Sparkling Wine Face Off - Will Champagne WIN?

[@Blue28485]

There’s something really nice about this video - it’s rare to see Konstantin struggle in blind tastings, I personally often struggle to tell high quality champagne from basically entry level ones. Authenticity is an amazing charm of this man. Thank you!

[@RobertSmith-up9rz]

Same goes with any wine. Even recognizing white from red is difficult in a blind tasting for most people. It takes insane amount of tasting and education to recognize wines.

[@stefanozanol2157]

I live here in Trento, where the Ferrari is produced. In general Italy have a warmer climate than France (Champagne) but Trento is near the alps and the vineyards is at 400/800 meters over the sea level where the temperature change during day/night is higher and resemble a cooler climate. Thats why this zone is particularly vocated to sparkling wines. Ferrari knew it 100 years ago when he start producing sparkling wine with the champenoise method. The local producers have now founded the TRENTODOC appelation, but is still fairly young (20 years). Recently I partecipate to a TrentoDOC blind tasiting with several local brands... but the Ferrari Perlè 2017 was a step (or two) over all the others. 80 years of experience can make the difference!

[@urkobarros]

Izar Leku is sparkling Txakoli from the Basque Country! An amazing wine made in Gipuzkoa! Hondarribi Zuri is the grape variety, tipical from here

[@magnusVarblomst]

I’m not a huge fan of txakoli, but want to try what oxer is doing there, have only tried the reds from laguardia, amazing stuff. So how does the sparkling one compare to cavas from la rioja or catalonia? Have you tried it?

[@benatjuaristi3625]

That was not a txakoli. It’s the same varietal but you dont put a presure cork on txakoli. Txakoli is a « perlant » wine, the one konstantin tasted seems to be a méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine.

[@BjørjaBear]

Lots of good wine from there. I've been surprised here in Norway of the quality, especially of the still whites

[@ntq1ty]

Have heard a lot about British sparkling wines over the past few years - I'd like to know more about them.

[@alistaircorbishley5881]

There are some fantastic sparkling wines coming out of the South of England right now. Same sort of chalky soils and a bit more of a marginal climate than Champagne produced wines that are a good match for all but the best Champagne Cru's.

[@CD23_06]

@@alistaircorbishley5881My personal favourite English sparkling is actually from further north; Renishaw Hall. Right on the border between Derbyshire and Yorkshire.

[@TheOriginal_BigMac]

Yes, Hattingley Valley is just a couple of miles down the rise from me. Lots of chalk, confirmed😅. Lovely wines

[@j_rosenberg]

I’ve heard good things and they seem to be growing in production and distribution, especially since they are now reaching Australia! (I saw my first bottle of English wine here in Aus just yesterday)

[@michaeltschuertz]

​@@j_rosenbergi have been following rhem for 20 years now and the quality is only going up.

[@SethKBaldwin]

The Handurabi made me think of Txakolina from Basque (same grape!) which is only frizzante but super delicious and quite affordable. Flavors of lime and sea spray make it a perfect summer refresher.

[@Bushcraftranger]

Very nice Video, thank you! Now i have to check if you have a Video about Prosecco. To stay in the sparkling theme.

[@simonbakken2440]

I visited Ferrari a few years ago and one of the first things they told us was that they got the name before the car😉 Their wines were and still are great!

[@darkerbinding6933]

Shared spittoon splash back. Lmfao. Thanks for the great laugh.

[@marknelson8724]

The fifth wine which was from Spain comes from the Basque region. I had no clue they were making a sparkling wine. The region is very rainy but the have a white grape and a red grape that tolerate that. The two grapes are unrelated.

[@ChaosCrischen]

After suggesting to try a Griesel a couple of videos ago, I am happy that it won the tasting. My favorite producer of sparkling wine at the moment.

[@nicolalusini1322]

Ferrari is produced in the city where I live, Trento. Trento DOC is a quite well known Italian wine area. :)

[@andrewkarl5174]

We were there a while ago , beautiful winery, and a much more beautiful town.

[@numanuma20]

You are so lucky. The area looks so beautiful and the wine is amazing.

