Best English sparkling wines 2023: From Aldi and more

English and Welsh sparkling wine simply goes from strength to strength, scooping up awards and accolades. There can be few wine-lovers who are not aware that, in the UK, we now make sparklers that are the equal, and in many cases better, than those made in Champagne, while the majority of proseccos and cavas are left trailing in their wake.

The similarities with champagne are strong: domestic sparkling is mostly made from the same three classic champagne grapes – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. These also thrive on similar, chalky south-facing slopes in France, and it is mostly made using the same process: the “methode traditionelle”.

Served at government functions and state banquets, it will get another boost next week when many bottles are likely to be opened at street parties, in gardens and parks and in front of the television as we celebrate the coronation of Kings Charles III and, unsurprisingly, many sparkling producers have got in on the act with special coronation-edition wines with appropriate packaging.

And what is exciting is that this is a developing process – the boom in sparkling, which makes up almost 70 per cent of British wine production, led to an increase of 69 per cent in sales between 2019 and 2021, despite the pandemic and overall gloomy economy.

Winemaking expertise has blossomed, new vineyards are opening up, some in areas not previously associated with wine growing, such as Essex and South Wales. Wine tourism, whether it is just a restaurant or rooms, spas and vineyard tours, is also growing, with new wines coming into the market all the while.

Some of these are produced by different methods, such as charmat – the prosecco process – or pétillant naturel – the lighter natural sparkling style much loved by organic producers. All this points to an even more promising future for English and Welsh sparkling, so here are the best sparkling wines for 2023.

How we tested

All the bottles were well chilled – drinking sparkling at room temperature is very much a no-no – and sniffed and tasted in sequence. We had a selection of canapes and dishes to demonstrate that sparkling wines are not just for aperitif or canapes and go very well with a variety of main courses and desserts.

The best English sparkling wines for 2023 are: