Best prosecco and sparkling wines

Sparkling white wines such as cava, crémant and prosecco are usually far cheaper than champagne, but still have plenty to offer if you’re after a top-notch fizz for less.

To find out which cheaper alternatives are worth considering, we asked a panel of wine experts to blind-taste a selection of sparkling wines from supermarkets including Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and more.

We found two standout Best Buys for less than £12, and several other good value options that show you don’t need to spend big to get a great-tasting bottle. 

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Only logged-in Which? members can view our full independent test results and tasting notes from the expert panel below.

If you’re not yet a member, you’ll see an alphabetically ordered list of the sparkling wines on test. To get instant access to these and all our reviews, join Which? today.

Aldi Crémant Du Jura 2020

£8.99 for 75cl

Described as ‘a floral and fruity wine’ from France’s Jura region, Aldi’s crémant is among the cheapest on test, but how does it compare to pricier bottles?

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 Crémant d’Alsace Brut

£11 for 75cl

According to Asda, this sparkling wine has a subtle fruity aroma with notes of pear, apple and light roasted hazelnut. Did it impress our expert 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 Asda.

Co-op Irresistible Special Cuvée Prosecco

£8 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

This is one of only two bottles of prosecco we tested, but is it a good choice if you want a more affordable 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 Co-op.

Iceland Maison De La Rougerie Crémant De Bordeaux Brut

£9.50 for 75cl

Iceland says the De La Rougerie family has been producing exceptional wines since the 17th century. Did this crémant showcase their expertise?

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 Prosecco Spumante Valdobbiadene Superiore 2022

£7.49 for 75cl

Lidl’s prosecco is the cheapest on test, but does opting for a more affordable sparkling wine mean compromising on 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 Lidl (in store only).

M&S Found Asti Secco

£10 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

According to M&S, this Moscato wine has been made in a dry sparkling style, though still expresses ‘typical grapey and floral aromas’. Is it worth trying if you’re looking for something a little different?

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.

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Crémant d’Alsace

£11.50 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

Sourced from Cave du Roi Dagobert in the Alsace region, Sainsbury’s says this crémant spends a minimum of 12 months ageing in the bottle which gives the wine its creamy richness. Did it prove a hit with our experts?

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 Finest 1531 Blanquette De Limoux 2021

£10 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

First created in 1531, this Blanquette de Limoux has been aged in its bottle for 12 months to produce complex flavours of peach, apples and toasted brioche. Is it a top pick for celebrations?

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 2021

£11.99 for 75cl, vegetarian and vegan

Waitrose describes this cava as ‘delicate and fresh, with a citrus fruitiness’. It’s among the priciest we tested, but does spending a little more get you a superior 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 Waitrose.

Pricing and availability information correct as of December 2023. 

Cava vs Crémant vs Champagne: 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 the specific region in northeast France. It is almost always produced from a blend of three grapes: pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. 

The bubbles come from a second fermentation that’s carried out inside the bottle. The carbon dioxide formed can’t escape, so it dissolves into the wine – which is why, 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 is made in the same way as champagne, undergoing secondary fermentation in the bottle, but is produced in Spain.

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 to the sunny south than the Champagne region. That means they ripen more, which makes the cava lower in acidity than champagne (and often cheaper).

Crémant

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

Crémant can be made from a range of grape varieties other than the traditional champagne combination, but the grapes must be harvested manually and whole-bunch pressed, as well as aged for a minimum of nine months. 

If you’re looking for the champagne experience for less, a good crémant usually fits the bill.

Prosecco 

Prosecco, which comes from Italy, is usually slightly sweet or ‘off-dry’, light and delicate, and characterised by fruity 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 (which were formerly called prosecco grapes) that come from outside the designated Prosecco region in the northeast of Italy can’t use the word ‘prosecco’ on the label. 

Unlike champagne, cava and crémant, prosecco completes its secondary fermentation in a pressurised stainless steel tank. 

Prosecco is usually similar in price to cava, and cheaper than champagne. The different region and production process means it’s less comparable, though, lacking the yeasty/biscuity undertones of champagne and crémant, and with lighter, looser bubbles.

Franciacorta 

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

Screw-top sparkling wine

You might have spotted screw-top sparkling wine on the shelves at temptingly low prices, sometimes £5 or less. 

Like prosecco, this sparkling wine is tank-fermented. The second fermentation takes place in a large stainless steel tank with sugar and yeast, and the resulting carbon dioxide gas dissolves into the wine. These tend to be cheaper than corked sparkling wines, but our wine experts warn they can be inferior in quality.

Low-alcohol sparkling wine

Finding a good low-alcohol wine can be challenging, as alcohol is important for giving wine body and structure. 

Our experts recommend choosing wines that have a naturally lower alcohol content as a result of being grown in cooler climates. For example, German riesling wine can be as low as 7% ABV, compared to other wines which are typically around 13% ABV. 

Alternatively, you can try swapping to non-alcoholic alternatives such as elderflower cordial or kombucha flavoured with lemon and ginger, which mimics the fiery warmth of a boozy drink.

Four 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 disappearing 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 remember to take it out in 20 minutes or less.

It’s best to leave your sparkling wine for 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 anytime soon, 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. 

4. Choose your glass wisely

Flutes are often a favourite for fizz, but our experts warned that this means you can’t get your nose into the glass – and you need to smell in order to taste.

They recommend trying a standard wine glass, or a coupe glass if you prefer.

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

Sparkling wine preservers

If you’ve been left with a half-finished bottle, a sparkling wine preserver can help stop your fizz from going flat.

Wine preservers work by maintaining the pressure in the bottle, which helps keep it fizzy for longer. They’re particularly useful for prosecco, which is tank-fermented and tends to lose its fizz more quickly than champagne (which is bottle-fermented, creating finer bubbles).

You can buy sparkling wine preservers from a variety of retailers including Amazon, Ocado, Waitrose and John Lewis, with prices starting from around £5. 

Our wine experts recommend opting for one with wings that clips over the side of the bottle to keep it in place. Unsecured wine stoppers which aren’t designed for fizz can be potentially dangerous as the high pressure in the bottle may cause them to fly off unexpectedly and cause injury.

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 dry, while ‘sec’ is sweet. 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 pairing with food, dry wine usually works best, unless the food contains sweeter elements.

Best red wines - see which budget bottles we recommend, based on our independent taste tests of supermarket wines

How we test sparkling wines

Our panel of four independent wine experts blind-tasted nine sparkling wines for our taste test, conducted in September 2023. 

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 £5 and £17 (excluding special offers). 

Our expert tasting panel included:

• Sam Caporn – Master of Wine, consultant, speaker, writer and co-chair of the International Wine Challenge
• Magnavai Janjo – Founder of wine importer and consultancy MJ Wine Cellars
• Helen McGinn – Author, drinks writer, TV presenter and co-chair of the International Wine Challenge
• Peter McCombie – Master of Wine, speaker, consultant and co-chair of the International Wine Challenge

The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn’t know which wine they were trying. Each expert tried the sparkling wines in a different order to avoid any bias, and after all of them had been tasted, the panel agreed on a score for each bottle and which ones deserved to be Best Buys. 

Recycling wine bottles: ditch the cork

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.

Find out more in our guide to buying more sustainable wine

Please drink responsibly - see Drinkaware for advice