SPARKLING INSPIRATION
Have yourself a merry fizz-mas with these bubbles, taste-tested by wine writer JANE CLARE
ANNA DE CODORNIU BRUT CAVA £11.99, Waitrose Cellar ★★★★☆
This cava is an ideal festive gathering crowd-pleaser. It has a feminine lightness of touch but isn’t shy with its aromas and flavours of peach, citrus and flowers.
Chardonnay is the key grape in the blend, so there are hints of fresh and dried apples too. The bubbles dance a Spanish flamenco in the glass and the acidity is refreshing and mouthwatering. A cava is a lovely change from champagne.
KYLIE MINOGUE ORGANIC BRUT RESERVA CAVA £12, Sainsbury’s ★★★★☆
We should be so lucky, lucky lucky, lucky… that pop princess Kylie has put her name to a selection of wines. One of them is this cava which is aged for at least 15 months (the word reserva is a quality tip when you’re looking at these sparklers).
Imagine the lightness of blossom, crisp fresh apples and apple crumble too, with a lush of vanilla. I’d sip this with friends and tapas nibbles.
MORRISONS THE BEST MARQUES DE LOS RIOS CAVA BRUT £9, Morrisons ★★★★☆
Dried fruit, cinnamon, green apples.
Those were my first thoughts on this sparkler and there’s so much more.
Pour a glass and breathe in limes and lemons, shortbread and vanilla.
A sip leaves a fresh, fruity taste and a soft creaminess, much like you’d find in hazelnuts.
It’s a corker of a cava for less than a tenner.
A wine like this would bite through the deliciousness of roast pork or a Boxing Day ham joint.
ARESTEL CAVA BRUT £5.29, Lidl ★★☆☆☆
Reflect on the price and know that this is a nice, easy drinker.
It is light with floral notes and understated vanilla, brioche, bruised apples and lemons. It’s not a star turn, but the perfectly pleasurable pocketfriendly bubbles can be popped at family gatherings.
Cava’s acidity makes it amazing with fish and chips; sip Arestel with a downtime chippie tea between
Christmas and New Year. Or mix it up with lemon and gin to make a French 75 cocktail on Christmas Eve.
CO-OP CAVA BRUT £6.75, Co-op ★★★☆☆
I often buy this cava.
I’ll have a sneaky sip with the doggie minder as a “let’s be happy” midweek treat.
In my blind-tasting I’d given this wine an asterisk and the words “a good rush of fizzing excitement”.
I was happy to see the Co-op label in the Big Reveal.
It’s not as flavoursome as Kylie or Anna, but it still offers apple crumble, toffee, nougat and freshly sliced apples. Add a dash of Chambourd for a glass of fruity luxury. For the palatepleasing price, it’s my Best Buy.