It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for the Thursday Club on talkRADIO with Mike Graham! This week, we’re looking at key styles of fizz and what the differences are between them, featuring a Cava, a Prosecco and a Traditional method sparkling wine from England (same method as Champagne). The main question we will be discussing is why English Sparkling wine and Champagne are more expensive than Cava and Prosecco?
Traditional Method
English Sparkling Wine
Also known as Classic Method, Champagne Method or Méthode Champenoise, most English sparkling wines are made in this more hands-on, time intensive (and therefore more expensive) way nowadays and using the same, high quality grapes as they do in Champagne, namely Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. To get the fizz, the wine is fermented twice and with traditional method wines, this happens in individual bottles. The wine is then left so sit on the lees (dead yeast cells) which give a toasty, brioche complexity and mouthfeel. We all know Champagne but have you tried English Sparkling wine? The UK is doing wonderful things with fizz and they are well worth seeking out, such as this refreshing beauty made by Hush Heath in Kent.
Try: English Sparkling by Hush Heath Estate, Tesco, £19
Prosecco
Prosecco is a sparkling wine style that originates in the Veneto region of Italy, just north of Venice. The grape used is Glera (with a splash of Pinot Noir for rosé). The main difference in the production method here is that the second fermentation that creates the bubbles happens in a tank rather than single bottles. This is quicker and done on a larger scale. Also, Prosecco is not aged before it’s sold as the style required is fresh and fruity rather than dry and biscuity. All of this, together with a larger production area allows Prosecco so be sold more cheaply.
Fun Fact: The sweetness levels of Prosecco are bonkers. Extra Dry is actually one of the sweetest styles. You want a dry Prosecco? Look for a Brut or a zero dosage! See more about the different sweetness and quality levels on our article here.
Try: Cantine Il Maschio Prosecco Extra Dry, Sainsbury’s £7.50 on offer
Cava
Cava is an interesting one as it is made in the Traditional Method like Champagne and English Fizz, but instead of using the chi-chi French grapes mentioned above, this Spanish fizz traditionally uses local Spanish varieties: Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo. The production area of Cava covers 159 Spanish towns and villages in La Rioja, Valencia, Catalonia and Extremadura. The flavour profile of Cava is more on the tropical, pineapple, savoury side than Champagne and it can appear as a little less refined, but as far as value goes, it’s unbeatable.