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The 8 Best Cheap Champagnes and Sparkling Wines

Pop bottles without breaking the bank

Champagnes and Sparking Wines

Spruce Eats / Kevin Liang

Whether it's a wedding, a birthday, a sports championship, New Year's Eve, or any other celebratory event, there's something magical about popping the cork on a bottle of Champagne.

While high-end sparkling wines can get very expensive very fast, there are some great bottles out there that are more budget-friendly. These include both true Champagne and other types of bubbly—cava, prosecco, and more—from around the world. None of the bottles below should cost more than $50, and most go for under 20 bucks.

Best Overall

Nicolas Feuillatte Réserve Exclusive Brut

Nicolas Feuillatte Réserve Exclusive Brut

Wine

True Champagne tends to cost a little more than other sparkling wines, but Nicolas Feuillatte offers the real deal at a comparatively reasonable price. Its Réserve Exclusive Brut is a classic example of the Champagne style, with creamy richness and lots of tiny bubbles on the tongue alongside spice and fruit flavors, plus plenty of citrus acidity to make it a versatile food pairing. It'll work with everything from raw oysters to chocolate cake.

Region: Chouilly, France | ABV: 12% | Tasting notes: apple, pear, lemon meringue pie

Best Prosecco

La Vostra Prosecco

 La Vostra Prosecco

Courtesy of Minibar

When you’re scanning wine bottles, you’ll notice that proseccos are considerably less expensive than French Champagnes. The Italian sparkling wine style does not sacrifice quality, however. Because proseccos do not require the extra steps employed in the Champagne method of making sparkling wine, they generally have lower prices.

For an initiation into this style, a bottle of La Vostra is an excellent choice. It's dry, acidic, and wonderfully fizzy. Made from Glera grapes in prosecco’s home region of Veneto, the light-bodied bubbly features the fresh taste of apple and white peach. Serve it for a celebration or enjoy it in the Italian tradition as an aperitif alongside your favorite appetizers.

Region: Veneto, Italy | ABV: 11% | Tasting notes: honeysuckle, white peach, apple

Best Cava

Bodegas Naveran Brut Cava

Bodegas Naveran Brut Cava 2018

Millesima

In the world of high-quality, budget-friendly bubbles, looking to cava is a great place to start. Produced in the Penedès region of eastern Spain, these traditional method bubbles are created via the same method used in Champagne, though from a different lineup of grapes (largely xarel-lo, macabeo, and parellada). Naveran has been producing cava in Catalonia since 1901, and today farms 110 hectares of vines around the region. 

This estate-bottled Brut Vintage is crafted entirely from organic fruit and spends 12 months on the lees aging in bottle prior to release. Fresh, elegant, and versatile, the wine shows flavors of apple skin, lemon, baked bread, and hints of ginger. Pair with everything from cheese boards to fried chicken to fresh seafood and beyond.

Region: Penedès, Catalonia, Spain | ABV: 11.5% | Tasting notes: apple skin, lemon, baked bread, ginger

Best Sparkling Rosé

Lini 910 Labrusca Lambrusco Rose

Lini 910

Wine.com

Although Lambrusco is generally known for being red, this fizzy, pink-hued iteration from Lini is not to be missed. Rooted in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, the estate’s rich history dates back four generations, and is still owned and operated by the original family today. The winery uses both the Charmat (used to make prosecco) and traditional (used for cava and Champagne) methods to craft its versatile lineup of wines, rendering Lini serious experts in the sparkling wine–making department.

Produced from a blend of 50 percent salamino and 50 percent sorbara, this bone-dry rosé is marked by flavors of white cherry, cranberry, and dried herbs. The wine pairs beautifully with a variety of cuisines, from brunch favorites to savory happy hour snacks and beyond. Grab a bottle of red while you’re at it and tase the gamut of this estate’s unique bubbly bottles!