[@clydeblair9622]

As usual, total honesty and no bs.

[@burakozgelen7659]

I always enjoy to watch Konstantin and how he explains with deep passion.

[@jamesallison4875]

Noble effort, Sir. Just wondering if you texted your friends to come over and finish the bubbly with you? Thanks.

[@nickyang1143]

Would love your take on budget champagne (cheapest bottle from aldi et al) and big name brand nv

[@DavidRaccah]

I loved the comment "Be kind" - I am sure everyone will be, great stuff!!

[@jamesboddington9565]

I would have loved to see how my beloved Tasmanian sparkler, Arras Elite went in that tasting. I drink it in preference to big house French Champagne

[@whisk-e-y_problems9075]

So my takeaway from this: if a Master of Wine like Konstantin struggles to pick out Champagne blind, then there is almost no chance we average wine drinkers could tell the difference. It seems to me like Champagne is not worth the price premium unless you are looking for a very specific profile from a particular grower -- too much good sparkling wine being made outside Champagne at much more affordable prices!

[@patavinity1262]

I don't think that's really the case. I'm a pretty averagely-knowledgeable wine enthusiast (I have nowhere near his level of expertise) and yet even I can discern a noticeable difference between champagne and most other sparkling wines. The person who organized this tasting was obviously making it as tricky as possible, with good quality sparkling wines that have champagne-like characteristics, but if you take a *typical* champagne and compare with a *typical* sparkling wine then the champagne will probably be of superior quality. I'm no snob either, I'm a big fan of lesser-known sparkling wines.

[@MrKvasi]

I have never in any blind tasting mistaken something for a champagne or champagne for something else. I don't think there are any sparkling wines that have the same quality. Wines that try to be as good, for example Nyetimber is still more expensive than a similar one from champagne. I've tasted close to 1000 champagnes so that might be why.

[@vinotas]

Izar Leku is From Basque Country use the same grape of Txakoli "Hondarribi Zuria" , great Wine .

[@mclarenmtt7343]

Fascinating to see you struggle to identify these wines! It’s a confirmation for me that good sparkling wines can come from anywhere where they master the wine-making technique. My favourites? Franciacorta, Alta Lange and various German producers of Crement (Loersch comes to mind)

[@dantheman8279]

This tasting of sparkling wine confirmed what I have discovered as well, there are some impressive bubbles being produced outside of Champagne that I favor more these days. Thank you for this video!

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

Hey Konstantin! A couple of observations: 1. We say at our house that the sound of a cork popping should sound like the the sound of a contented woman. You still remember what that sounds like right? 2. I have been able to determine real champagne by looking at the size of the bead. The champenoise refer to the bead of anything made elsewhere as having toad's eye's or much larger beads or bubbles streaming from the bottom of the glass. 3. The state I live in here in Australia consumes the highest amount of French Champagne per capita. This is due to the wonderful writings of Bernadette O'Shea who won an award from the French for her writing. Cheers!

[@RoryFitzpatrick-pe3fx]

To your first point, I always say it should sound like a princess’ fart. Pffft. A very soft t too. 😂

[@DominusVayniac]

I’ve always been a fan of Gosset champagne and Pommery which I visited years ago. Great blind tasting. I’ll look for the Italian sparkler.

[@RoryFitzpatrick-pe3fx]

Great video, he is so honest and a great example of how breaking a wine down to its bare parts to describe and rate it. I live in Australia and there are some amazing bubbles coming from Tassie and Otago too. Champers is very expensive down here. I’d love to try the Txakoli sparkling. Some of my best memories are in san seb.

[@peterfraisl8987]

Thanks Konstantin - really nice one! Just had a Ferrari Perle last night and we have been watching Trentodoc since a few years now and there are some really exciting producers and wines. What was perhaps missing was Franciacorta (equally nice) as well as Corpinnat (a fairly new collective of sparkling wine producers from the Cava region that put a strong emphasis on quality, since some Cavas might actually lack the kind of quality one would expect from a great sparkling wine). And being Austrian I must say that you also find some very nice sparkling wines in my home country from very established producers (such as Bründlmayer).

