Sparkling wines to see in the new year

Birichino Pétulant Naturel Malvasia Bianca, Monterey California 2016 (£27.95, Berry Bros & Rudd) Over the past few years, sparkling wine has broken free from its old associations with special occasions. A lot of people drink wine with bubbles every week now; well, a lot of people drink prosecco every week, at any rate. But even those of us who prefer a glass of red on a weeknight, or a bottle of rosé at the weekend, will see in the New Year with some sort of bubbly – and many of those bottles will come from sources that weren’t really on the horizon for quality sparkling wine before. Among those places is California, home to both the classically styled, creamy champagne-alike Domaine Carneros Estate Brut 2013 (£17.75, The Champagne Company) and Birichino’s wild and exotic-fruited example of the ancient but trendy fizz-making method known as Pét-Nat.

Bendick Grand Reserve Brut, Champagne France NV (£22.95, Lea & Sandeman) Another great sparkling region to emerge in the last decade is, of course, England, with its interpretation of the méthode champenoise never far from the patriotic headlines. The symbolism of drinking British fizz as we enter our last year in the EU may be unpalatable to some, but you don’t need to be an ERG headbanger to enjoy such modern classics as Wiston Estate Brut, West Sussex NV (£26.50, Hennings) or Bluebell Vineyard Estates Hindleap Blanc de Blancs, Sussex 2014 (£27, Noble Green). Still, if for political or emotional reasons you’d prefer to stick to la vraie chose candidates include the luminous bargain made by Piper Heidsieck for Co-op, Pionniers Champagne Brut NV (£18.99) or the super-refined offering from Benedick.

Juvé & Camps Selección Reserva Cava, Catalonia Spain 2016 (£11.99, Waitrose) Although it is possible to find good value (in the sense of the quality you get for the money) in both Champagne and England, it’s rare for a decent bottle to leave you with much change from £20. For that you’ll need to look a little or a lot further afield, to places such as Tasmania (the zippy Jansz Premium Cuvée NV; from £14.99, Hennings; Slurp); Burgundy (the rounded Cave de Lugny Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs NV; £14.75, Oddbins) or Catalonia (the apple-tangy Juvé & Camps’ Seleccíon Reserva Cava). But for those of you who are staying true to the easy-going sherbet foaminess of prosecco – with or without a top-up of Aperol or Campari – the light-and-fresh Tesco Finest Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG NV (£10) hits just the right sweet–but-not-too-sweet spot.

Follow David on Twitter @Daveydaibach