Sparkling wine & Champagne

75. NV Crémant de Bordeaux Brut

FRANCE (£7.99, Lidl)

The quest for the next trendy sparkling wine style is alive, and while we haven’t seen many sparklers from Bordeaux, I have no fewer than three in this collection. Drier and firmer than prosecco with a rather grand feel on the palate, this is a cracker and will work brilliantly in sparkling wine cocktails too.

76. 2015 Exquisite Collection Crémant du Jura

FRANCE (£7.99, Aldi)

A perennial favourite, this surprisingly stylish sparkling chardonnay captures the same sort of flavours which one would normally associate with Champagne, but without perhaps the finesse and length of flavour. Having said this, it’s a fantastic price and the taste is certainly impressive.

77. NV Nella, Prosecco

VENETO, ITALY (£8, M&S) Launching in July, this is an attractive, silky prosecco with around 10% chardonnay and 5% pinot bianco in the blend to give it richness and body. This works really well, making the overall delivery more serious. Most proseccos are forgettable. This one is certainly not.

78. 2015 Tesco finest* 1531 Blanquette de Limoux Brut

LANGUEDOC, FRANCE (£9, Tesco)

This wine has been one of the most reliable sub-tenner sparklers in the UK for well over a decade now. Made from the local Limoux grape mauzac and embellished with touches of chardonnay and chenin blanc, there’s even a hint of oak-barrel influence here to broaden the palate, making it more of a foodie- style drink.

79. 2015 Blanquette de Limoux Reserve, Antech

FRANCE

(£9.95, thewinesociety. com) My second Blanquette is only a pound more in cost than the one above, but is grander and more complex on the nose, palate and finish. This is a wonderful wine with a floral perfume and ultra-fine bubbles. Smart enough for posh gatherings and wine-savvy friends, it’s a cracker.

80. NV La Gioiosa et Amorosa, Rosea Brut Spumante

VENETO, ITALY (£9.99, reduced to £7.49 until 10 July, Waitrose) This wine’s name means ‘joy and love’, so its intentions are ambitious – and happily the pinots noir and blanc which make the rosé prosecco-style fizz do bring both joy and love to the flavour.

81. NV Asolo Prosecco, Valbello, Superiore, Extra Dry

VENETO, ITALY

(£10, reduced to £9 until 10 July, Morrisons)

I like this wine. There are so many proseccos at around this price which deliver a fraction of the class of Asolo, so avoid the dross and buy the best. It’s so easy for producers to whack the word prosecco on the label and let consumers do the rest, but in terms of quality there’s a huge gulf between good and bad.

82. NV SO Organic Prosecco Extra Dry

VENETO AND FRIULI, ITALY (£10, Sainsbury’s) There are not many organic proseccos around, and this is a worthy version with an honest flavour and determined character. It lacks the more confected notes found in some of the lesser wines, but that’s no bad thing. Instead it has a more herbal, linear appeal that makes it refreshing and pure.

83. NV The Society’s Saumur Rosé Brut

LOIRE, FRANCE

(£10.95, thewinesociety. com) A wine that truly sings of rosé and the summer! Made by the renowned Gratien & Meyer company and based on the cabernet franc grape, there is a nobility and depth of flavour here which is rare for a wine at this price. It’s a delicious treat on a hot summer’s day.

84. NV Il Follo, Prosecco Treviso Spumante Brut

ITALY (£ 11.95, reduced to £10.95 each by the case, leaandsandeman.co.uk) When I first tasted this, I had no idea what the price was, so I made my tasting note and, because it came from one of the top UK independent wine merchants, assumed that it might be quite expensive. After further research, I nearly fell off my chair – this is an elite prosecco of stunning value.

85. 2016 Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Brut

FRANCE

(£12.49, reduced to £9.36 until 10 July, ocado.com) Calvet’s white sibling to the rosé (right) is another accomplished piece of winemaking. Bordeaux sparklers are popular in France but I venture that we’ll be seeing many more of them in the UK soon if this is anything to go by. Smooth, elegant, long and prickly, it’s a lovely wine.

86. NV Prima Perla, Grande Réserve Chardonnay, Jean-Claude Mas

LIMOUX, FRANCE

(£13.99, reduced to £10.99 each on a mix six deal, Majestic) One of a handful of wines in this collection from the extraordinary Mas cellar, this is a heavenly, aromatic chardonnay from the South of France that’s creamy, smooth and juicy on the nose and palate.

87. NV MO, Mionetto, Valdobbiadene, Prosecco Superiore

VENETO, ITALY (£14.99, reduced to £9.99 each on a mix six deal until Monday, then £12.99 after, Majestic) Mionetto is one of the top prosecco producers and this eye-catching bottle is one of my favourites of the year. More aromatic and layered than my less-expensive recommendations, it’s a specialoccasion prosecco.

88. NV Taste The Difference

Blanc de Noirs Champagne

FRANCE (£18, Sainsbury’s) Made only from the red grapes pinot noir and pinot meunier, this is a richer, juicier wine than Sainsbury’s Brut (above right), and more suited to canapés and lighter starters.

90. NV Les Pionniers, Champagne

FRANCE (£18.99, Co- op) The Co- op has always hit the bull’s eye with its Les Pionniers and this new release is no exception. With a little more structure and acidity than the Sainsbury’s pair, it has a bright acidity which enables it to slice through all manner of indulgent canapés.

91. NV Tesco finest* Premier Cru Champagne

FRANCE (£19, reduced to £17 until 9 July, Tesco)

I vastly prefer this sparkling wine to the vintage Tesco offering, which is actually six pounds more expensive. Made from 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir, it is a floral wine with a ripe palate and a surprising density of flavour. The bubbles are fine and smooth, making it a huge success.

92. NV Waitrose Blanc de Noirs Champagne

FRANCE (£ 22.99, reduced to

£18.39 until 10 July, Waitrose)

This is always a good wine in the Waitrose armoury, and £23 is a fair price. What makes it exciting is the deal price as this brings it into competition with a vast array of sparklers, few of which match the class displayed here.

93. 2015 Calvet, Crémant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé

FRANCE (£ 38.97 for 3 bottles, reduced to £31.18 for 3 until 30 June, amazon.co.uk)

This is an impressive fizz, and at the deal price equates to a sniff over ten quid a bottle. I always want rosé to smell like rosé because few wines actually do. This beauty has a lipsmacking red-cherry scent and a nice, full palate. You could attack proper main course dishes with this wine, such is its gravitas.

94. NV BillecartSalmon, Brut Réserve

CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE

( approx £39.95, Berry, Bros & Rudd, bbr.com) 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the epic Billecart-Salmon Champagne house. As an independent wine writer, I’m not meant to have favourites, but let’s just say this is one of my desert island wines. Unrivalled class with heavenly flavours, it is wickedly enticing.

95. NV Bollinger, Rosé

CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE (£49.99, reduced to £37.49 until 10 July, Waitrose; £50, M&S)

At £50, this still beats other Champagnes at twice the price, but who has 50 quid to spend on a wine these days? When the discount kicks in, though, it definitely becomes worth the outlay.