How To Choose The Right Sparkling Wine For You

Learning how to choose sparkling wine will greatly enhance your enjoyment of a beautiful bottle of bubbly. When you’re not au fait with the world of wine terms and you haven’t ventured that far into sparkling wine territory, the choice can be overwhelming and confusing.

This beginner’s guide breaks down different types of sparkling wines and their flavours, so you are better equipped to make the best choice for you. And if you want to get right into browsing your options, you can explore our full sparkling wine range to see what’s out there.

What To Look For In A Sparkling Wine

If you’re unsure where to start, it’s a good idea to think about what kinds of tastes you like. Sparkling wines can be sweet or dry, light or rich. Here is how to tell what kind of flavours and characteristics a wine will give you:

1. Sweetness Level

Generally, there are about four main categories on the sweetness scale for sparkling wines that you’ll see on their labels. From sweetest to driest, these are:

• Demi-Sec: The sweetest-tasting sparkling wine, which is best for dessert pairings.
• Extra Dry: Extra Dry wines retain some dryness but are on the sweeter side. Prosecco is the most common example.
• Brut: Brut wines are mostly dry with a touch of sweetness. It is generally the most popular sweetness level for sparkling wine, with English sparkling wines and Champagne being the best examples.
• Extra Brut: Extra Brut wines have little to no sugar content, making them the driest style of sparkling wine.

2. Grape Variety

The sweetness or dryness of a sparkling wine depends on the production process and the grape variety. Learning more about grape varieties can unlock different ways of choosing the right sparkling wine for you.

The most common grape varieties used include:

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is one of the most common sparkling grape varieties because of its versatility. It’s a neutral grape which is influenced by the climate in which it is grown. Chardonnay grapes cultivated in cooler climates have more acidity, while warmer climates produce grapes with a more buttery, full-bodied feel.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is a red grape variety which is often blended with Chardonnay grapes in sparkling wines. It adds complex flavours, including red berries and mushrooms. They often have sweet aromas with a slight spice.

Pinot Meunier

Pinot Meunier grapes are also used in Champagne blends, giving bold flavours of juicy red fruits and adding brightness to any sparkling wine.

Pinot Gris

The Pinot Gris grape makes for dry, aromatic sparkling wines with noticeable citrus notes. It’s often used in Italian sparkling wines.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc grapes lend sparkling wines a refreshing, herbaceous flavour and are very dry in character.

3. Budget

When you think of sparkling wine, you may immediately think of opulent bottles of Champagne. There are many different types of sparkling wine at various prices that are still of fine quality. Generally, the production method affects the price.

Traditional Method

The Traditional Method is the most venerated form of sparkling wine production. It is associated with Champagne and other fine wines, including premium English sparkling wine. It is also how Bolney Estate sparkling wines are made.

The method involves two fermentations, one in the barrel and one in the bottle, and hand methods like riddling and disgorging. The wine also needs to be significantly aged.

Tank Method

Also called the Charmat method, this production process is swifter than the traditional one. The wine will be transferred to a large pressurised tank for secondary fermentation.

The shorter ageing time reduces the price of the bottled product and yields a lighter wine that’s very fruit-forward.

Examples include the Italian sparkling wines Prosecco and Moscato d’Asti.

Transfer Method

The Transfer Method is a meld of the above two methods. The secondary fermentation happens in the bottle, but instead of riddling (gradually orienting the bottle by hand until it’s upside down), the deposits formed during ageing are filtered through a tank.

Because of the production techniques, the Transfer Method is more cost-effective and retains much of the finer quality associated with traditional-method wine.

Examples include some New World sparkling wines and some French producers such as Louis Picamelot Cuvée Brut.

Carbonation Method

In this method, there is no secondary fermentation. The carbonation that makes the wine sparkling is achieved by injecting carbon dioxide into the wine. This makes it the least expensive method for sparkling wine, but the finished product lacks some flavour and maturity.

Examples include more affordable supermarket sparkling wines.

What Are the Different Types of Sparkling Wine?

It would be impossible to list all of the sparkling wine varieties, but the varieties you will most often see on the shelves include:

Champagne

Champagne is the name reserved for sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. Made using the traditional method, Champagnes are considered prestigious and carry a price tag to match. Champagne tends to have delicate flavours and nutty notes, and is best enjoyed on its own rather than in a cocktail, for example.

Prosecco

Italy’s sparkling wine of choice, Prosecco, is lighter and sweeter than Champagne with fruitier notes. It’s also made using the tank method, so it’s priced lower than its French counterpart. Prosecco is great for cocktails like an Aperol Spritz, a Buck’s Fizz, or a Hugo.

Cava

Cava is not as sweet as Prosecco and is more like Champagne in taste. However, it’s less acidic and zestier with pleasing citrus aromas and hints of bready nuttiness.

English Sparkling Wine

English sparkling wine has been steadily making a name for itself. At Bolney Wine Estate, we have been making award-winning sparkling wine for the last 50 years with grapes grown in our Sussex vineyards. We make all of our sparkling wines in the traditional method, producing fine bottles of bubbly adored by critics and customers alike.

Choose a sparkling wine from our innovative range, including whites, reds, and rosés. Our popular Blanc de Blancs has a smooth texture, complemented by elegant citrus and hazelnut aromas, with a wonderfully creamy finish. Or, for a crisper white, our Bolney Bubbly has delightful notes of red cherry, strawberries, and candyfloss.

Visit Bolney Wine Estate for a Sparkling Wine Experience

If you’re eager to truly experience the world of sparkling wine, there’s no better way than visiting Bolney Wine Estate. Come and explore our Sussex vineyards, learn about the traditional methods behind our award-winning sparkling wines, and enjoy a guided tasting session where you can savour our full range of whites, reds, and rosés.

Book your wine tour and tasting today and discover your perfect bubbly in person.