Region: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | ABV: 11% | Tasting notes: white cherry, cranberry, dried herbs

Best American

Gruet Brut NV

Gruet Brut

Courtesy of Wine.com

Sparkling wine from New Mexico? You bet. Contrary to the many mass-produced domestic wines that grace the budget friendly category, this quality-focused estate has been putting out top-notch wines since 1984. Founded by French-born Gilbert Gruet, the winery focuses on traditional method sparkling wines—the same method that’s used in Champagne—crafted from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

On the palate, Gruet’s Brut NV offers toasty flavors of citrus, green apple, and a touch of sweet spice. The wine spends an impressive 24 months on the lees prior to release, which adds to the juice’s structure and complexity. In terms of quality to price ratio, this bottle seriously overdelivers.

Region: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA | ABV: 12% | Tasting notes: citrus, green apple, sweet spice

Best Rosé Champagne

Paul Laurent Brut Rosé Champagne

Paul Laurent Brut Rosé Champagne

Paul Laurent

Gilbert Gruet is a big name in the history of sparkling wine. After he built his namesake winery in New Mexico, he returned to France to create the Paul Laurent Champagne brand. Its wines are made in the fully traditional manner, but they're all surprisingly inexpensive for their quality. This rosé has a pale pinkish-orange color, but its red-fruit notes really shine on the palate. You'll find strawberries, raspberries, and currants, with a light and refreshing body.

Region: Bethon, France | ABV: 12% | Tasting notes: strawberry, raspberry, red currant

Best Organic

Albet i Noya Petit Albet Brut Reserva

Albet I Noya Petit Albet Brut Reserva Cava

Astor Wines & Spirits

Certified organic, vintage, and under twenty bucks? Sounds too good to be true, but with Albet i Noya, the proof is in the bottle. The estate was founded in 1903 by Joan Albet i Rovirosa, and vineyards have been farmed organically since 1978—far before doing so was as fashionable as it is today. In addition to farming organically, the estate plans to eliminate copper and reduce sulfur usage by 90 percent in the years to come.

Crafted from a classic blend of Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Parellada grapes, this energetic bubbly jumps with flavors of fresh citrus, baked apple, grapefruit rind, and hints of fennel. 15 months of sur-lie aging adds a textured and slightly toasty dimension to the wine’s dry, palate-cleansing finish.

Region: Penedès, Catalonia, Spain | ABV: 12.5% | Tasting notes: citrus, baked apple, grapefruit rind, fennel

Best Sweet

Vietti Cascinetta Moscato d'Asti

Vietti Moscato d'Asti 2021

Wine.com

Beloved for its fizzy, frothy, and pleasantly sweet nature, it’s no surprise that Moscato d’Asti has captured the hearts of wine lovers everywhere. Produced in the heart of Italy’s Piedmont region, the wine’s signature, frizzante (slightly sparkling) texture offers the perfect happy medium for those looking for something slightly sweet, slightly sparkling, and all-around delicious in one budget-friendly bottle. 

However, not all Moscato d’Asti is created equal. For a quality-focused bottle, look no further than this expression from Vietti. Produced from organically-farmed fruit, this well-balanced wine shows flavors of ripe stone fruit, apricot, orange blossom, honeysuckle, and hints of ginger. Pair with sweet brunch favorites, pungent blue cheese, or a variety of pastries for a match made in heaven.

Region: Piedmont, Italy | ABV: 5% | Tasting notes: stone fruit, apricot, orange blossom, honeysuckle, ginger

Final Verdict

For an inexpensive true Champagne, we recommend Nicolas Feuillatte Réserve Exclusive Brut because it's complex and great with food. La Vostra Prosecco is another favorite and even more affordable, a dry and acidic prosecco with lovely fizz.

