024 release uses 2021 base wine from vines averaging 20 years, it's 43% Pinot Noir and 24% Aligote, supported by Gamay and Chardonnay. Crisp acidity, ripe red apple juiciness and a tart redcurrant finish.</p>

Morrison's English sparkling wine from its 'The Best' range never disappoints. Bruised red apple and toast on the nose. 8.5g/l of acidity provides a zesty zing on the palate – the 9.5g/l residual sugar is almost undetectable. A rich texture of brioche and red apple pastry, with more toasty depth leading to a nutty finish. A cleansing and sophisticated apéritif that offers good value. The latest release was crafted by Rolling Green Hills.

Intense yet well-woven acidity and persistent bubbles drive this pleasant Chenin Blanc-based sparkling where white orchard fruit and fleshy almonds dominate. Chardonnay adds some poise and nutty depth while a small percentage of Cabernet Franc contributes crunch, definition and herbal nuance. A perfect, and great-value, aperitif.

Champagne Louis Kremer makes this own-label fizz for Sainsbury's, a blend of equal parts Pinots Noir and Meunier with 15% Chardonnay. Appealing aromas of buttered croissant, ripe citrus and peach with toasty hints. The palate shows considerable poise for the price, with toasty complexity and stone fruit hints balancing the fresh, yeasty citrus and mineral character.

This bright, perky Mauzac sparkling (with 10% Chardonnay) offers clean, mineral-driven flavours of green apple and lemon. Its tangy apple-skin vibrancy and crisp acidity make it a refreshing party fizz with excellent clarity and focus.

Not new but one of Aldi's best-value wines – and not just in the sparkling category – this is worth buying by the case ahead of alfresco dining and picnic weather. The three classic Cava grapes come together in this deliciously dry traditional-method fizz to give crisp green apple flavours white blossom notes and a creamy, leesy finish. Impressive value.

Subtle, simple aromas span yellow and green fruit with a hint of toast. The palate is more interesting, racy and fresh, balancing creaminess with a green apple tang. A sweet creaminess makes this very approachable.

Matured on its lees for 18 months, this Pinot Noir-dominant non-vintage Champagne has a nice roundness to it, with crisp apple, hints of red fruits and spice, and some citrus zest. Good value.

Pear blossom, green apple, and citrus on the nose, with zesty crystal pears on the palate and hints of jasmine perfume. A touch of residual sugar, but with good freshness. An easy-drinking food wine, crafted by family producer Zonin for Co-op.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG is a nice step up from Prosecco DOC and is always worth considering if the price is right. Here, you get crisp apple and pear with jasmine and honeysuckle, a touch of pithy citrus and a soft, peachy finish that's both fresh and bright. Delicious.

Juicy white fruit and green citrus zest aromas with hints of brioche and sweet peach. Green fruits on the palate and touches of apple peel bitterness, with good weight thanks to nine months of ageing on lees and 9g/l of residual sugar. The estate's stone manor house can be traced back to the 11th century, and the Segura brothers have made Cava here since the 1950s.

Bored of Prosecco? Try its Italian cousin Pignoletto, made in Emilia-Romagna from the Grechetto grape. A simple but enjoyable sparkler, with pear and peach aromas, frothy bubbles and a lively palate of fresh pears, green apple and citrus, with crisp acidity.