[@luxemkingII]

As a big fan of sparkling wines, I am actually going to add 3 wines as my favorites (outside of champagne) depending on the situation. For a great bargain, I choose the Crémant from my home region of Luxembourg, excellent quality for a very low price. If I want to drink something funky, I would choose the Paleokerisio Orange Sparkling Wine from Greece, every vintage is so unique and makes it really exciting to taste when the new vintage comes out. Another favorite I always gravitate to that is fantastic is the Emmolo sparkling wine from California, again a wine where each vintage is somewhat unique. The wine is made by the daughter of the winemakers of Caymus and she is really showing her skill in this sparkling wine

[@fcrademan1838]

If you would like to explore South African sparkling wines I can highly recommend Silverthorn.

[@budvarone]

One of my favourite, non Champagne, sparklers comes from South Africa. Graham Beck's Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut NV, is delicious and a bargain....imo!

[@garrettjanssen7683]

Very tough tasting and no rosé wines either to help! Favorite sparkler is Huet’s Petillant just a stunning ambassador for sparkling chenin blanc

[@carlcadregari7768]

Awesome video. Thank you. Shows how much sparklers have improved! Especially when a Basque grape gets that score!

[@westgarthwines]

Fascinating! Also, great to see that Champagne still innovates given such an established standard of quality and output. Time to track down some Griesel!

[@undisclosedperson3871]

So much good stuff in South Africa - most underrated country for sparkling wines. But there are misses too, because very little is exported and MCC has much more flexibility with grapes. If you stick with Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, you'll usually have very pleasant experiences.

[@ChantelleGous]

Agree. Producers such as Graham Beck and Pieter Ferreira doing some interesting experimental MCCs worth looking out for. But I think Konstantin should simply arrange a proper SA visit to see what is happening there 😊

[@gerardgreen3441]

Great stuff thanks. Other than champagne my vote goes for some of the terrific English sparkling wines. Camel Valley, Nytimber, Sugrue, Wiston. They are makings excellent wines now - but not cheap

[@websparkone]

Great video again!!! The Spanish sparkling is that a kind of Txakolí made with the method traditional?

[@thijswalter9745]

Great video! Would you consider to make a video about Orange wine? Maby in a blind test? I could really use some good Orange wine brand tips!

[@andrewjones2183]

Tassie (Australia) has some quality bubbles

[@Matt_Bykowski]

Super interesting, and fun to watch. Thanks for sharing.

[@jackphillips2879]

Great video, I found your comments on terroir and sparkling wine methods interesting. My favourite sparkling wine is Firriato Blanc de Noir from Etna. Made with Nerello Mascalese and with >30 months on the lees it’s great value and an interesting wine

[@tperkins17]

I love sparkling wines from northern Italy and Spain, but have recently been very impressed with some of the stuff I've had from Willamette Valley. I think there's immense potential there for sparkling wine. Would also love to see Meunier get more love outside of Champagne proper. Not enough producers growing it!

[@michaelboegle1194]

I really like the austrian sparklings, like Ebner-Ebenauer, Szigeti, Bründlmayer, Harkamp, loimer, Schloss Gobelsburg...

[@DaMueff]

I'm a fan of Steininger's sparkling wines. They're located in the Kamptal region in Austria and offer fantastic value for money. In the price range of 20 - 30 Euro you get really fantastic entry level sparking wines and even their top quality wines are very affordable for roundabout 40 Euro.

[@Dan-lr9zk]

Super interesting the Moncuit showed that way to you. Those bottles are so laser focused, mineral + acid driven, and classic for the region. Makes me think you had an off bottle. Pierre Amillet doing great stuff over there.

[@saulobertozo]

Brazil has produced many high quality sparkling wines with some interesting typicality, especially in the southern region, which is a colder area in the country. Producers such as Geisse and Valduga make delicious sparkling wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that have won several international awards. After Champagne, they are my favorite sparkling wines.

[@JMurfet]

I think it is so refreshing to see that you also struggle with sparkling wines. A mere mortal like me can feel better with the fact sparkling wines are hard to blind taste. I'll be in the jura later this year, so I will keep an eye out for that cremant. I find that the jura, for such a small wkne producing area, has some really amazing wines. As always, love your videos!

[@chemepharmd76]

Outside of Champagne, I've enjoyed English sparkling wine (Chapel Down) and Californian (Napa). Konstantin, stay thirsty AND keep sparkling! 🥂

[@Rudy0stefmeister]

The best sparkling I've had is the Deviation Road Beltana late disgorged vintage 2011 from the Adelaide Hills, very rich and creamy with toasted nuts and dried fruit character.

[@xjackisbackx]

Had some Txakoli yesterday so I had no trouble placing that wine #4. You should check it out!

[@christophS2468]

I rarely drink California still wine but when it comes to sparkling wines, California offers the most bang for the buck given the local selection. There are lots of California sparkling wines in the $30 to $40 range that outperform champagnes in the $40 to $55 range in my opinion. But the local selection is limited. I haven't seen an English sparkling wine locally for sale yet. Would love to try one.

[@dublodave7860]

Favourite sparkler outside Champagne , has to be English Nyetimber. Created by Stuart & Sandy Moss in the late 1980's with the first commercial vintage around 1992 has gone from strength to strength - brilliant wine and ages well (I have a couple of bottles of their 1993 vintage left, the last one opened about a year ago was stunning).

[@ecmo11]

Nyetimber is great, but I've come to appreciate Gusbourne even more. Chapel Down is another to make sure you try

[@dublodave7860]

@@ecmo11 Hi, Yes, there are some brilliant English sparklers these days, Try Hambledon, Bolney, Camel Valley and there's just to many to mention....

[@Talesofthegrape]

Worth trying Camel Valley, best one I have tried

[@dieterploeger]

I've noticed the rubbery aroma with Cava at times as well. Where does this come from?

[@joaogarcia9607]

Konstantin, may we know what glasses are those? Great vid! Cheers!

[@holgerheuermann]

Riedel Veritas Champagne

[@kingjulian1549]

I’ve only had one bottle but the Arras E J Carr is the best Aussie sparkling. It’s from Tasmania and is around 15 years in bottle before release. It’s in another league to any other Aussie sparkling and it’s truly beautiful.

[@IA_Z_V]

Izar Leku is the sparkling wine that Artadi does in the txakoli area wity Hondarribi Zuri grape variety. Artadi is one of the best wineries in Spain that left the Rioja denomination so they could be more free making their wines, with village wines and single wineyard wines with less wood and more fruit and freshness. You should try them (viña el pison for example)!

[@heribertfiguerola5145]

Coorpinat, for sure. Maybe you've already tried them, but they never appear in your videos. In general, they are great sparkling wines, and many at prices below the price of entry-level champagnes. There are also more expensive wines, but in the €25 to €40 range there are many excellent ones. Wineries such as Recaredo, Gramona, Llopart, Júlia Bernet, Nadal...

[@heribertfiguerola5145]

By the way, Coorpinat are crom Penedès, un Catalonia.

[@TheHarryb]

Great tasting test! At first I was a bit disappointed, seeing the black hoodie, but it worked perfectly showing the colors of the wines. Would have loved to see a sekt from "Raumland" in it. Maybe another time.

[@rupertarabia]

Wine #3 looked like a lager when poured!

[@seanfair7968]

I would watch sparkling tasting every week. I think this is the best market to find a bargain wine vs champagne and it pairs with basically all food - so universal appeal!

[@ramboyadas]

Again, what a amazing bubble session. I salivate when I hear the sounds of the bubbles opening on the glass. Unfortunately we don't have Griesel & Compagnie Grande Cuvee Exquisit Dosage Zero here in PT for sale. BTW, Leon if you're reading this, please show some Portuguese Sparkling wine to Konstantin. I'll happily help! Cheers everyone.

[@Elegreba]

Tamar Valley in Tasmania produces some amazing sparkling. Pirie and House of Arras are my favourite

[@JamesCook-4830]

There are some fantastic methode traditionale sparkling wines coming out of Tasmania in Australia right now. Arras being the main example, but there are many others as well.

