The facts at a glance

Here are the best-known sparkling wines

Champagne France’s famous and prestigious fizz

Prosecco Popular Italian bubbly, great for parties

Cava Great value good quality fizz from Spain

English Sparkling Serious contender for Champagne’s crown

Crémant Champagne stylefizz from across France

Read on for a more detailed guide to the different styles of sparkling wine.

There are three main methods used to create sparkling wine:

• Traditional Method or “Méthode Traditionelle”,

• Tank or “Charmat Method”,

• Conventional or Ancestral Method.

Traditional Method: This approach makes premium sparkling wines, like Champagne, Cava and certain Crémant wines. A secondary fermentation happens by adding a blend of sugar and yeast (known as liqueur de tirage) to the wine, which is then bottled. This mixture creates carbon dioxide, forming bubbles inside the bottled wine. The wine then matures on its lees (dead yeast cells). It’s these techniques that give the wine its classic biscuity, brioche notes, layered complexity and creamier taste. This technique is also termed “Méthode Champenoise.”

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Tank: The Tank Method, also called the “Charmat Method”, gives winemakers a faster alternative to the Traditional Method and is typically less expensive. This is the method for making Prosecco. Instead of happening in an individual bottle, the secondary fermentation (the one that creates those bubbles) happens in a large, pressurised stainless steel tank. This, plus a shorter contact with lees, gives these sparkling wines a lighter body and fresher, more evident fruity flavours.

Love this fresh, easy-drinking style? Then explore our extensive range of Prosecco.

Ancestral Method: Believed to be the oldest way of producing sparkling wine, the Ancestral Method involves winemakers pausing the fermentation process by using cooler temperatures. Once bottled, the trapped carbon dioxide bubbles form as fermentation completes, giving lightly effervescent wines.

Other techniques exist for sparkling wine production, including carbonisation. Here, carbon dioxide is directly infused into the wine before bottling it under pressure, preserving the effervescence – much like how soft drinks are carbonated.

Named after a village in Trieste, Italy, Prosecco is often considered just a budget-friendly alternative to Champagne, but it actually has its own unique flavour profile thanks to the tank method.

Prosecco usually falls under the dry (or “brut”) category of sparkling wines and comes in various styles, from a gentle fizz (look for“frizzante” on the label) to full bubbles (known as “spumante”). Its medium to high acidity paired with zesty, white fruit flavours offers a vibrant, fruity, easy-drinking glass.

This sparkling wine is a match made in heaven for aromatic Thai cuisine, subtle cheeses, charcuterie, and fruits like strawberries and peaches.

A sparkling gem from Spain, Cava is produced like Champagne using the Traditional Method but with grapes like Macabeu, Mataro, Xarel·lo, Chardonnay and Parallada. Cava is known for its delicate bubbles and, similar to Champagne, that blend of zestiness and creaminess.

Cava styles vary from white to rosé and from very dry to sweet, often boasting flavours of citrus, apple, almond, pear and blossom. Light-bodied with medium alcohol content and lively acidity, Cava is a refreshing – and often great value – glass for most occasions.

Its citrus flavours and bright acidity mean it’s the ideal sparkling wine to serve with tricky greens like asparagus and artichokes, aged cheeses like Parmesan and Manchego, fried fish, seafood paella and tapas dishes like tortilla and jamón.

Though Champagne is still France’s most famous sparkling wine, Crémant is the wine lover’s “hidden gem.” It’s the name given to wines produced outside the Champagne region that use the Traditional Method. In short, you can enjoy all the flavour of Champagne … without the price tag. In fact, Crémant can sometimes offer a slightly richer, creamier texture than Champagne, making it ideal for leisurely aperitif sipping.

Most Crémant wines are from the Loire Valley and are a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc grapes. This combination creates a dry, gentle-tasting sparkling wine with peach, lemon peel, green apple, almond, and honey. 

This wine goes beautifully with starters such as charcuterie and olives, as well as sweet dishes like strawberry tart.

It’s hard not to love Moscato d’Asti, the sparkling wine made from Moscato grapes found in Italy’s Asti region. It uses a unique production method, where the grapes are softly pressed right after being picked to retain their fruity flavours and bubbles come from primary fermentation in a tank rather than any secondary fermentation.

Floral, fruity and fun, Moscato d’Asti is loved for its peach, orange blossom and distinctly grape-y flavour. With its low alcohol content, sweetness and gentle fizz, it’s perhaps the most easy-drinking of the sparkling wines (if not of wines in general). 

An ideal glass on a hot summer’s day, it’s also perfect when served alongside desserts, like sponge cakes and fruit pastries or salty salami, roasted nuts and hard, aged cheeses.