Sparkling wine choices to enjoy in abundance at Christmas

Seeking out a selection of wines can be difficult, but Carol Brown has taken on the task to help you make some well-informed picks

While sparkling wine is always a good choice all year round and not just for the festive season, it is this time of year when we are more likely to reach for a bottle of bubbles. So what to choose? I took on the difficult, self-imposed task of seeking out a selection of wines to try.

One thing that links them all is that they are all made by the traditional method, the same way as Champagne. The final style of each is also defined by the grapes in the blend, whether from a single year (vintage) or a blend from different years (non-vintage/nv), where they are grown and how long the wine rests on the lees and ages.

There is a style for every festive occasion, whether that be a decadent brunch, fizz and canapes with friends or a bottle to pop at the bells.

I hope that you enjoy them as much as I did!

FERGHETTINA FRANCIACORTA BRUT NV, LOMBARDY, ITALY

Perhaps less well known than Prosecco but definitely worth exploring are the wines from the DOCG zone of Franciacorta. A blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Nero (Noir), this spends more than two years on the lees. A fragrant glassful of red apples, buttery digestive biscuits and spice, it’s dry, savoury and lingering with touches of peach and orchard fruits. Try it as an accompaniment to prawns or scallops. aitkenwines.com (Dundee) £22.

PIRIE BRUT NV, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA

It’s the norm to source grapes for sparkling wines from cooler areas as it gives the base wines a higher level of acidity which is all part of the delicate balancing act of the style so Tasmania is an ideal location for sparkling wine production. A blend of 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir with more than three years’ lees age, the scents are citrusy and savoury. There is a good, defined fizz and the ripe, savoury, fuller style would stand up to a main course of pork in a creamy mushroom sauce. Thewinesociety. com £27.50.

PIERRE GIMMONET &FILS, CUIS PREMIER CRU, BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT NV CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE

Blanc de Blancs on the label indicates that only white grapes have been used. In this case and as we are now in Champagne that means Chardonnay with grapes from around the premier Cru village of Cuis. Perfumed with floral, savoury and biscuit notes, this is concentrated with long lasting notes of toasted brioche, baked apples and honeydew melon. Thewinesociety.com £32.

ROGER GOULART CAVA GRAN RESERVA 2015 BRUT NV, PENEDES, SPAIN

If you are looking for a sparkling wine with a little more maturity then this single vintage wine is one to try. It’s made from the classic local varieties Xarel-lo, Parellada and Macabeo and under the regulations for Gran Reserva Cava, has at least 48 months’ ageing. It’s creamy and complex with a lifting citrus edge.

Fountainhall Wines £14.99.

DOMAINE CARNEROS BRUT 2017, CALIFORNIA, US

Domaine Carneros was founded in 1987 by the family behind Champagne Taittinger. The Carneros appellation at the southern end of the Napa Valley is Pacific influenced and cool. There’s a

good bubble factor with creamy toasted brioche and lemon peel scents. It’s deliciously dry and zingy with green apple, citrus and a creamy lightly savoury, nutty edge. Vinowines.co.uk (Edinburgh) noblegrape.co.uk, noblegreenwines.co.uk

(£24-£30).

WYFOLD VINEYARD 2016 BRUT, ENGLISH QUALITY SPARKLING WINE

This Chardonnay-based blend comes from a two-hectare single estate vineyard in Oxfordshire. There’s a fragrant creamy edge to the ripe citrus notes. Dry, there is that precision English

sparkling wine acidity lifting the creamy texture with notes of golden delicious apples and a toasty edge. laithwaites.

co.uk £33.

HARROW AND HOPE BRUT ROSE 2018, MARLOW, ENGLAND

Pinot Noir makes up 50% of the blend with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. First scents of brioche and lemons give way to notes of red apples and

raspberries. laithwaites.co.uk £32.