10 Best Sparkling White Wine Bottles to Enjoy in 2024 (Taste, Styles, Prices)

by Anthony Zhang

Champagne may get all of the limelight, but it isn’t the only sparkling white wine that deserves a spot at your next celebration.

From decadent Spanish Cavas to Austrian Sekts, or crisp California bubblies, many sparkling whites from beyond the Champagne region are worth toasting to.

Let’s discover the best sparkling white wine bottles to buy in 2024 and food pairings.

We’ll also explore the different sparkling white wine styles and how these enticing wines are made.

10 Delicious Sparkling White Wines to Buy in 2024

While Champagne (coming exclusively from the Champagne region in France) is the most well-known sparkling white wine, there are many different varieties produced around the world.

Let’s look at the most sought-after sparkling white wines.

Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne 2008
Moët & Chandon Esprit du Siècle Brut, Champagne, NV
Krug Clos d'Ambonnay Blanc de Noirs Brut, Champagne 1996
Louis Roederer Cristal Vinotheque Edition Brut Millesime, Champagne 1995
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Cave Privée Collection Brut, Champagne 1982
Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut, Anderson Valley 2012
AA Alta Alella Mirgin 'Laieta' Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava, Catalonia 2015
Sekthaus Raumland Triumvirat Grande Cuvee Brut, Rheinhessen 2011
Nino Franco Primo Franco, Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG 2014
Paolo Saracco Moscato d'Asti DOCG, Piedmont 2018

1. Salon Cuvee 'S' Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France, 2008 ($2,943)

This sparkling wine is made with 100% Chardonnay grapes. It’s a complex and traditional wine that exhibits great minerality with predominant citrus, honey, and almond flavors.

2. Moët & Chandon Esprit du Siècle Brut, Champagne, France, NV ($6,485)

Moet-Chandon-Esprit-du-Siecle-Brut-Champagne-france

The house of Moët & Chandon has become synonymous with opulence, and this wine shows why.

It’s a stunning Champagne with fine bubbles and a complex array of flavors. The initial notes are apple and peach, followed by a subtle biscuit undertone and a fresh, fruity citrus finish.

3. Krug Clos d'Ambonnay Blanc de Noirs Brut, Champagne, France, 1996 ($3,688)

This is a sublime honey amber-colored wine made from 100% Pinot Noir grape variety. It has fresh herb, baked apple, and layered fruit flavors with subtle brioche notes and a clean, crisp finish.

4. Louis Roederer Cristal Vinotheque Edition Brut Millesime, Champagne, France, 1995 ($1,229)

Here we have a golden wine with a subtle amber tint and gentle bubbles.

You’ll taste a labyrinth of flavors from juicy, ripe mango to white chocolate and cocoa. Once aerated, this divine wine displays a mature aroma with a velvety, mellow palate and powdery texture.

5. Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Cave Privée Collection Brut, Champagne, France, 1982 ($409)

The 1982 vintage is an impressive, harmonious wine with a medium lemon hue, ripe apple aromas, and delicate bubbles. The flavor is complex, with hints of coffee beans, baked spices, and caramel.

6. Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut, Anderson Valley, USA, 2002 ($53)

Here’s a wine with an initial sweet aroma and taste, followed by toasted bread, apricot, brioche, caramel, and slight citrus notes. It has a rich, creamy texture and medium concentration of bubbles.

7. AA Alta Alella Mirgin 'Laieta' Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava, Catalonia, Spain, 2015 ($23)

This sparkling wine is full, fruity, and yeasty with apple, pear, and citrus aromas. It has a refreshing mineral quality with honey and lime zest notes.

8. Sekthaus Raumland Triumvirat Grande Cuvee Brut, Rheinhessen, Germany, 2011 ($60)

This is a mature wine with an apple, melon and vanilla nose, and citrusy, grapefruit notes. The short, explosive mousse makes this wine practically indistinguishable from a fine Champagne.

9. Nino Franco Primo Franco, Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG, Italy 2014 ($25)

This Prosecco bubbly wine displays an intense bouquet of ripe apples and exotic fruit. The palate is fruity with a subtle sweetness and otes of almond and candied lemon. The texture is rich, with great crispness.

10. Paolo Saracco Moscato d'Asti DOCG, Piedmont, Italy 2018 ($16)

Here’s an enticing, perfumed Moscato wine that’s bright and effervescent. It has abundant notes of honeysuckle and fresh apricot.

