Love Champagne? Try These 25 Bottles of American Sparkling Wine

It's never been a better time to try bubbles made back home.

American sparkling wine, long considered by some as a little cousin of sorts to Champagne, is very much a star in its own right. Producers from the North Fork of Long Island to California to Oregon are crafting seriously impressive bubbly, and domestic fizz is as electric as it’s ever been.

“What is exciting about American sparkling wine is that there is a range of styles, and great bubbly is being produced in a variety of regions and states,” explains Remi Cohen, CEO of Domaine Carneros. “The most successful domestic sparklers hail from cool climate coastal regions, which is why the Taittinger family chose the Carneros region as the home for its California sparkling winery, Domaine Carneros. The most well-known American sparkling wines are those that have taken a classic approach, either with an homage to ownership based in Champagne such as Domaine Carneros or Roederer Estate, or Schramsberg with their inspiration from the great wines of Champagne. These producers use the varieties grown in Champagne, mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, and utilize méthode traditionelle fermentation where the secondary fermentation takes place in the individual bottles, creating nuance and complexity.”

Cohen adds that as quality has risen across California in the last several decades, these sparklers have gained worldwide attention and inspired producers across the United States to produce méthode traditionelle sparkling wines from these traditional French varieties. “In the United States, we are not beholden to the rules of Champagne,” adds Cohen. “Therefore, you can find producers experimenting with other varieties and fermentation techniques, crafting unique and playful bubblies for those wanting to try something new.”

The 25 below embody the classic and the new — what ties them together is how delicious they each are across a range of price points and styles.

Related: Want Bubbles on a Budget? Cava Is Your Answer

Argyle Vintage Brut Rosé 2018

Crafted from 30% Pinot Noir, 27% Chardonnay, and an unexpected 43% Pinot Meunier, this wine is a classic example of the serious value that Argyle offers. Notes of watermelon, rhubarb compote, multigrain toast, and cobbler shell finish fresh and long.

Baldacci Family Vineyards “Pops” Sparkling Wine

Estate-grown in Napa Valley, this Pinot Noir-based rosé sparkler sees two years on the lees prior to disgorgement, which lends toastiness and pastry notes to the generous, sweet flavors of wild strawberries, orange marmalade, and quince paste. It finishes dry and stony, with a lovely lift of nectarines.

Balletto Vineyards 2014 Brut Rosé

This sustainably farmed gem from the Russian River Valley still shows effusive fruit, even nearly a decade after the grapes were harvested. Notes of strawberries, rhubarb, and kumquat are lively with acidity and finish with peach cobbler.

Benovia Blanc de Blancs 2017

This is a fantastic, yeasty sparkler from the Russian River Valley with aromas of lemon and orange marmalade spread on toast, as well as a concentrated yet bright palate of pie crust, honey-drizzled stone fruit, toasted almonds, and baked yellow apples.

Related: We Tried 16 Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Wine Alternatives to Find the Best — Here's What We Chose

Bricoleur Vineyards Isla Rosa California Brut Rosé

Fruit-forward yet bracing, this wine speaks of cherry juice, pomegranates, and blood oranges, as well as a dusting of graham crackers and a finish that’s both dry and mouthwatering, lingering with a core of minerality.

CHANDON Étoile rosé

Five years on the lees and right around $50? This wine is one serious value. It’s a biscuity bubbly, reminiscent of toast dabbed with strawberry-rhubarb conserve, with a hint of nuttiness hovering in the background. With a bit of air, cherries and blood oranges emerge; their ripeness and creaminess are offset by a spark of acidity.

Domaine Carneros Cuvée de la Pompadour Brut Rosé

Savory and rich on the palate, this 60% Pinot Noir standout showcases notes of honey-grilled grapefruit, mountain berries, orange blossom, and a dusting of fresh oregano, all next to lightly toasted brioche before a savory, almost saline finish that lingers brilliantly.

Donum Blanc de Blancs 2016

The great producer’s first vintage of sparkling wine is a winner: It’s entirely made from old vine Chardonnay that, after secondary fermentation (the first one was carried out in neutral barrels), spent 42 months on the lees. All these years later, the wine is singing with coiled citrus acidity and heartier shortbread notes dancing around one another, while passionfruit and hard apples zip along a spine of slate-like minerality through the cardamom-flecked finish.

Frank Family Vineyards Rouge 2016

This unusual sparkling wine from Napa Valley’s Carneros is crafted from Pinot Noir, looks like a sparkling Beaujolais in the glass, and is really delicious. A subtle framing of dusty tannins works as a counterpoint to the cranberries and pomegranates. Toasted fennel seeds and sarsaparilla join candied rose petals, cherry compote, and a finish of minerality, cedar, and subtle yeastiness.

Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut

The flagship bottling from this well-respected producer is a Pinot Noir-heavy blend with Chardonnay that is aged for 18 months before being disgorged. The result is a nervy wine whose energetic bubbles and brisk acidity make flavors of lemons, green apples, and ginger particularly refreshing.

Goldeneye 2019 Brut Rosé

Cranberries and raspberries burst from the glass with each sip of this rosé from Goldeneye, and are framed by taut acid, minerality, and yeasty notes of cobbler shell. Flavors of lemon-lime and green apple ring throughout.

