Pink Fizz: The Best Sparkling Rosés That Aren't Champagne

There’s never a bad time for bubbles. A cold glass of sparkling rosé looks classy and while it is becoming increasingly more popular with consumers, it’s not hard to see why. Sparkling rosé is one of the most enjoyable drinks that combines colour, texture and vibrant flavours making it a beguiling drink suitable for just about any occasion. For these reasons, producers are paying greater attention to their rosé wine production.

Produced the world over with popular regions including France’s Champagne and various Crémant regions, Spain’s Cava region, Italy’s Franciacorta and various spots from the US to South Africa, to name a few.

We’ve rounded up a world-wide selection of traditional method sparkling rosé wines to enjoy wherever you are. We’re saving sparkling Champagne for another day but be sure to shop our edit of the best Champagne glasses to serve your sparkling wine in.

English Sparkling Wine

Arguably becoming Champagne’s biggest threat in the traditional method sparkling sector, the demand for English Sparkling is climbing. In fact, Nyetimber CEO, Eric Heerema, believes production for English wine will double over the next decade as they target international markets. These revered wines benefit from similar chalky terroirs to Champagne but carry their own distinctive style. Not all English sparklings are made the same, so we’ve rounded up five great traditional method English Sparkling rosés you need to try.

This is a fantastic vintage from Gusbourne, England's most-awarded wine producer with some impressive accolades under its belt. With this in mind we know we're in safe hands with their rosé which is undeniably well-balanced, vibrant and bursting with cherries and an underlying redcurrant tartiness. With a persistent note of orange on the finish, this is an elegant English Sparkling that really puts it on par with some of the world's leading Champagne houses.

From another well-established and lauded English vineyard in Sussex, Bolney has winemaker Sam Linter at the helm, the driving force behind Bolney's 'Winery of The Year' win at the UK Wine Awards.

This fine-moussed wine is a great example of the winery's capabilities and reaffirms why English Sparkling Wines are getting so much attention. It is expressive and vibrant, has lovely biscuit and toasty notes from autolysis to complement the ripe red fruit nicely, with a refreshing, zesty finish.

Arguably England’s most recognised English Sparkling, Nyetimber has become a bit of a national treasure in Britain and even catered for the likes of the Royal Family. With Cherie Spriggs at the helm, the first Winemaker of the Year winner from outside Champagne, you can quickly gain a sense of the quality you're dealing with.

Nyetimber’s multi-vintage rosé is a wonderful reflection of this and is an ideal summer sparkler. It’s dry with plenty of body, laced with floral notes and lively red currants, with a hint of brioche on the finish. You'll soon realise one glass is never enough.

From England’s oldest vineyard, Hambledon has beaten some of the world's most esteemed Champagne houses, including the likes of Pol Roger and Veuve Clicquot to the top spot in blind tastings.

This lovely rosé is made of 90% Chardonnay grapes, awash with fresh berries, it has a lofty acidity, is dry and crisp with a hint of salinity on the nose.

Crémant

French, traditional method-made sparkling wine from outside of the Champagne region. These designated regions still abide by local laws and include areas from Borgogne to the Loire valley and Alsace to name a few. Expect a smoother, creamier mousse from the lowered effervescence.

This vibrant rosé Crémant is a wonderful discovery from the Loire Valley. As part of the Bollinger group, you know this Crémant is from good stock, showing all the great qualities of a premium Champagne.

It’s creamy with bright flavours of strawberry, cherry and honeysuckle derived from a blend of Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir. Pop this at your next barbecue for something refreshing and well-balanced that will take on those meatier dishes.

It’s not every year one of these Perle d’Or Rosés comes around but when it does, it’s good. This is a lovely Crémant with honeyed and toast flavours alongside summer fruits including red apple and strawberries. It has the same, lively effervescence as Champagne and an energetic mousse and would make a wonderful accompaniment to your Salmon en Croute.

Franciacorta

From the small appellation of Lombardy in Nothern Italy, comes Franciacorta, the country's answer to premium Champagnes, where the winemakers stick to méthode traditionelle to create sparkling wines with greater finesse and complexity. The appellation is a DOCG, which is recognised as the highest classification in Italian wine law. 

All Franciacorta rosés must have a minimum of 25% Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and have spent at least 24 months on the lees.

Everything from the distinctive bottle and beautiful packaging, to what's inside is done perfectly. Having spent nine years on the lees this wine is made of 100% Pinot Nero from the best grapes of Ca' del Bosco's 2010 harvest. the result of careful vinification with excellent results. We enjoyed everything from the dark, rich colour to those creamy flavours from the malolactic fermentation combined with a touch of spice and wild strawberries. 

Vigna Dorata, meaning Golden Vine, gets its name from the sun shining down on the small winery at different times of the day. This rosé, made of a beautiful blend of Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and Chardonnay grapes, has spent roughly three years on the yeasts. The result is a bright and palatable sparkling wine with plenty of finesse. The red fruits complement citrus notes nicely with cherry and peach really jumping out combined with a lovely texture to create an easily-enjoyed sparkling wine. 

Cava

Spain’s much-loved sparkling wine, mostly from a tiny pocket of Spain called Catalonia, just north of Barcelona. No longer the cheaper alternative to Champagne and Prosecco, Cava is rebuilding its reputation as a real contender in the sparkling field.

The standout, mosaic print on this bottle is called trencadÍs and used in honour of modernist artistic movement in Catalonia. Vilarnau is always a reliable, award-winning Cava that has ranked among some of the world's leading Champagne houses in recent competitions.

This rosé speaks of the winery's quality. Flavours spring out the glass at you, capturing summer in a glass, bursting with refreshing peach and apple with a subtle hint of biscuit.

Freixenet is Spain's largest exporter of Cava and is known the world over. This Spanish heritage winery has got a number of gongs for its Rosado. A delicate pink-hue, it has a soft floral flavour profile with sweet red berries. Perfect to pop at your next brunch alongside pancakes and berries.

Other Territories

There are a number of fantastic sparkling wines coming out of various countries including Italy, the US and South Africa. Franciacorta, Italy’s premium sparkling wine made using the traditional method, is the country's premium range of sparkling with the highest Italian wine quality status, DOCG.

Another wine from good stock, Sharffenberger is part of the Maison Louis Roederer family and has been since 2004. This is a lively Californian sparkling, is wonderfully aromatic revealing bright summer fruits on the palate and a hint of oak. It's a great wine that highlights the potential for Californian sparkling wines- a region to watch.

This sparkling from northern Italy is neither prosecco nor Franciacorta or Asti. It's a blend of Glera, Malbec and Chardonnay grapes, revealing a salmon pink fizz with sweet apple and raspberry flavours.

Now is the time to get behind the South African wine industry which is facing a huge downturn as a knock-on from the pandemic, and this is a great sparkling to start with. This Pinot Noir-dominant sparkling rosé is a zesty and refreshing wine that’s age-worthy but enjoyable now. Tart and acidic with subtle brioche notes, we're sure you'll love it but purchasing will also help support the country's wine trade.