What to Look for in Cheap Champagne and Sparkling Wine

Fermentation Method

There are two main ways to create sparking wine: The Champagne method ("méthode Champenoise" or "méthode traditionnelle" in French), where still wine undergoes a secondary fermentation after being sealed in individual bottles; and the Charmat method, where secondary fermentation happens in large tanks. The Champagne method is used for Champagne, of course, along with cava and plenty of other bubblies from around the world. The wine spends a lot of time in contact with the lees, which gives it a somewhat creamy texture, and its bubbles are small and gentle. Charmat-method wines, which include prosecco, have more intense bubbles and a fresher, cleaner taste. (The Charmat method is also less expensive than the Champagne method, so its sparkling wines are generally cheaper.)

Region and Grape Varietals

Champagne is probably the most famous type of sparkling wine, but there are lots of other styles, distinguished by where and how they're made. Most sparklers use a blend of different grapes, and the varietals allowed are often specified by local law. Champagne, for example, is limited to a small portion of northeastern France and seven types of grape, mainly using pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay. If a Champagne is labeled "blanc de blancs," it contains only chardonnay and other light-skinned varietals, while a "blanc de noirs" includes red grapes along with white.

Cava comes from Catalonia in Spain, produced similarly to Champagne except that it has a different set of acceptable grapes. Prosecco (also known as glera) grapes make up the majority of Italian prosecco, though other varietals can be mixed in, too. Lambrusco is another Italian bubbly, unique for its dark color and use of exclusively red grapes.

Beyond those, winemakers around the world are creating sparkling wines from all sorts of grapes, in all sorts of ways, which may not fit into any established category.

Sweetness

Champagne and other sparkling wines can run the gamut from fully dry to very sweet, and you'll have to take a close look at the label to determine which is which. French terms are quite common to describe the sweetness level of sparkling wines: "Brut" is the driest type, with "brut nature" being the absolute lowest-sugar wine. "Sec," which literally means "dry," is actually a bit sweeter, while "doux" identifies a sweet wine.

FAQs

Is cheap Champagne good for mimosas?

Absolutely. You can certainly open a bottle of expensive bubbly for a round of brunch mimosas, but mixing wine with orange juice will definitely overpower some of its more subtle flavors. You don’t need to splurge to make a decent drink, and you can use an inexpensive cava or prosecco instead of Champagne, too. Any dry white sparkling wine will do the trick, but rosés and reds won't be as good in a mimosa.

Which glass should you use to serve Champagne or sparkling wine?

The classic flute is quite traditional, but you can also serve a cheap sparkling wine from a white wine glass or a wide coupe. Carbonation level is one thing to consider when choosing a glass: Aggressive bubbles fare better in a wider glass, while the tall, narrow flute keeps a less-carbonated wine from going flat too quickly.

Does cheap Champagne age well?

Champagne in general is tough to age in the bottle. The longer it sits in the cellar, the more likely it is to lose its carbonation—but the longer it ages, the more you lose the fresh fruit flavors that are so characteristic of young (i.e. cheap) Champagnes. In the best-case scenario, time will give way to rich, nutty notes in the bubbles, but the truth is that you’re unlikely to great results with an inexpensive bottle. Typically, the best sparkling wines to age are vintage bubblies and prestige cuvées that are far pricier than the ones featured above. Cheap Champagne is made to be drunk!

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Colleen Graham is a food and beverage writer with over a decade of experience writing about cocktails, beer, and wine. She is the author of two books—“Rosé Made Me Do It” and “Tequila: Cocktails With a Kick.”

Kate Dingwall, who updated this roundup, is a sommelier and spirits writer. She has been writing about the bar and spirits world for years and has her BarSmarts and WSET certification. She has spent a decade working in bars and as a sommelier. Jason Horn further updated this roundup. A former senior editor at Liquor.com, he's spent nearly 20 years writing about food and drinks.

Additional reporting by
Kate Dingwall
Kate Dingwall
Kate Dingwall is a freelance writer whose work focuses on food, drinks, and travel. She is based in Toronto and holds a Wine & Spirits Education Trust Level III qualification.
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  1. United States Department of Agriculture. Guidelines for labeling wine with organic references. 2009.

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