Mother’s Day falls on Sunday 30 March in the UK this year, when the trees are beginning to blossom, buds are breaking and there are signs of new life.
Flowers, plants and bulbs make for wonderful presents on Mothering Sunday, but your gifting skills can be elevated by a bottle or two of sparkling wine.
The list of recommendations below includes varying styles of sparkling wine from classic Champagne and Crémant to English sparkling and Prosecco. Prices range from under £20 to over £100.
Scroll down to see our selection of sparkling wines for Mother’s Day
Quick guide to sparkling wine styles:
- Champagne – Mostly made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, this must come from the French region of Champagne. It’s produced using the traditional method, with secondary fermentation taking place in the bottle.
- Traditional method – This refers to wines made using the same method as Champagne, where a second fermentation takes place in the bottle. The key examples are:
- Cava – Sparkling wine from Spain using both native grapes, such as Xarel·lo and Parellada, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Reserva and Gran Reserva Cavas undergo extended ageing in bottle, bringing additional complexity.
- English sparkling wine – The cool climate and limestone soils in southern England are similar to those in Champagne, producing many fantastic sparkling wines.
- Franciacorta – From the northern Italian region of Lombardy, this serious traditional method wine can be both fresh and complex.
- Crémant – There are eight appellations in France where Crémant sparkling wines can be produced, and local grape varieties tend to be used. Examples include Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant de Limoux and Crémant de Loire.
- Other very good traditional method sparkling wines can be found in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.
- Prosecco – Made in the Veneto region of northeast Italy from the Glera grape, using the tank – or charmat – method.
- Pétillant naturel – This is in fact the oldest method of making sparkling wine, also known as méthode ancestrale. Unlike Champagne, the wine is bottled before it finishes its first fermentation, so the bubbles develop in the bottle. They can be slightly cloudy due to sediment, fairly low in alcohol, with a gentle fizz and sometimes a touch of sweetness. For the more adventurous mothers out there, what’s not to like!
At a glance: top picks for Mother’s Day
Top Champagne pick under £50:
Ayala, Brut Nature, Champagne, France
Top supermarket Champagne pick:
Alexandre Bonnet, Waitrose Brut, Champagne, France NV – £24.99
Top splash-out Champagne pick:
Champagne Stroebel, Pour Toi! Brut Nature, Champagne, France – £119
Top traditional method pick:
Clotilde Davenne, Brut Extra, Crémant de Bourgogne, Burgundy, France – £20.95
Top Prosecco pick:
Bele Casel, Col Fondo Agricolo, Colli Trevigiani, Veneto, Italy 2021 – £22
Top off-the-beaten-track pick:
Domaine Giachino, Don Giachino, Vin Mousseux de France, Savoie 2019 – £36
Sparkling wines for Mother’s Day:
The wines below were tasted by Decanter’s editorial team and experts.
