Sparkling Wine & Champagne

Search no further for finely-crafted, small-production Champagne outside the mainstream. This creamy, biscuity, minerally-fresh and flinty wine owes its full body and depth of flavour to the use of 80% Pinot Noir in the final blend. A wine for food as well as an apéritif for the connoisseur: it makes a pleasing match for shellfish, fish or chicken. Henri Billiot runs his family's domaine from chalk-lined cellars beneath their home in Ambonnay, a 'Grand Cru' village of the Montagne de Reims.

Aim to have at least half-a-dozen bottles of this sure-fire impressive, stupendous value, pleasingly fruity 100% Chardonnay Champagne in your house (office, club, shed ...) at all times. Le Mesnil soars way above other Champagne co-operative wineries, thanks to Gilles Marguet's meticulous management. He ensures that the Chardonnay bounty of one of the Côte des Blancs' greatest growths, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, is used to create wines of outstanding complexity and finesse.

Jacky Marteau's 'Domaine de la Bergerie' occupies some of Touraine's most enviable sites: south-facing, pebble-and-flint slopes beside the River Cher. Quality is paramount: low yields are encouraged by growing grass between vine rows, pruning is radical and leaves are plucked in summer to let the sun shine through. His meticulous approach extends to this intriguing, vivacious Loire bubbly, half Chenin for crisp, aromatic, appley characters, half Chardonnay for rounded citrus fruitiness.

A small family concern that produces excellent value wines of notable quality. Inducted into the 'Order of the White Apron' -Champagne's elite brotherhood -after graduating in wine science at the University of Rheims in 1984, Alain proudly perpetuates a 370-year-old family winemaking tradition. His vineyards lie south of Epernay and west of the Marne Valley.

A small family concern that produces excellent value wines of notable quality. Inducted into the 'Order of the White Apron' -Champagne's elite brotherhood -after graduating in wine science at the University of Rheims in 1984, Alain proudly perpetuates a 370-year-old family winemaking tradition. His vineyards lie south of Epernay and west of the Marne Valley.

Alain Bergère's best-selling cuvée (hitherto reserved for French and Belgian consumption) is an attractively 'biscuity' style of Champagne, thanks to its high proportion of Pinot Meunier fruit. Inducted into the 'Order of the White Apron' - Champagne's elite brotherhood - after graduating in wine science at the University of Rheims in 1984, Alain proudly perpetuates a 370-year-old family winemaking tradition. His vineyards lie south of Epernay and west of the Marne Valley.

A very serious and drinkable Sparkling Shiraz made by blending together a range of vintages of still Shiraz from the Peppertree Vineyard going back over 20 years. Deeply flavoured, complex and savoury.

Subjects of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the Endrici (Endrizzi in local dialect) family arrived in northern Italy in 1885 and established a formidable estate at the foot of the Dolomites in now coveted Saint Michele All Adige. Enthusiastically biodynamic, they offer an impressive array of wines including this classy sparkler, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Made from 100% Airen by the Bodega San Isidro near Toledo. Unusually the fermentation of this organic sparkler is limited during the secondary fermentation by cutting down the amount of yeast available to the natural sugars and the effect of this is to retain a low alcohol level and a soft, full flavoured palate.

Fine yeasty aromas with a clean dry palate. Good with strawberries.

A lovely case of organic sparkling wine - perfect for summer parties. Crunchy, crisp apple and fresh citrus flavours fill the mouth with a delightful sparkle. A hint of sweetness at the finish makes this ideal for sipping as an aperitif or to accompany fruit desserts.

Suave, intensely-flavoured and beautifully-balanced Champagne from one of the longest-established family-owned domaines. Founded in 1818 by Nicolas-François Billecart, this aristocratic estate is renowned for producing Champagnes that age gracefully over many years. Adding to their own select parcels of vines, they buy fruit from growers in the Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims. High quality production protocols include long fermentations using estate-cultured yeasts.

Suave, intensely-flavoured and beautifully-balanced Champagne from one of the longest-established family-owned domaines. Founded in 1818 by Nicolas-François Billecart, this aristocratic estate is renowned for producing Champagnes that age gracefully over many years. Adding to their own select parcels of vines, they buy fruit from growers in the Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims. High quality production protocols include long fermentations using estate-cultured yeasts.

Eight out of ten East Anglian brides' fathers can't be wrong: it's their top choice for wedding Champagne. We wholeheartedly pin our name to this fresh, effusive cuvée with its appealing, citrusy flavours. The blend is astute: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in the main, lending backbone and substance to the flowery fruitiness of Chardonnay.

Our favourite 'salmon-pink' owes its richly fruity, 'biscuity' character to the predominance of Pinot Noir in the blend. Founded in 1818 by Nicolas-François Billecart, this aristocratic estate is renowned for producing Champagnes that age gracefully over many years. Adding to their own select parcels of vines, they buy fruit from growers in the Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims. High quality protocols include long fermentations using estate-cultured yeasts.

Being based in Southwold means we're never much more than a short stroll from the beach. And here's what we pack when we're heading out for seaside picnics when it's just too hot to stay indoors: our very own pink Champagne, bursting with fresh, lively summer fruit flavours. Elegant, satisfying stuff.

Plumb in the middle of Victoria's historic Yarra Valley, Green Point earned its title because the property remained verdant longer than any other after the grass-searing onset of summer. Run by Moet & Chandon since 1986, the focus is, as you'd expect, on classic fizz. Their fastest-seller is this Chardonnay-Pinot Noir, a paradigm of New World elegance, with small, persistent bubbles and creamy flavours of white peaches, honey and toasted hazelnuts.

Give this soft, subtle, strawberry-scented 100% Pinot Noir Champagne, with its beguiling hue (from extensive skin contact) and enticing 'biscuity' notes to someone you're hoping is fond of you. You're sure to soar in their estimation. Daniel Dumont, long-established on the Montagne de Reims in the Premier Cru village of Rilly, cultivates thousands of young vines every year to sell to other producers in the region, ably assisted by his two well-trained sons.

The progressive 'Viñedos y Reserva' winery near Madrid, on the banks of the Ciguela River, has won praise from Jancis Robinson, edged ahead of the competition on the plains of La Mancha (Europe's biggest designated wine region) and furnished us with our favourite new fizz. Made with 100% Airen, Spain's widest-planted grape, the 'Drop of Silver' is lightly fruity, pleasingly frothy and a terrific bargain at the price.

Our deep pink fizz from France's deep south, crisp and fresh, with aromas and flavours of crushed strawberries.