[@RalphWendlandt]

Great video again! Outside of champagne, I like Italian sparkling wines (Ferrari, Ca del Bosco, La Scolca), Gloria Ferrer from California and what I consider to be the best Riesling Sekt 1900 from Van Volxem. If you want something sweet: Paolo Saracco Moscato d'Asti and especially Caudrina La Selvatica.

[@GrantierBR]

Great tasting! You really should try a brazilian sparkling wine, specially from Pinto Bandeira, maybe a Cave Geisse one or a Valmarino one. There are several excellent producers here and you would be amazed on how their products are high quality! I just came from a trip to the Serra Gaúcha region and it was incredible!

[@AndyBaumgartner-p4x]

Hi, I have been following you for a long time now. I’m in Hong Kong and we have a great wine scene here. I hope you can come to Hong Kong and experience the wine scene here. If you ever decide to take a flight over please let me know. I’d be very happy to host you and show you around. Cheers Andy

[@pikesoNN]

Hondarabi Zuri sparkling, wow ! nice !

[@ruaridhbakke1118]

Martin Codax sparkling Albariño for sure!! Roebuck Estate vintage Blanc de Noirs English sparkling wine too (this one for not trying to completely emulate champagne and making something a little more unique)

[@marcgabor9690]

I love these face off videos! Would have been an interesting curveball to throw a rosé champagne in there. Or a maybe you could do a whole sparkling rosé wine face off. Also, if you haven't had Raventos from Spain (not Cava) you have to try it! Can really go head to head with good Champagne. Sparkling Vouvray from Loire (Huet) would be a good addition to this comparison as well.

[@jeremywren2190]

Some great sparkling wines coming from the UK. I especially like those from Gusbourne Estate.

[@minka8047]

Arras and Janz from Australia make great sparkling wines in the traditional method can be comparable with champagne prices. Konstantines dilemma in this tasting is interesting - pick the best wine - pick the wine he likes best ( which could be different in theory if you've watched Peter Kauff) - Pick the champagne Leon seems to have picked a champagne where the wine maker Stylistically differed from the norm per say. combine this with fact that sparkling wines are highly processed and you expect wine makers to try and replicate champagne like characteristics and you have a tough task ( similar to tasting Parkerised wines in the 90's I'd imagine)

[@darrenching2336]

Ferrari Trento doc actually produce high quality metodo Classico method which is champagne method. Their nv and no rose is the best bargain in terms of the price quality. But my fav is the Perle nerlo 100% Pinot noir

[@samclark9892]

Jansz is a great producer from SA both the rose and regular sparkling wines are good and really afordable i believe at 20 -25 quid. Ferrari is now the official champagne supplier to formula 1, kind of ironic ferrari no longer get to spray it that often since they changed from moet!

[@RedRoverTW]

There's a lot of excellent sparkling wine (espumante) coming from Portugal, such as Vertice, Murganheira, Luis Pato, and Soalheiro, with many made in the traditional method.

[@schmup53]

Very entertaining, Konstantin!

[@stkjjke]

I was really waiting for this (see my comment in the Champagne tasting). It somehow confirms my impression that other regions can compete and it hasn't to be Champagne all the time but some well made Cava or Cremant at a lower price can keep up. Thank you very much for this experience! 🫶

[@sevan6286]

There is only one way to improve your South African repertoire. Drum roll....... A South African wine tasting video. I will definitely watch it 😂

[@zizzie4081]

I just tasted a Cap,Classique and liked it. I too would love a South African sparkler video!

[@matthewdonet]

He has posted an SA wine video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKa0c3WsoK6bqck

[@georgeliapis47]

This video sparks a lot of empathy for me (pun intended) - I cannot, for the life of me, identify with precision the differences between sparkling wines and champagne. Sometimes you think it’s easy (you get the brioche character, you think champagne) but it turns out you’re wrong; and sometimes real bargains like Espumante from Portugal (costing 10-25 EUR) are more enjoyable than expensive champagnes, so I feel Konstantin completely on this one, and I adore the raw/authentic character of those videos much more than anything else. My personal favourite surprise was a Greek one from Karanikas, his Brut Reserve is exceptional and the vfm out of this world (edit: when I tried it years ago - I see the price has gone up, understandably so).