Gran Moraine Blanc de Blancs 2014

This estate-grown wine from the Willamette Valley’s Yamhill-Carlton appellation is gorgeous on the nose, with aromas that are reminiscent of warm scones and brioche, as well as clotted cream and minerality. The palate is lively, fresh, and propulsive, with flavors of lemon oil, phyllo dough, brown butter, and green apples.

Inman Family 2018 Extra Brut Luxe Cuvée

Blended from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris, this is a wine of freshness and generosity whose hard pear, crunchy apple, and oyster shell notes are subtly salty on the finish and lifted with apple blossom. Almost four years on the lees have left their mark as a subtle nod in the direction of pastry shell in this elegant, detailed sparkler.

Iron Horse Vineyards Stargazing Cuvée 2014 Brut

Estate-grown, harvested in 2014, and not disgorged until the summer of 2022, this wine – from magnum – is a mature wonder that still has time left to continue evolving. Jasmine flowers and nectarines mingle with mushrooms and cardamom, and with some time in the glass, rye toast and apricots emerge. Taut acidity vibrates from start to finish, lending excellent freshness even so many years after the vintage. Also of note is the gorgeous label, which features the famous image of the Carina Nebula that the James Webb Space Telescope captured: This is a statement bottle, as is the liquid inside.

J Vineyards & Winery Cuvée 20

This wine consistently over-delivers for the money. These days, you can find a bottle for right around $40, and its creamy texture and bright acidity carry flavors of freshly baked bread, baked red apples, lemon pastry cream, and candied ginger along with a dusting of mixed nuts on the finish.

Related: 15 Editor-Approved Sparkling Rosés for Every Budget

Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyard “Ovation” 2017 Brut

Bringing together 78% Chardonnay and 22% Pinot Noir, this gem spent 46 months on the lees before disgorgement in April 2023. The finished wine is a toasty, brioche-y wonder with notes of lemon clotted cream and mashed almonds, as well as vibrant lemon-lime, green apples, and oyster shells. The finish shows lemon blossom and toast, though it’s the citrus energy that carries it through the long finish.

Las Jaras Old Vines Sparkling Wine

Certified organic and produced from old vine Carignan grapes grown in the Ricetti Vineyard of Mendocino County’s Redwood Valley, this is a bracing and somewhat briny bubbly with a wild character to it. A spice note complicates flavors of Seckel pear, rhubarb, wild strawberries, and lime leaf.

MacRostie 2019 Sonoma Coast Brut

In this wine, fresh aromas of apple blossoms dance alongside yeastier notes before a concentrated yet fresh palate that pulses with Granny Smith apples. Vivid flavors of lemon-lime, lemongrass, and a suggestion of shiso emerge before more of that toastiness peeks back in.

Related: What's the Difference Between Prosecco and Champagne?

Mumm Napa Brut Rosé

Fresh with wild strawberries and blood oranges, this is a fruit-forward sparkling wine whose currant conserve-on-toast character lends depth to the higher-toned berry notes. It’s a lively steal for a little over $20.

Paula Kornell Napa Valley Blanc de Noirs 2018

This is a delicious example of blanc de noirs, and the interplay of red berry and stone fruit is beautifully considered. Huckleberries lend each sip generosity, and the core of minerality provides posture. That savoriness lingers through the finish, where shortbread bumps beneath it all.

Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs

Fresh and citrus driven, this wine sparkles with flavors of fresh-squeezed lemons and crunchy green apples. An anchoring note of hazelnuts provides ballast before a subtly briny finish that tingles with mouthwatering acidity.

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut 2019

The Davies family has been instrumental in the evolution of sparkling wine not just in California, but in the United States in general. This bottle, based on barrel-fermented Chardonnay, is creamy and round, with flavors of tarte tatin and cardamom alongside mashed pears, persimmons, and a hint of vanilla spice.

Related: 16 Sparkling Wines for Every Kind of Holiday Party

Sea Smoke Sea Spray 2014

This estate-grown beauty from the great Sta. Rita Hills producer shows just how brilliantly American sparklers can age. It’s reminiscent of the best apple cider you’ve ever tasted, with butterscotch- and caramel-drizzled dried pineapples, espresso beans, and coriander. The finish goes on and on, still perked up with autumn-apple acidity and ending with a grace note of mashed hazelnuts. If you can’t find the 2014, the 2018 is terrific, too.

Sparkling Pointe Séduction by G. Martin 2014 Blanc de Blancs

Produced on the North Fork of New York’s Long Island, this mature, savory sparkler is still very fresh and at a terrific place of evolution right now. Notes of phyllo dough, lemon pastry cream, and baked apples and pears linger on a finish of hazelnuts and pie crust.

Vara Winery & Distillery Silverhead Brut Metodo Tradicional American Sparkling Wine

This is an unusual blend of 72% Chardonnay and 3% Syrah from the Ancient Lakes appellation of Washington, and 25% Xarel-lo and Macabeo from Spain’s Alt Penedès. It’s crafted and bottled in Albuquerque, New Mexico, by sparkling winemaker Laurent Gruet. It’s an unusual pedigree, but the results are undeniable: Hard apricots and snappy autumn apples are zipped with oyster shells and a subtle nuttiness on the finish.

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