Champagne alternatives: 25 great bottles to stock up on

With 10 years of age, this is vivid with honey and camomile on the nose. This is from Champagne Taittinger’s Californian outpost, where vineyards are cooled by Pacific breezes, yet the sunshine is undeniable. This same juxtaposition replays deliciously on the palate, which is as bracing as the ocean yet ripened with sunshine. The mousse is super-fine, and the palate is utterly bright and mouthwatering. There is slenderness but autolytic expression and an ever-present lemon radiance. Elegant, serious, gastronomic.

From one of the coolest and sunniest areas on the Californian coast, few wines come with such pedigree as this collaboration between Rodolphe Péters from Champagne and both the owner and winemaker of Domaine de Montille in Burgundy. Subtle sea breeze, lemon and butter biscuit on a bright nose might easily make you mistake this for Champagne. Very fine mousse and lightness on the palate are elegant, while vivid brightness and stony depth speak of coolest climate. 100% Chardonnay, based on the 2018 vintage with 15% reserve wines from 2017.

White nougat with toasted almonds and fresh sponge cake dominate the nose of this always-reliable Italian stalwart from the Alpine heights of Trentino. Made from estate-grown fruit only, this is an elegant sparkler with its vivid altitude-induced freshness countered by subtle richness and supported by fine mousse. Purity, briskness, real depth and poise make this such a winner. You just want to take another sip.

Everything about this is subtle: the creamy nose, gentle body, smooth mousse, silky mouthfeel. No wonder, since this is a so-called Satèn, made with slightly lower pressure to result in sheer creaminess. Oak ageing of base wines and long lees contact in bottle spells class. The palate is just as creamy, sporting a sense of apricot and ripe lemon, showing off its Franciacorta ripeness and gentleness. This is for everyone who loves fine sparkling wine but shies away from acidity: here is the creamy, elegant solution.

Half of this classy blanc de blancs was fermented in 10-year-old small barrels, the other half in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation was avoided and the wines were blended to then spend four years on lees. The nose is subtle and opens up slowly into notions of ripe Amalfi lemon. The palate is slender, bright and strikes an immediate balance, underlined by a creamy, fine, lemony mousse, complemented by exquisite zestiness. As the wine warms up, there is almost a tangerine overtone. Lovely.

Made from grapes harvested across Tasmania with 2015 being the base vintage and some base wine fermented in oak, this is slightly reduced at the outset. But boy does it open up to reveal hints of pistachio, clear honey and oaky creaminess. The mousse is super-fine and slight evolution shows with notions of crème caramel and maple syrup spiciness. Wonderful complexity pairs with Tasmania’s undeniable and indelible freshness. A steal, really.

Daniel Le Brun is an expat Champenois transplanted to Marlborough in New Zealand. This wine is a ‘proud tribute’ to his daughter Virginie. Freshly baked shortcrust pastry marries with oyster shell on the nose, alongside an ozone breeze and creaminess. The palate redoubles on that oyster shell note and adds more saltiness, the body is light, but the fine mousse holds oceanic briskness, elegance and a whole lot of lemon. Beautiful resonance lasts and lasts.

Traditional-method fizz from Chenin Blanc can be tricky, but Foreau shows everyone else how it is done. A slight camomile lift shows evolution on the nose while bright, juicy yellow apple speaks of freshness. The body is light and the mousse is fine, each bubble imbued with a savoury saltiness and exquisite depth. The freshness of the 2014 vintage radiates its brightness. Elegance, style, tautness and length, all rolled into one slender but very expressive body. Exquisite.

Owned by Champagne Roederer, this northern Californian sparkler comes with calibre. It opens on notions of creamy plum while lively bubbles showcase the cool briskness of the Pacific coast along with California sunshine with notes of ripe, juicy red apple, backed by shortcrust pastry. Generous and fresh at the same time.

Made from Chardonnay grapes grown just 12km from the cold Pacific, this needs a bit of swirling to get rid of initial reduction, but underneath that a world of tropical fruit opens up, aligned to Chardonnay’s corn husk scent. The palate unites this fruit with maize meal autolysis, supple oak nuttiness with vivid lemon. Two-thirds of the base wine was aged in French oak before maturing five years in bottle. The body is light and bright but the flavours are rich, with a really long umami finish. Elegant, individual and most gastronomic.

After spending six years on lees, this is as fresh as a daisy on the nose: bright, citric with classy creaminess – but not a wrinkle. The palate is light and lively with very fine bubbles persisting gently. The low dosage highlights the salty, gently yeasty autolysis, and allows this to shine with lemony intensity on its ultra-light, elegant body. A classic, strait-laced style that shows its evolution with subtle corn husk savouriness on the nose and the merest hint of maple syrup spice on the finish. Classy apero or for delicate seafood dishes.

The name Altemasi is derived from the high-altitude farms that grow the grapes that go into this cooperative’s blend. Made from 100% Chardonnay grown at up to 650m, this is vividly fresh with ripe, juicy lemon and delicate overtones of summer blossom. The palate shows lively mousse and the exquisite briskness of Alpine heights. Very much a blanc de blancs style, full of brightness, light but textured with gentle wheat crust autolysis and a trace of creaminess from oak fermentation of a portion of the base wines. Elegant and fresh.

Made from a co-fermented field blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier and Pinot Gris grown biodynamically in Wiltshire, this Bramley and Golden Delicious apple scented wine is creamy, elegant, fruity and bold all at once. Superbly expressive, this is one to have with grilled cocktail sausages or around a bonfire. All about this says country, but in the creamiest, smoothest way possible. The fruit is ripe, so the zero dosage style suits it well. Its honesty and sheer delicious drinkability are disarming. Biodynamic.

Harvested in late October 2019 from a single parcel of Chardonnay vines, this is from an English relative newcomer in Oxfordshire. Buttery roundness is there from the off, as is ripe, crunchy yellow apple and a whole lot of creaminess. The combination of fresh, tart, juicy apple and mellow, buttery, nutty richness continues just as compellingly on the palate. Vivid, fresh, brisk and nonetheless generous, this shows off yet another part of England with great potential.

Made by the Araldica co-op, this traditional-method 100% Pinot Noir sparkler is from the historic Il Cascinone estate in the Langhe hills above Acqui Terme. The grapes were grown up to 400m and this spent 6.5 years on lees. Opening with rounded creaminess on the nose, inflected with rye bread and quince jelly, this is true to its blanc de noirs style, expressing rounded, full fruit. A bright phenolic edge adds a structural element that destines this for the table, despite its relatively light body, getting more honeyed with air.

With more than two years on lees and 25% of reserve wines, this opens with a honeyed nose alongside mellow notes of Red Delicious apple that signal some evolution. The palate, likewise, has a waxy note of age that plays alongside the attractive creaminess of the mousse. Rounded apple flavours come with crisp, brisk freshness. Complex and bold.

Additions of 5% each of Trousseau and Poulsard really place this in the Jura, and what is more, the sugar used to start the second fermentation consisted of sweet vin de paille. The first notion on the nose is melted butter and ripe yellow apple flesh covered in morning dew. The palate is mellow, rounded, smooth and ripe, yet beautifully slender with a very creamy texture and gentle mousse. That note of morning dew persists, like a clear morning at altitude. A perfect wine to round off an evening: mellow yet fresh, light and smooth. Disgorged in November 2021. Biodynamic.

The fruitiness and verve of this light-bodied yet concentrated sparkler from Luxembourg will surprise you. This is all about juicy stone fruit, think Mirabelle plums and pale peaches, backed with gentle sponge cake flavours with wonderful lemon brightness. Very balanced and the very definition of an aperitif.