[@gregoryfelitto9034]

It was missing a Brazilian sparkling sample on your table... or you can make an exclusive video for them.

[@ccuellar6212]

I like to see you review some Pet Nat wines.

[@ecmo11]

No. 1 Family Estate & Quartz Reef, both from NZ; Gusbourne from UK; and Gramona & Recaredo, both from Spain are all outstanding sparklers. I could go on, as it is my favorite style of wine, but I'll cap it here.

[@zigavidic4011]

Hey Konstantin, can you help me where to buy that kind of bottle covers for blind tasting? Thanks man and really appreciate your content, keep doing good stuff !!

[@RCTricking]

The runner up is tough for me! In terms of frequency/availability it’s Prosecco, but my local store has some delicious Riesling Sekt

[@zizzie4081]

I’m curious as to your pouring technique. Is that for the benefit of tasting, or is that how you are supposed to pour? (High and foamy)

[@alistaircorbishley5881]

My favourite sparkler outside Champagne is vintage Pelorus from Cloudy Bay.

[@tolvthomas4536]

I'm a big fan of Lytle Barnett from willamette valley. And Rajat parr's Preuve from sta. Rita hills.

[@gekko3743]

Tolles Video! Es wäre da mal spannend einen Vergleich der "Massen" Sekte wie Freixenet, Mumm, etc zu sehen

[@stanleovart]

8:09 usually also not just rubber but also carton boxes in taste. :)

[@robdielemans9189]

Currently and price wise I like most of Cava Brut nature with plenty of aging in lees.

[@KurtSmith-ks3zn]

So many bubbles, so little time! Great producers are all over the world, so I just trust my palate. If it tastes good, then it tastes good! In my experience, bubbles can mask nuance the same way temperature can. Maybe that's just me, but when enjoying bubbles, I don't drill down too deeply.

[@octo_contra]

Would love to see a feature on some sparkling red wines, a couple of pet-nats and some lambrusco-style wines maybe?

[@Chris-hf2sl]

Very interesting - but no surprise that the Champagne didn't win. In fact, if anything, I'm surprised that it did as well as it did. Generally speaking, I'd say that there are much better sparkling wines available from elsewhere and as an added bonus, they're aways much cheaper.

[@LadyAceRoxy]

LOVED this one! Cava and Cremant de Alsace are my favorites. Leon did a great job, what an interesting selection.

[@martinvowell3614]

Good tasting but disappointed no wines from Limoux were included as this is where sparkling wine was first made and they offer incredible value. I have tasted them alongside Grand Marque Champagne and the compare favourably.

[@MortenPejterRoitmann]

Great video, thank you.

[@davidcostello7320]

Crément de Bourgogne has become my sparkling wine of choice. If you have a decent cellar, aging it for 6 - 10 years does wonders! Champagne has become too expensive to enjoy as a drinking wine. It is relegated to the "something special" category, which is a great pity.

[@tay9186]

Peter and Patrick has started the channel again called WIngkings, I hope you guys can collaborate with those real wine kings!

[@peteT269]

The best sparkling wine I've ever had was English. The blanc de blanc from Gusbourne Estate. Amazing stuff.

[@Ruirspirul]

fascinating video! Champaign method sparkling wines are the least “terroir” wines on the planet.

[@johnqureshi9840]

Bluestone sparkling wine from Wiltshire England is beautiful

[@angusmcmillan8981]

Fascinating vid, thanks. A shame nothing from England where many Champenois are now making sparkling wine (as the weather in Champagne gets hotter) alongside native Brits. Same chalky soil but cooler, and the results are world- beating.

[@bigal7373]

Spittoon😀 splash back....I learn something everyday!

[@persimarco]

at the moment I have a phase where I drink most sparklers from Germany: Raumland Blanc de Blancs ist awesome good

[@1963tobias]

I also like the „Bürgel“ a lot