An Artist's Guide to Cheap Sparkling Wine June 19 2025

My wife regards the summer I was working on my Champagne journal as possibly the best summer of all time. There were bottles of bubbles seemingly everywhere as I taste-tested my way through various drafts of the book. If money were no object, I sometimes wonder if sparkling wine is all I would drink. But on an artist's budget, sometimes one has to get a little creative.

Champagne Taste Testing

Champagne is the pinnacle. It's famous for a reason. And like all things famous, it commands a premium price, even for the low-end stuff. It's also protected by law. It must be grown according to strict, historically-inspired production rules in a certain geographic area with certain grapes. It's too much to go into here, but you can do your own research and bore your friends with the minutiae while I browse the cheese board.

But ... you can purchase products that are similarly tasty if you know what to look for ... and what not to look for. Some phrases to look for on the label:

  • "Made in USA." Amazing sparkling wine is made all over America (well, maybe not Florida*). Oregon, California, and Washington make some of my favorites, sometimes with the traditional grapes used in Champagne (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay), sometimes not. 
  • "Champagne," AND "Made in the USA." This is a case of brand piracy on the order of a Fauxlex (aka fake Rolex). It's not as good, it's deceptive, and while it may be legal, it's not right. Avoid for moral reasons, but if you are in a bottomless mimosa situation, I won't judge you too harshly.
  • "Traditional Method." This is generally good. It means the winemakers are using the traditional method to make the wine, aging it on lees, disgorging, etc. Similar process without the pedigree.
  • "Méthode Champenoise." Same as above, only probably telling you they are also using the same types of grapes as would be used in authentic Champagne.
  • "Á la Ancienne" is a fancy French way of saying "made the old way," which celebrates a labor-intensive winemaking process and means you're probably in for something good.
  • "Sekt" is sparkling wine made in German-speaking places like Austria and Germany. It can be very good, and while it's not French, it's close. It's somewhat rare in the US, so if you see it, it means someone went to some trouble to import it, so it's probably pretty good.
  • "Crémant de _______" is sparkling wine made in France, just not in Champagne. It could be just down the road, though. Or 200 miles away. But it is French, and it is bubbly, and you will probably like it. 
  • "Prosecco" is Italian sparkling wine. I find it a little more aggressively bubbly than I like sometimes, but it can be quite good. But your mileage, as they say, may vary. It does seem to sometimes encompass a lower-end of the quality spectrum, so be wary of very low priced wine with this term on the label.
  • "Cava" is Spanish sparkling wine. Very good and somewhat mediocre expressions exist, but I have never had a truly bad one.
  • "Pet Nat," or "Pétilant Naturelle," is a trendy way of making sparkling wine quickly with minimal intervention. It's kind of a Champagne process but skipping a few steps. It's usually light and fun, but is also trendy. This has attracted some people to making it who are ... maybe not great at winemaking but good at quickly bringing goods to market which they perceive as on-trend. Great and terrible versions exist. Look for a winemaker you recognize or ask the retailer what they think if you're at a store. A restaurant will usually have a trained taster on staff so you shouldn't find bad stuff on a menu. Theoretically.
  • Cider in a 750 mL Bottle. I am super biased, but I think cider is one of the most exciting things in fermentation today. People all over the world are making great drink from apples (and other fruits) and bottling them in a sparkling state. This could be its own article, but if you see cider in a Champagne-style bottle with a cap or cork, it should be on your consideration list, especially if the label includes words like "orchard-based," "naturally-fermented," "co-ferment," "dry," and/or "pet nat." Done well, it can have a wine-like flavor profile and complexity and save you a few bucks, too!

But ... if I win the lottery ... "Champagne, s'il vous plaît."

* Now that I say that, I'm sure I will get an email correcting me on this, which I will only read if it is accompanied by a physical example and a nice note sent to the studio.