The Best Sparkling Wines in India: Meet the Winners of the Cosmo India SNAs

Best Sparkling White Wine

Grover Zampa Soirée Brut

From the multi-award-winning cellars of Nashik’s Grover Zampa, the Soirée Brut is an elegant wine made with the Chenin Blanc grape, with brilliant straw hues and a fresh nose that reveals citrus and floral aromas. Persistent bubbles, fruity notes, and creaminess exemplify classic elegance, craftsmanship, and finesse. Fresh notes of brioche and dried apricot add to the long finish of this glamorous wine. This is the sparkling wine you will want to pair with an aperitif. It goes brilliantly with mildly spiced Indian, Chinese, Japanese, or Thai cuisine, making it a versatile pick. Pale straw in colour, on the nose there are floral aromas and notes of fresh lemon with hints of toasted bread and white fruit such as pear. The palate is clean, light and creamy, with fresh lemon, fine bubbles and a persistent mousse with a dry finish in the classic brut style. Suggestion: serve it at 6°C.

Credits: Mayuri Earrings, Amama Jewels, Rs.3,000

 

Best Sparkling Wine To Serve At Parties - Editor’s Choice

Henkell Trocken Piccolo

Since its launch in 1856, Henkell has become Germany’s most recognised sparkling wine brand. It’s a real meeting of minds of the French cuvée craft and German artisanal excellence. This dry, fully matured sparkling wine—that comes in the 200ml Piccolo (or small, in Italian) bottle—owes its elegant, international character to a unique premium cuvée of four excellent wines from selected grape varieties—including Chardonnay, made by the Charmat method. We know why Cosmo Editor Nandini picked this sparkling wine—the Henkell Trocken fizzes with delicate, long-lasting bubbles for a glassful of glamour. Its finely arranged, harmonic composition makes for a well-rounded, fully developed taste experience. Enjoy its balanced finish with a light sweetness and a hint of sour. It’s ideal for entertaining; you can pair it with appetizers, seafood, poultry or fruit-based desserts. But here’s a top tip: it is actually perfect for spicy food, say its makers, and makes a good friend to Indian and Asian dishes.

Credits: Alma Bead Drop Danglers, Radhika Agrawal Jewels, Rs.4,950

Best Sparkling Wine For Brunch

Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir

This sparkling wine is all about balance, and is an absolute winner when it comes to a reliable, well-rounded sparkling wine to pair with a brunch. Made of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, the tasting notes have a generous dose of citrus, along with a creamy nuttiness, that offers both
richness and structure. The wine finishes soft, crisp, and clean. It’s perfect when served chilled, with salads, or grilled seafood, or even by itself. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit for this wine was sourced from selected viticultural regions of South-East Australia. You’ll find yourself enjoying this sparkling at lunch...but we’re equally thrilled to take it to dinner, too!

Credits: Selena Bistro Handbag, Mistry, Rs.6,000

 

Prettiest Bottle  

Grover Zampa Soirée Brut Rosé Magnifique

Grover Zampa Soirée Brut Rosé Magnifique is a celebration in its own right—a reflection of the good times! With its salmon colour and an aroma of berries, it’s got a tinge of acidity and a long finish—just perfect for the festivities. And we love its beautiful label and packaging that features Indian motifs—flowers, birds, leaves—as well as hearts and snowflakes, scattered around the bottle. The captivating Zampa Soirée Brut Rosé Magnifique blend uses only the finest of grapes produced in the country making it a perfect sparkling wine of enormous potential, longevity, and complexity. The fruit is delicately handled so that its flavour, acidity, and freshness are perfectly preserved during the winemaking process. This perfectly balances the age, elegance, and structure of the wine, making it a wonderful offering for sparkling wine lovers.

Credits: The Mist Fringe Jacket, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna, Rs.42,500

 

Best Sparkling Wine For Brunch

Codorníu Cava Brut

The Codorníu Cava from Barcelona comes from the oldest and second-largest producer of Cava, the Spanish method of producing sparkling wine. Run by the 18th generation family that first started producing this wine in 1551, the Codorniu Brut is a reflection of the first Cava made in 1872, which still maintains its original blend of the three traditional Cava grape varieties: Macabeo, Xarel.lo, and Parellada. Pale lemon in colour, on the nose, you will discover fresh figs and nuts, with herbal and pear notes. A fresh, crisp, refreshing, and elegant sparkling wine—it has an attractive flavour of citrus and apple with fine, persistent bubbles, and a dry finish. The best way to serve it is chilled, at 6-8°C, with lots of tapas!

