Wine as a whole has been having a tough time of late – but sparkling wine is outperforming still. Research company IWSR largely credits this to younger drinkers, who reach for it more frequently – and informally – than previous generations. Increased curiosity and cost-consciousness have also helped boost sales of sparklers other than champagne. Here are five first-rate producers to know.
Raventós i Blanc, Catalonia
Raventós i Blanc de Nit Rosé 2023, about £23, vivino.com
Irked by Cava’s increasingly mass-market image, the Raventós family quit the Cava appellation in 2012 and re-focused their efforts on making traditional-method sparkling wines in Spain’s small Conca del Riu Anoia region. All their wines are made from 100 per cent indigenous, estate-grown varieties, and farmed along biodynamic lines.
Try: Raventós i Blanc de Nit Rosé 2023 – a gorgeous, very-pale-pink rosé with fine, lively bubbles and summery notes of wild strawberry, watermelon and herbs. £29, hedonism.co.uk
