10 fizzy wines for Christmas
Paolo Pizzorni Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy 2011
(37.5cl, £7.15, or £6.45 as part of a case, Jascots)
With its grape and white flower flavours, soft bubbles, and subtle sweetness, this gently sparkling white has an insouciant charm. It's just the thing to drink in the early part of Christmas Day, its 5.5% alcohol letting you keep your wits about you until the real drinking begins, although it's a fun match for lighter desserts, too.
Tesco Finest Bisol Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Italy NV
(£9.99, Tesco)
Made for Tesco by swish prosecco proponents Bisol, this gentle, easygoing fizz is delightfully sherbetty, frothy, uncomplicated fun. It has lots of fragrant, ripe pear, but, crucially, while it's not dry, it's not overweeningly sweet like some proseccos can be, which means it would also make a very decent base for a Bellini.
Cuvée Royale Crémant de Limoux, France NV
(£10.99, Waitrose)
With its relatively elevated position in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Limoux has a slightly cooler climate than other parts of the Languedoc, which helps gives its sparkling wines that crucial snap of acidity. This one is a very likeable alternative to champagne, refreshingly citrussy and crisp with a taste of lemon tart.
Mount Bluff Brut, New Zealand NV
(£10.99, Marks & Spencer)
Made using the same techniques (the fizz comes from a second fermentation in the bottle) and varieties (chardonnay and pinot noir) as champagne, this well-priced Kiwi fizz layers some gently toasty flavours over a whistle-clean, lemon-and-fresh-apple palate, making for a far more pleasurable experience than most budget champagnes.
Heidsieck Monopole Gold Top Champagne, France 2007
(£19 reduced from £28, Majestic)
At the offer price – and it has to be said this brand of champagne does seem to be on offer quite often – this is a really good buy, with none of the greenness and meanness you usually find in sub-£20 champagne. Instead, there's just a very attractive, slightly candied, patisserie shop character underscored by punchy, citrussy acidity.
Sainsbury's Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne
(£20.99, Sainsbury's)
Sainsbury's has a pair of excellent own-label sparklers on its shelves at the moment. I'd be seriously tempted by a bottle of the all-chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Brut NV when it goes on offer (£14.99, from £22.49 from 12 December), but for my money the more toasty, spicy and serious pinot meunier-pinot noir blend just shades it for quality and interest. (And if you're planning to drink more than a bottle, the magnum's on sale for the same period for £29.99).
Coates & Seely Blanc de Blancs Britagne, Hampshire, England NV
(from £24.95, Adnams; exelwines.co.uk; slurp.co.uk, sipplondon.com)
The 2012 vintage may have thrown a damp spanner in the works, but English sparkling wine continues to impress. This collaboration between ex-banker Nicholas Coates and worldly wine producer Christian Seely is one of my favourites: a 100% chardonnay, it's fresh but harmonious with a silky mousse and delicate lemon and red apple flavours.
Dosnon & Lepage Récolte Noire, Blanc de Noirs, Champagne, France NV
(£32.95, Roberson)
Dosnon & Lepage is a small, relatively new independent champagne house that has already become something of a favourite on the sommelier scene. I can see why: this savoury, red-fruited 100% pinot noir white fizz works just as well with food as it does as an aperitif. It's also stunningly vibrant, complex and suave, not to mention great value.
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs,Champagne NV
(from £50, Majestic; Lea & Sandeman; Selfridges; Jeroboams; Berry Bros & Rudd)
There's not a hair out of place in this seamless all-chardonnay fizz from a grand old champagne house (the oldest by some accounts), now part of the giant luxury goods corporation LVMH. You might pick up subtle buttered toast, patisserie cream and lemon, but it's the poise and harmony that makes this worth the money.
Eric Rodez Cuvée des Grands Vintages, Champagne NV
(£58.41, The Sampler; Fine & Rare)
A real find this, from Eric Rodez, a small grower-producer in the top-rated grand cru village of Ambonnay, who has here brought together wines produced in several vintages spanning the 1990s and early 2000s for an intensely honeyed, nutty, sumptuous but refined demonstration of the art of champagne blending.
