Sparkling ideas for spring
Spring isn’t just for blossoms – it’s also for bubbles! From Crémant, Champagne and Cava to two top local sparkling wines, Drinks Editor James Viner selects seven standout bottles for longer, warmer days…
Spring has arrived which means it’s time for some uplifting, finely tuned fizz! Cool climates like ours, where grapes (high in acidity and not usually boldly flavoured) often struggle to ripen, are perfect for premium sparkling wines. The choice is vast, and the quality has never been higher.
There are no tank-method sparklers (arrivederci Prosecco!) — instead, each wine is produced by the meticulous traditional method, with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle. To celebrate International Sauvignon Blanc Day on May 1, I’ve also included a zesty Chilean crowd-pleaser.
Here’s where to invest your vernal taste buds…
1. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Cava Brut NV, Spain (£9, Sainsbury’s, 11.5%)
Drier than most, this método tradicional Cava blends Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo. Bright lime, pear and crisp apple deliver a zippy, smart and quietly characterful Catalan sparkler. Better still, the price drops to just £6.75 on the next buy-six-save-25% offer. Excellent with tapas, as well as Cantonese and Indian dishes. Sparks with life.
2. Morrisons The Best Crémant de Limoux Rosé NV, Sieur d’Arques, Languedoc, France (£12.50, Morrisons, 12.5%)
If you’re buying bubbly for a crowd, this vibrant pink party fizz from the cool foothills of the Pyrenees is the rosé to pour. Made mainly from Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, it’s a tip-top traditional-method wine brimming with tangy raspberry, red cherry and crunchy apple – a lively, wallet-friendly alternative to Champagne.
3. The Society’s Celebration Crémant de Loire 2023, France (£13.75, The Wine Society, 12%)
On-song Gratien & Meyer – long a trusted source of stylish Society-label sparkling wine – makes sophisticated, affordable fizz in the Loire. This lively aperitif is reminiscent of meadow grass, pears, green apples and lime. Hard to fault – and so easy to enjoy! Pair with fish canapés and seafood. Ideal for wedding receptions.
4. Waitrose Blanc de Noirs Brut NV Champagne, Maison Alexandre Bonnet, France (£25, offer until 28 April, down from £28, Waitrose, 12%)
Champagne is the archetypal sparkling wine, and this one has real punch and verve. Think plum, red apple, pink grapefruit, pastry and nuts, with a spray of saline acidity. Ideal with lamb, game and soft, mild cheeses. Right at the top of the supermarket own-label tree. 100% Pinot Noir. Impeccably balanced.
5. Balfour Blanc de Blancs Brut NV, Kent (£22.50 Clubcard price or £26, Tesco, 12%)
New season, new arrivals at Tesco. Savour this poised, bone-dry, delectable aperitif from Balfour Winery in Staplehurst. A blend of 94% Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, it shows fine, lacy acidity, pristine fruit purity, and a medley of orchard fruit, buttered toast, and citrus. A deliciously refined choice for fish and chips. Supermarket fizz has never looked sharper.
6. Les Pionniers Vintage Champagne 2013, Piper-Heidsieck, France (£33.50, Co-op, 12%)
Creamy, savoury and complex, this is the best own-label supermarket vintage Champagne I’ve tried recently, with confident notes of brioche, stone fruit, lemon posset, baked apple, nuts and flowers. The finish lingers, inviting another glass. Serve at 11-12°C (not ice-cold). A stellar-value, chic bottle from top-tier Piper-Heidsieck. Bonjour Comté! 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay.
7. Mereworth Wines White from Black 2021, Kent (£40 for Loyalty Card members or £45, mereworth.co.uk, 11.5%)
Compelling Pinot Noir-led (92%, with 8% Pinot Meunier) bubbly from one of Kent’s top boutique estates, with vineyards on the Greensand Ridge, with ragstone and sandy loam topsoil, overlooking Wateringbury, right next to the busy A26 Tonbridge Road. Marrying stone fruit, summer berries and roasted almond flavours with dancing acidity, this is achingly pure and elegant. The finish races away, leaving you reaching for more. Notwithstanding its price and breeding, this is first and foremost a classy, revitalising wine — it’s also a whizz with charcuterie, duck à l’orange and cheese boards.
Ready for a taste-bud-tingling visit? Mereworth Wines, set in historic Brewer’s Hall Oast, offers midweek and weekend tours and tastings (£30–£35). Friday food, wine and cocktails, plus relaxed Sunday and Bank Holiday jazz with pizza and (bookable) afternoon teas, make it a sociable spot. More details here.
Explore the Loyalty Card Membership and events calendar. Highlights include an exclusive wine tour and tasting with head winemaker Scott Gebbie on 25 June during English Wine Week. Get in early. Book a tasting, grab a glass, and make a day of it—the Friday evening tour, tasting, and pizza (£48) is a standout—book here.
CHEERS TO INTERNATIONAL SAUVIGNON BLANC DAY (FRIDAY, 1 MAY)! Try this…
Errazuriz Estate Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2025, Chile (£7.50 Clubcard price or £9, Tesco, 12%)
Sauvignon Blanc – parent of Cabernet Sauvignon – is easily the UK’s most popular white grape. This coastal Chilean example from the Aconcagua region is fresh and direct, with a mouth-watering tropical fruit, pea pod, white currant and herbaceous riff. Hello grilled fish, goat’s cheese and a plate of steamed new-season English asparagus (Bacchus works well, too). ¡Salud!
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