There are more sparkling wine alternatives than ever

It feels like it’s been forever since French champagne producers first purchased land in Napa Valley to produce their own sparkling wine. Moet & Chandon were the pioneers of this endeavor in the 1970s, creating just a few bottles with the help of Trefethen winery.

Now, Domaine Chandon stands as one of the leading sparkling wine producers in the region, and other notable French vineyards including Taittinger and Mumm have joined them.

While Champagne is still considered the premier wine-growing region — and the only one allowed to use the eponymous name — there are more sparkling wine alternatives than ever. Italian prosecco, Spanish cava and West Coast sparkling wine provide a variety of styles and prices for consumers. These are wines rarely seen in the market until the turn of the century.

More sparkling wine is available to consumers but with success has come noticeable price increases, especially in the California marketplace. The top Domaine Chandon cuvees, for instance, can cost $50 to $80. Domaine Carneros ranges from $40 to $125. Even Iron Horse sells for more than $50 a bottle. These prices are in range of real champagne — Nicolas Feuillate, Pommery and Veuve-Cliquot — can be purchased for less than $50 a bottle.

This lofty price range opened the door for prosecco. Twenty or so years ago prosecco was the name of a grape and a relatively unknown sparkling wine from Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northeastern Italy.

Modern EU labelling issues required the grape name be changed to glera. Today prosecco is the top-selling sparkling wine in the world, outselling the