Best prosecco and sparkling wines

Whether it's cava, crémant or prosecco, sparkling wines are ideal if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to champagne - or just fancy a change.

In March 2022 we asked a panel of wine experts to blind taste and rate 10 sparkling wines from supermarkets including Aldi, Sainsbury's and Tesco, to uncover the best wines for summer drinking.

We've also tested 10 sparkling wines to find the best for cooler climes - so whatever the time of year, we've got you covered.

Across both tests, we found some outstanding Best Buys, including several cheap and cheerful options that prove you don't need to splash out to get a great-tasting fizz.

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Best sparkling wines for summer drinking

Only logged in Which? members can view our test results and tasting notes below. If you're not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetically ordered list of the prosecco and sparkling wine on test. To get instant access, join Which?.

Aldi Specially Selected Ribolla Gialla Brut

£6.99 for 75cl 

Aldi's cheap Italian sparkling wine promises an intense, fruity flavour with zesty citrus notes. Is it a standout choice for summer parties?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Aldi.

Asda Extra Special Mas Miralda Cava Brut 2017 

£8 for 75cl, vegetarian

Asda describes its vintage Mas Miralda Cava as an exceptional full-bodied wine. But what did our expert panel make of it?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Asda.

Co-op Irresistible Prosecco

£7 for 75cl         

Its price is tempting, but how does Co-op's prosecco measure up to more expensive wines when it comes to taste?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Co-op.

Iceland Maison de la Rougerie Crémant De Bordeaux Brut

£8.75 for 75cl 

The De La Rougerie family has been producing wine since the 17th century. Is this crémant a safe bet if you're after a crowd-pleasing bubbly?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Iceland.

Lidl Crémant de Loire

£8.49 for 75cl 

According to Lidl, its Crémant de Loire is crisp and smooth with honied and gently floral characters. Was it one of our panel's favourites?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Lidl.

M&S Found Blanquette de Limoux NV

£10 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

M&S' traditional brut is made with a blend of mauzac, chenin blanc and chardonnay. Should you stock up on it this summer?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Ocado.

Morrisons The Best Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG

£10 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

This prosecco promises apple blossom aromas with vibrant green apple and pear flavours. How did it fare when we pitted it against other supermarket wines?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Crémant De Loire

£12 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

Sainsbury's says its Taste the Difference Crémant De Loire is rich on the palate with a zesty apple freshness. Does it make for a perfect party fizz?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Sainsbury's.

Tesco Gratien et Mayer Crémant de Loire

£12 for 75cl 

At £12 per bottle, this Tesco Crémant is one of the most expensive we tested. Is it worth paying more for?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Tesco.

Waitrose No 1 Castillo Perelada Cava Brut 2019

£10.79 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

Waitrose describes this as the perfect celebratory cava, with a delicate citrus fruitiness and lingering, complex finish. Did it win over our judging panel?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Waitrose.

All prices correct as of 16 May 2022.

Best sparkling wines for winter celebrations

Only logged in Which? members can view our test results and tasting notes below. If you're not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetically ordered list of the prosecco and sparkling wine on test. To get instant access, join Which?.

Asda Marques Del Norte Cava Brut

£7 for 75cl

Asda’s cava was the cheapest on test, costing nearly half the price of others we tried. Is this lower-priced wine one of our top picks?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out what our panel thought of this Asda fizz.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Asda.

M&S Classics Crémant De Bourgogne NV

£10 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan 

Made with pinot noir, aligoté, chardonnay and gamay grapes, M&S's crémant promises 'a sparkling, creamy, elegant fizz with flavours of peach blossom, apricot and redcurrants'. Did it get top marks in our taste test?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this wine ranked overall.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Ocado.

Morrisons The Best Crémant De Limoux

£12 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan 

If apple crumble and lemon curd flavours are up your street, Morrisons' crémant should be on your radar. Does it make for a delicious bubbly?

Find out how our expert panel rated it - join Which? to unlock our test results.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons.

Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Prosecco Conegliano 2020

£10 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan  

Sourced from vineyards in the Veneto region of north-east Italy, this prosecco makes a fantastic aperitif served with olives and antipasti, according to Sainsbury's. Was this fizz top of the pops in our taste test?

To see whether we recommend it, join Which? to unlock our test results.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Sainsbury's.

Spar Castelfino Cava

£7.50 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan  

Described as 'elegant and rich' with 'notes of ripe apple and pear', Spar's low-priced cava is a tempting option. Is it a Best Buy bubbly?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out if this Spanish wine is the one for you.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Spar.

Tesco Finest Blanquette De Limoux 2019

£9.50 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan  

First created by Benedictine monks, blanquette de Limoux is made by blending mauzac and chenin grapes and ageing for 12 months. This wine is described as having flavours of peach, green apples and a toasted brioche finish.

Is it a star wine for special occasions? Join Which? to unlock our test results.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Tesco.

Waitrose La Gioiosa DOCG Superiore Prosecco 2020

£13.50 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan 

Waitrose's single-vintage prosecco was the most expensive sparkling wine on test. Is it worth paying more for?

Find out if it impressed our expert tasting panel - join Which? to unlock our test results.

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Waitrose.

Best rosé wines

Sparkling wine types explained

Not sure how to tell your crémant from your cava? We explain the key differences between types of sparkling wine, and why some cost more than others, to help you choose what's best for you.

Champagne

Champagne can only be made in a specified region of north-east France, and almost always from a blend of three grapes: pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. 

The bubbles come from a second small alcoholic fermentation carried out inside the bottle. The CO2 formed can’t escape and so it dissolves into the wine – so when the bottle is opened, the wine sparkles.

Most champagne is dry and best served after a couple of hours in the fridge. 

Cava

Cava, from Spain, is made in the same way as champagne, undergoing secondary fermentation in the bottle. 

It's usually made from three Catalan grapes: macabeo, xarel-lo and parellada, although some of the large cava producers have started to use chardonnay and pinot noir as well.  

The grapes mostly come from near Barcelona, much further towards the sunny south than the Champagne region. They ripen more, so cava is lower in acidity than champagne (and often cheaper).

Crémant

Crémant is sparkling wine that's made in the same way as champagne (with secondary fermentation), but it can come from other regions in France. 

Crémants can be made with a variety of grape varieties, other than the traditional champagne combination, but grapes must be manually harvested. They must also be whole-bunch pressed, and aged for a minimum of nine months. Our expert panel recommended crémant as an alternative to prosecco or cava.

Prosecco 

Prosecco, from Italy, is usually slightly sweet or ‘off-dry’, light and delicate, and characterised by citrus and apple notes. 

Most people know that champagne is a protected appellation, but did you know that prosecco is too? Any other sparkling wines made from glera grapes (formerly called prosecco), but from outside the Italian designation of origin for prosecco, can’t use the word ‘prosecco’ on the label. 

Unlike many other fizzes, prosecco completes its secondary fermentation in a pressurised stainless-steel tank. Generally, prosecco is similarly priced to cava and cheaper than champagne.

Franciacorta 

Franciacorta is made from grapes from Franciacorta in Lombardy. It's drier than prosecco, but fruitier and softer than champagne, and has distinctive lemony notes.

Screw-top sparkling wine

You might have spotted these on the shelves at temptingly low prices, sometimes £5 or less. 

Like prosecco, screw-top sparkling wines are tank fermented. The wine is re-fermented in a large steel tank with sugar and yeast, and the resulting carbon dioxide gas dissolves into the wine. They tend to be cheaper than corked sparkling wines, but our wine experts warn they can be inferior in quality.

Alcohol-free or low-alcohol sparkling wine

Alcohol-free or low-alcohol sparkling wine could make a good alternative to the boozy options above. It used to be relatively hard to find, but availability is increasing - supermarkets such as Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose will often stock an alcohol-free or low-alcohol option. 

Best champagne - see our top picks from the supermarkets, including the best cheap champagnes to buy

Three tips to get the most from your fizz

1. Decant it

Decanting your fizz could help to bring out the flavours that would otherwise be hidden by bubbles, but that doesn't mean you need to fork out for a fancy carafe.

