22 Sparkling Wines for Every Kind of Holiday Party

Once upon a time, buying sparkling wine for the holidays was simple: There was Champagne. (OK, there was also André Cold Duck, but let’s not go there. I’m still not even sure what it is.) But these days, there are excellent sparkling wines being made all over the globe, or at least the parts of the globe where you can grow grapes for wine — I’m waiting for that bottle of Antarctic sparkling ice wine, but even with global warming, I’m not holding my breath for it.

Even so, Champagne is still the king, both in terms of price and reputation (and, the Champenois would argue, quality). At the very top levels, I have to agree. The greatest Champagnes are still the greatest sparkling wines in the world (and priced accordingly). But in the midrange, you can now find wines like Franciacortas from Italy, top Cavas from Spain, and wonderful California sparkling wines that rival Champagnes for quality and are often less expensive, too. Then, at the affordable level, there are excellent buys from everywhere: Italian Proseccos, basic Cavas from Spain, and sparkling wines from South Africa, the Loire Valley, Tasmania, and dozens of other places. It’s a bounty of bubbles out there. Go forth, buy, and share.

Bubbles to Begin

NV Dr. Fischer Steinbock Alcohol-free Sparkling Riesling ($18)

This bottle goes a long way toward making the case that Riesling is one of the best varieties for nonalcoholic wines; it’s citrusy and alive and full of Riesling character.

2017 Juvé & Camps Reserva de la Familia Brut Nature Gran Reserva ($23)

Cava remains one of the great deals in sparkling wine, particularly from top family-owned wineries like Juvé & Camps. This bottling from organic grapes is citrusy and crisply dry.

NV Ca’ del Bosco Cuvée Prestige Edizione 45 Brut ($42)

Founder Maurizio Zanella has been key to the rise of Franciacorta as one of the great sparkling wines of the world, both by lobbying for heightened quality and by making wines like this supple, lemony cuvée.

2022 Villa Sandi Prosecco Rosé Millesimato ($22)

Who says rosé is just for summer? Pink bubbles are a great start to the holiday, and this berry-bright Prosecco does the trick. It’s made from Glera, the traditional grape of Prosecco, plus Pinot Noir.

2018 Domaine Carneros Estate Brut Cuvée ($38)

California’s Domaine Carneros got its start in 1987, when the Champagne Taittinger family bought land in the Carneros region. This pear-scented sparkling wine is a great holiday party pour.

NV Champagne Ayala Brut Nature ($81)

Most Champagnes have a bit of sugar added to tame the wine’s intense acidity; brut nature Champagnes do not. They’re a high-wire act, but in the right hands, the approach leads to thrillingly precise expressions like this one.

Party Pours

Poema Pura Organic Brut Cava ($15)

It’s usually a rare thing to find affordable sparkling wine made in reasonable quantities that uses organically grown grapes. This Cava is a happy exception. It’s zippy and bright, with the green apple and lemon-lime notes classic to Cava.

La Vieille Ferme Sparkling Blanc ($15)

This French sparkler from the family that makes Château Beaucastel, one of the Rhône’s greatest reds, is possibly the perfect holiday brunch option. It’s light and citrusy, with a faint touch of toasted bread.

NV Graham Beck Cap Classique Brut ($20)

What a pleasant surprise this juicy, citrusy sparkler from South Africa’s Graham Beck is. A light earthy note rides along below the fresh, bright flavors, giving it a bit more complexity than you might expect.

NV Bisol Crede Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore ($25)

The Bisol family has been growing grapes for more than 500 years, and that experience informs this graceful Prosecco. Crede is local dialect for “clay,” found in the soils of the Valdobbiadene hills.

2019 Murgo Brut Metodo Classico ($30)

We poured this Sicilian wine blind at the 2022 F&W Classic in Aspen, and most people guessed it was pricey Champagne; it’s that good. It’s made from Nerello Mascalese grapes, which grow on the slopes of Mount Etna.

Great Gifts

Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut ($29)

Huet, one of the great names in Vouvray, was one of the first estates to farm biodynamically in all of France. This vibrant sparkling wine suggests ripe apples with a faint salty, savory edge.

Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Sainte Anne Brut ($60)

Alexandre Chartogne’s intro-level cuvée, from family vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, is one of Champagne’s top nonvintage bruts: layered, complex, and rich, but full of finesse.

Jansz Tasmania Premium Rosé ($30)

Tasmania’s cool, ocean-influenced climate is perfect for sparkling wine production, and Jansz takes full advantage of that. This crisp sparkler balances toasty brioche notes against light strawberry flavors.

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier Latitude Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut ($65)

Pierre and Sophie Larmandier were biodynamic pioneers in Champagne. This 100% Chardonnay cuvée is lemony, floral, and brilliantly focused.

Berlucchi ’61 Franciacorta Brut ($35)

The citrusy, minerally, impeccably food-friendly character of this sparkler makes it perfect for dinner parties. Also: Berlucchi cofounder Franco Ziliani is known as a “father of Franciacorta.”

Champagne Delamotte Brut ($66)

Delamotte is often known as the sister house to the astronomically expensive Champagne Salon. But Delamotte has its own personality, with floral aromas and an irresistibly creamy texture.

Time to Splurge

2015 Roederer Estate L’Ermitage ($68)

“Freshness and precision. That’s what the Anderson Valley gives us,” winemaker Arnaud Weyrich says about this top-notch California sparkling wine. He’s certainly right: It’s perfectly poised, all that elegance playing against hints of vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, and orange peel.

Petit & Bajan Nymphea Grand Cru Brut Rosé ($70)

One of the newer names in grower Champagne (estate producers who grow all their own grapes), Petit & Bajan makes a range of excellent cuvées, among them this copper-hued rosé, full of red-fruit flavors alongside a light spiciness and fresh acidity.

2019 Roco RMS Brut ($75)

Winemaker Rollin Soles basically started sparkling wine production in Oregon at Argyle and now continues his work at Roco (a portmanteau of his first name and his wife Corby’s). This is one of the Willamette Valley’s best examples, with vivid apple-pear flavors and notes of ginger and toast.

2014 Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année Brut ($190)

Bollinger’s La Grande Année has long been a benchmark in vintage Champagne, and the 2014 vintage is no exception. This golden-hued wine is racy and zesty up front, but the long aging it receives adds textural depth, giving it a richness that lasts and lasts.

2008 Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Louis Blanc de Blancs Brut ($199)

Billecart-Salmon’s tête-de-cuvée bottling is aged a remarkable 12 years before it’s disgorged, and yet it remains pinpoint-precise, its complex flavors (apple, pear, lemon, pastry, orange oil) blending the way notes go together to create a single thrilling chord.