When the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, bottles are gonna pop. But if you can’t spend the big bucks on Champagne this year, that doesn’t mean the party has to stop. Wine Spectator reached out to 13 Restaurant Award-winning sommeliers from across the country to ask what budget sparkling wines they’d bring to a big bash, giving them a price limit of $30 and under.
Do you want bubblies that are as close to Champagne as possible? These pros suggest looking for bottles labeled méthode traditionnelle, méthode Champenoise or metodo classico. These terms all mean the same thing: Champagne method, using secondary fermentation in the bottle to make bubbles like they do in Champagne. While some of these sparklers are made with the same grapes as Champagne—Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier—winemakers in other regions rely on their own traditional varieties such as Chenin Blanc and Xarel-lo. If you want to switch things up, then these pros have that covered too, with ruby-red Lambrusco, electrifying bottles of pétillant-naturel and more, with great values hailing from around the globe.
20 Budget Bottles of Bubbly for New Year’s Eve
“Terrific values in sparkling wine can be found all over the world, but one recent find is a 100 percent sparkling Alvarinho from Anselmo Mendes in Portugal. You can snag this bottle for under $20. It is made in the same method as Champagne and is brimming with citrus and floral notes on the nose with delicate bubbles and a lengthy finish. At that price, [you] can bring two!”—Mandy Naglich, Best of Award of Excellence winner Ardesia, New York City
“Sparkling wines from the New World tend to show off incredible value. Right here in the US, I think that the Sauvage from Gruet [in New Mexico] is a tasty little bottle that is great for small celebrations or just to bring to the park. Jansz from Tasmania is also an incredible wine for its price point. Both of these wines are under $30 and are made using the same methods as in Champagne, creating bright sparklers perfect for most occasions.”—Jacob Brown, wine director of 2024 Grand Award winner Lazy Bear, San Francisco
“Arnaud Lambert’s Crémant de Loire. The Loire is home to my favorite sparkling outside of Champagne, and this guy makes some serious Chenin Blanc. Look for the pink version too!”—Jake Henriksson, Best of Award of Excellence winner Beckon, Denver
“Since I’m all about bubbles, New Year’s Eve is my time to shine—the sound of the corks popping is part of the fun and festive atmosphere, but if price is an issue, check out South African sparkling wines. These are an affordable option to true Champagne and are made in the same method. Two of my favorites are Le Lude Brut Reserve Cap Classique from Cape Town and Graham Beck’s Blanc de Blancs Methode Cap Classique from Robertson. Both are creamy and citrusy and offer an enticing effervescence using the traditional grapes used in the Champagne region.
My other recommendation would be a pétillant-naturel called [Les Tètes] Les Parcelles Tète Nat “Igny Rusé” sparkling Chenin Blanc. The result from this winemaking team in the Touraine region of Loire Valley is a clean, focused, fruity and fresh sparkler with bright acidity that will rival some well-made Champagnes.”—Crystal Hinds, wine director at Best of Award of Excellence winner Effervescence, New Orleans
“The bottle that I would bring to a New Year’s celebration that is a complete crowd pleaser and a different production method than you find in Champagne is La Dentelle Rosé Demi-Sec Bugey Cerdon NV. The French region of Bugey Cerdon is southeast of Burgundy, near the Swiss border. It was thought to have been responsible for one of the first-ever sparkling wines. At first, they were really trying to make a still wine but bottled it too early, trapping a soft amount of carbon dioxide and sweetness in the bottle. It tastes like fresh strawberries and can pair on the table well with some sweeter dishes or do wonderfully on its own.”—Tia Polite. head sommelier of Award of Excellence winner Indienne, Chicago
“I’m super excited about all wines from Spain right now and Penedès sparkling is having a moment in particular. The region is historically known for classic, neutral Cavas but there’s a fierce contingency of young winemakers reinterpreting the region and its potential. Celler La Salada’s Roig Boig Métode Ancestral Rosé is festive, juicy and unbelievably affordable. A blend of local grapes, it has a hot pink hue with tart wild fruit.”—Julia Schwartz, wine director of Best of Award of Excellence winner Claud, New York City
“For a budget-friendly New Year’s Eve, I gravitate toward Crémant d’Alsace. It’s crafted with the same traditional method as Champagne but is usually about half the price. These wines offer classic, dry and refined flavors without breaking the bank. Traditional wineries like Frey-Sohler and Pierre Sparr make elegant examples that are perfect for toasting the new year.”—Sean Crenny, Award of Excellence winner, Coeur, Ferndale, Mich.
“My sparkling wine on a budget is Raventós i Blanc Blanc de Blancs [from Spain]. I am almost nervous telling everyone about this secret because maybe it won’t be as affordable anymore. I can’t afford to drink Champagne every day, and this is just as comparable to some of the top producers of Champagne.”—Andrew Teall, Award of Excellence winner, Roselily, South Bend, Ind.
“Raventós i Blanc offers exceptional value under $30. The blend of indigenous varieties—Xarel-lo, Macabeu, Parellada, and Malvasia de Sitges—combined with very low dosage and intense minerality from calcareous bedrock results in an outstanding sparkling wine. It features secondary fermentation in the bottle and a minimum aging of 18 months on the lees.”—Eamon Pereyra, wine director of Best of Award of Excellence winner, the Peacock Mediterranean Grill, Austin
“Everyone thinks of Champagne [for New Year’s], but it is an expensive process and can definitely be price-prohibitive. There are great wines that you can buy from other regions made by the same method, méthode Champenoise. In the Trento DOC region of Italy, there is a wide range of great sparkling wines made metodo classico, their term for Champagne method. They are very reasonable and widely available. Bugey-Cerdon is a fun wine from Bugey, located in the Alps between the Savoie and Jura regions. It is Gamay with a little Poulsard. It is rosé, off-dry, effervescent and delicious! I like Patrick Bottex’s La Cueille Bugey-Cerdon.”—Sarah Clarke, wine director of Best of Award of Excellence winner République, Los Angeles
“Everyone assumes Champagne or Prosecco, but choosing a metodo classico from Italy is a great way to find amazing value, produced the same way as Champagne. Franciacorta and Trento wines are produced in northern Italy, in Lombardy and Trentino respectively. Like Champagne, both of these wine productions age their juice for at least 15 months sur lie [on the lees], creating rich textures and complex flavor. The Cesarini Sforza Brut Trento NV from Trentino-Alto Adige is made from 100 percent Chardonnay—this metodo classico is aged in stainless steel for two years sur lie, offering aromas of ripe juicy apple, white flowers, fresh brioche, with a mouth-filling mousse.”—Casper Rice, wine director of Grand Award winner Fiola, Washington D.C.
“Two of my favorite sparkling wines of late share a similar story: both tiny producers, making organic, small-production wines in iconic regions known for large-scale, cheap sparklers. Terrevive’s savory, tart Lambruscos are such a delicious representation of the region, in a much lighter color than its stereotypical sweet, bubbly reds. Similarly, [Anima Mundi’s] Camis del Xops, in the Penedès region known for Cava, makes a salty, lean, ancestral method sparkling wine that delivers serious bang for your buck. The family behind this operation were some of the first to defect from the Cava DO in pursuit of making terroir-driven, Champagne-esque sparkling wines.”—Dora Grossman-Weir, wine director of Best of Award of Excellence winner Tolo, New York City