Simply pour your sparkling wine into a glass a minute or so before you plan on drinking it. This allows the bubbles to settle enough without letting them disappear completely. 

2. Keep it chilled

Pop your sparkling wine into the fridge at least a couple of hours before you plan on serving it - allow a little more time if you need to chill multiple bottles at once.

When you're ready to serve, place your fizz in a container filled with water and ice, as this is better than just using ice alone. As a last resort, you can pop the bottle in the freezer, but make sure you take it out in 20 minutes or less.

It's best to take out your sparkling wine around 10 minutes before pouring, as otherwise you'll stunt the taste and aroma.

Read our guide to the best wine coolers.

3. Pour with precision

If you're hosting guests over the festive season, pour a little bit of sparkling wine in the bottom of each glass just before they arrive. This will stop it frothing over when you come to serve it.

When your glass is being refilled, hold it lower down and slightly tilted, as this will make it easier for your host to pour - and you'll likely end up with more fizz in your glass. 

How much sugar is in your wine?

Strict rules govern how sparkling wine and champagne can be described in terms of dryness and sweetness, with labels determined according to the residual sugar content per litre. 

Typically, ‘brut’ is a dryish wine, while ‘sec’ is sweeter. However, the label isn’t always the most accurate indicator of sweetness – the higher the acidity, the less we perceive the sweetness. 

When it comes to food, dry wines usually work best unless the food contains sweeter elements. 

Is sparkling wine vegan?

While many sparkling wines are vegan, some use animal-derived fining agents. 

Manufacturers use fining agents to remove unwanted particles to improve the taste or appearance of the wine. 

Wines made with animal-derived fining agents such as milk protein, bone marrow and fish oil are not suitable for vegans. Vegan-friendly wines might be filtered using fining agents such as carbon or clay.

Of the 10 sparkling wines, we tested, seven are vegan. Visit our guide to the best vegan wines to see our top picks for vegan-friendly red wine, sparkling wine and champagne.

How we test sparkling wine

Our wine taste tests involve a panel of leading experts, who blind taste and rate the wines in rotated order to uncover the best. 

After all the wines have been tasted in a session, the panel agree on a score for each bottle and decide which deserve to be Best Buys.

Summer sparkling wines

We tested 10 sparkling wines in March 2022. We asked supermarkets to nominate own-label or exclusive sparkling white wines that are good for summer celebrations and gatherings, costing up to £12 (not including special offers). 

Our expert panel included:

• Helen McGinn - International wine judge and award-winning author
• Peter McCombie MW - Master of Wine, speaker, consultant and co-chair of the IWC  
• Sam Caporn MW - Master of Wine, consultant, speaker, writer and co-chair of the IWC  

Sparkling wines for winter celebrations

In September 2021, our panel of independent wine experts tested 10 sparkling wines for winter to find the best festive fizz. We asked supermarkets to nominate own-label, widely available sparkling white wines that aren’t as pricey as big-brand champagnes, but are still excellent for celebrations. They all had to cost between £6.50 and £15 (not including special offers). 

Our expert panel included:

• Kathryn McWhirter - wine expert and co-author (with Charles Metcalfe) of The Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal
• Charles Metcalfe - speaker, author, and co-founder of the International Wine Challenge
• Sumita Sarma - wine writer and founder of wine consultancy Sumilier
• Peter McCombie MW - Master of Wine, speaker, consultant and co-chair of the IWC

Any bottles that are no longer available to buy have been removed.  

How to recycle wine bottles

Glass bottles can usually go in your household recycling bin. If your council doesn’t accept them, you can take them to a local bottle bank.

The recycling process can vary depending on where you live, so make sure to check with your local area if bottles require rinsing first and whether metal screw caps should be replaced or recycled separately.

Natural corks can’t go in your recycling bin. You can recycle natural corks through Recorked UK – either by posting them or dropping them off at your nearest collection point.

Synthetic corks, which are made of plastic, can’t be recycled. They should be disposed of in your general waste bin.