This slightly sweet sparkler has distinctive orange, lime, and peach notes that make it perfect for enjoying on its own or as an accompaniment to desserts.

Sparkling White Wine Food Pairings

Here are some of the foods that pair well with most sparkling white wine styles:

Fried chicken: This dish has a mild delicious flavor that goes exceptionally well with a good sparkling white wine like a Krug Grande Cuvee or a vibrant Lambrusco.
Fried potatoes with onions: This dish brings out the sweet, mellow, and savory qualities of wines like a sparkling Chardonnay.
Caviar: The caviar enhances the rare, sweet taste of fine sparkling white wines and is sure to impress at your next dinner party.
Oysters: Oysters and Champagne is a legendary pairing. The rich, briny taste of oysters goes perfectly with a quality sparkling white wine.
Creamy soup: Pair a sparkling white wine with a creamy butternut, chicken, or clam chowder soup. This is a perfect match for a crisp, fresh sparkling white wine.

Now let’s explore how sparkling white wine is made, and the different styles available today.

How Are Sparkling White Wines Made?

Sparkling white wine (like all sparkling wines) goes through an additional fermentation process which creates the delightful bubbles.

Let’s go into the details.

The sparkling white wine vinification includes:

Pressing: The grapes are pressed and the skins are removed, leaving only the clear grape juice.
Primary fermentation: The cuvee goes through the first fermentation stage which is the same for sparkling and still wines.
Secondary fermentation: During the second fermentation stage, the wine is bottled or put in a tank. The released carbon dioxide (a byproduct of the fermentation process) is dissolved into the liquid and forms the bubbly texture.

Winemakers may use any of these five methods of secondary fermentation:

Traditional Method/ Methode Champenoise: Yeast and sugar are added to the base cuvee directly in the bottle where the yeast feeds on the sugar and releases carbon dioxide. The dead yeast is then removed, but the carbon dioxide levels are maintained.
Méthode Ancestrale: This method follows the same steps as the traditional method, but removal of the dead yeast is skipped.
Charmat Method: In the Charmat method the wine is fermented with yeast and sugar in stainless steel tanks.
Transfer Method: With this method, the wine is filtered in tanks after the secondary fermentation.
Soda Method: During this fermentation method, carbon dioxide is injected into still wine - the same method used to make soda drinks fizzy.

Sparkling White Wine Styles

Here are the three main sparkling white wine styles:

1. Light-Bodied Lean Sparkling White Wines

During fermentation, these wines have limited exposure to air. This results in lighter and fresher wines with fruity palate and notes of fresh apple, tropical fruit, lemon zest, and flowers.

These light-bodied sparkling wines are usually dry with a lean and zesty character like:

Cava
Brut and Extra Brut
Brut Nature
Most non-vintage Champagne
Pinot Gris

Other light-bodied sparkling whites have a distinctly floral and fruit forward profile like:

Most Brut
Extra-dry and dry Prosecco
Most white Franciacorta
Riesling Sekt
Most American, Argentine, and South African (Cap Classique) sparkling whites
Extra-dry sparkling white wines

2. Sweet Perfumed Sparkling White Wines

Sweet sparkling wine styles can vary in sweetness levels depending on how much residual sugar is left after fermentation.

Residual sugar usually comes from the grape’s natural sugars. The sweetness can also be increased by adding a mixture of sugar and wine during the dosage process.

Examples of sweet sparkling whites include:

Demi-Sec and Doux sparkling wines
Amabile and Dolce Italian sparkling wines
Asti Spumante (made with Moscato)

3. Full-bodied Creamy Sparkling White Wines

This style of wine has a rich and creamy taste and is usually imbued with brioche, apple, and honeycomb flavors.

Winemakers add controlled amounts of oxygen to the wine in a process called oxidative winemaking. The main aim of this process is to create a full-bodied and complex wine.

Styles produced with this method include:

Reserva and Gran Reserva Cava
Blanquette de Limoux
Vintage Champagne
American sparkling wine
Italian “Metodo Classico”
Franciacorta
Cap Classique with 3+ years on the lees

Raise A Toast with Your Favorite Sparkling White Wine!

Sparkling white wine comes in a wide variety of styles, flavors, and prices, so you’ll be spoilt for choice. Whether you’re an experienced wine enthusiast or just getting started in your wine journey, you’re sure to find one to suit your taste.

Check out the Vinovest website to explore how to easily buy, store, and sell fine sparkling white wines, rich Cabernet Sauvignon bottles, and other collectible wine bottles from all over the world.