Champagne is exceptional. It's also increasingly expensive. Here's what's worth drinking across every price point in the sparkling category.
Champagne prices have increased 40-60% over the past decade, driven by demand from Asia, smaller harvests, and the category's own luxury positioning. The grande maison houses have leaned into it — Dom Perignon, Krug, and Cristal now occupy price points that make them special-occasion rather than celebration-occasion wines.
The Grower Champagne Revolution
While the houses dominate marketing, grower-producers — farmers who make their own wine rather than selling grapes to Moet or Veuve — are making arguably the most interesting Champagne available. Names like Egly-Ouriet, Pierre Peters, and Chartogne-Taillet produce small-production, terroir-expressive wines that embarrass most grande marque releases at similar prices.
Prosecco and Cava Find Their Level
Prosecco has split into two tiers: industrial sweet versions that sell billions of cases, and single-vineyard expressions that are genuinely fine wine. Cava is undergoing a similar renaissance — the Cava de Paraje Calificado designation identifies estate wines that compete with Champagne for complexity at a fraction of the price.
Pet-Nat Takes Its Seat
Petillant naturel — wine bottled before fermentation is complete, creating bubbles naturally — is the oldest method of making sparkling wine and the newest trend. It's unlike anything else in the category and worth trying.
