Champagne Prices Keep Rising While Alternatives Keep Getting Better
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.