Credits: Noir Sheer Dress, Shivan & Narresh, Rs.48,950

 

Best Sparkling Wine To Serve At Parties - Editor’s Choice

Martini Prosecco

From a brand that’s famous for its vermouth, this Prosecco offering is refreshing, but hardly a surprise, considering Federico Martinotti created a novel method in 1895, of creating spumante (which just means sparkling in Italian). Made from the Glera grape, grown in the Veneto and Fruili regions of northern Italy, this is a dry, fresh, and crisply aromatic Prosecco (think green apples and banana), that can be perfectly served before a meal—making it ideal to serve when the guests walk in (and throughout the evening). The impressive, chunky bottle holds a bubbly juice that tastes fruity with mandarin, and citrus acidity, and is perfectly balanced in the finish...a delicious symphony!

Credits: Alyzeh Studs, Aetee, Rs.5,500

 

Best Overall Sparkling Wine

Sartori Di Verona Ti Amo Prosecco Brut D.o.c.

Ti Amo Prosecco is popular with sparkling-wine drinks around the world, and for a good reason. Made in the Province of Treviso, in vineyards that are abundant with calciferous, clay-rich soil, and made of 100 percent Glera (Prosecco) grapes, this straw yellow, sparkling wine has a delicate floral bouquet with touches of wild apples. Ti Amo fans love this prosecco for its playful, fiesty bubbles and slightly sweet flavour (making it a good choice for both brunch and dinner). This one is a solid contender for your personal ‘Must Have Stock’ list.

Credits: Oh V Iridescent Nova Handcuff Bracelet, Outhouse, Rs.18,500

 

Best Overall Sparkling Wine - Editor’s Choice

Fratelli Noi

Specially created by the Nashik-based Fratelli’s in-house winemakers, Noi is made out of the Thomson seedless grape from the Baramati vineyard in Solapur. Perfect for festive occasions, romantic getaways, Sunday sundowners, and good times with people, this is a sweet, spirited sparkling that is a crowd pleaser. Noi’s first fermentation occurs at 18-20°C in stainless steel tanks for 10-15 days. The second fermentation happens in the bottle. It’s then aged in the bottles for 60 days after which it’s riddled (here’s when 20gm of sugar is added) and disgorged. It is the first whiff of this aromatic wine in its beautifully illustrated black and acqua bottle that bursts with tropical passionfruit, a bouquet of flowers, and a bright summer’s day. The palate is vibrant, crisp, and fresh with lots of character. Noi is a delicious mouthful of fun for a day of easy drinking and goes particularly well with dessert.

Credits: Aqua ruffle dress, Zabella, Rs.11,000

 

Best Champagne To Pop On A Birthday - Editor’s Choice

G.h. Mumm Cordon Rouge Champagne

When it comes to special occassions, popping a bubbly is certainly a delightful way to celebrate. G.H. Mumm is the number three bestselling champagne in the world—and the official supplier of champagne to Queen Elizabeth II of England presently. Adorned with a bold red sash (George Hermann Mumm was inspired by the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest civilian award, that is presented with a red sash), it’s one of the world’s most iconic cuvées, that creates a celebratory environment. The prestigious champagne house G.H. Mumm has been blending the finest vintages since 1827, and always signals memorable moments and good times with friends. Blended from a palette of 120 crus from more than 120 villages, Mumm Cordon Rouge reflects the rich diversity of Champagne’s terroirs in France. The G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge blends the fresh, vibrant style that is the signature of Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and Aube, the House’s emblematic grape, with Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, Sézannais, Vitryat, and Aube; and Meunier from the Marne and Ardre valleys and the Montagne de Reims. It’s aged for a minimum of 20 months in Maison Mumm’s cellars and is beautifully presented in an iconic bottle since 1876. On the nose, there’s a sensation of freshness, with rounded, delectable notes. Juicy scents of succulent white and yellow fruits entice, with hints of lychee, pineapple, and praline. Appetising aromas of pastry—yeast and brioche—heighten the anticipation. Complex and perfectly balanced, it delivers a powerful finish, at once creamy and effervescent. Got a birthday, promotion, or engagement announcement? Bring this one out!

Credits: The Eze Dress, Sameer Madan, Rs.13,500