12 award-winning organic sparkling wines for 2020

Following this year’s Global Organic Masters, we’ve picked out a dozen top-scoring sparkling wines, taking in England, Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, Pignoletto and Mendoza.

Among the many categories of organic wine that featured in this year’s competition, it was those with bubbles that proved home to some of the very best samples.

Not only were the wines delicious, but we also had a selection that offered exceptional value – particularly from Cava.

Bearing in mind the regular need to find good-value fizz for events and celebrations, it was great to unearth some delicious options for just such occasions that were also organic.

All the wines that feature over the following pages were selected ‘blind’ – which means that they were tasted without any knowledge as to their source or varietal components – as part of db’s Organic Wine Masters 2020.

This annual competition is the largest organic-only wine tasting in the UK, and has been devised to single out the best samples in this growing sector, with the only stipulation for entries being that the grapes and / or wine must be certified organic and / or biodynamic.

The selection below follows our previous handful of great-value organic white wines, which you can see by clicking here, as well as a listing of five fantastic organic reds for under £10, which you can view here, and more recently, a list of seven outstanding organic wines for summer, to champion lighter styles, along with our top 10 best wines from the competition.

Please see below for our selection of outstanding organic sparkling wines, and if you think you deserve a place on this list, please visit The Global Masters website for more information, or, to enter future competitions, please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com

12. Righi Pignoletto DOC Vino Frizzante Secco Biologico

• Producer: Righi Soc. Coop. Agr.
• Region: Emilia Romagna
• Country: Italy
• Grape variety: Pignoletto
• Abv: 12%
• Vintage: NV
• Residual sugar: 10g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: Under £10
• Medal: Silver – Organic Wine Masters 2020

If you’re ever on the look-out for something light, fresh, aromatic, gently fizzy, with masses of peach and pear fruit flavours, and you’re suffering from a touch of Prosecco fatigue, then Pignoletto is an ideal alternative. Taking its name from a variety and a DOC region in Emilia Romagna, Pignoletto is a both grape and a place, and source of a lovely style of easy-drinking fruity fizz that is generally less bubbly than Prosecco – like this lovely organic version from Rigni, made in the semi-sparkling frizzante style.

11. Cava Pata Negra Brut Organic

• Producer: Jaume Serra
• Region: D.O Cava
• Country: Spain
• Grape variety: Macabeo
• Abv: 12%
• Vintage: NV
• Residual sugar: 6g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: Under £10
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

It’s a perennial question for any wine professional, and that is, I’m looking for inexpensive sparkling wine for a party, what should I serve? Well, Cava Pata Negra comes with the three-part benefit of being delicious, inexpensive and organic, making it a brilliant option as a crowd-pleasing sparkling for large gatherings, or indeed, just a fantastic value fizz for any occasion.

In terms of style, this is a traditional method sparkling wine – so it’s made like Champagne – and that means it comes with fine bubbles, and bread-like flavours. But, unlike Champagne, and typical to Cava, it’s quite fruity, with ripe pineapple characters, and a touch of earthiness. It’s also quite a fresh style – with just 6g/l residual sugar (which actually puts it on the border of Brut and Extra Brut). In short, for under £10, it’s a fantastic, creamy-fresh fizz.

10. Maschio Prosecco DOC Biologico Extra Dry

• Producer: Cantine Maschio
• Region: Veneto
• Country: Italy
• Grape variety: Glera (85%) Chardonnay (8%) Pinot Blanc (7%)
• Abv: 11.5%
• Vintage: NV
• Residual sugar: 12g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: Under £10
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

So you want all the fruity-fizzy appeal of Prosecco and you want an organic wine for under £10. Well, this ‘biologico’ Prosecco from Maschio is the prefect solution, with plenty of ripe pear and peach, a touch of sweetness, but also a crisp lemon zest lift, and a lovely fresh clean finish.

9. Heretat El Padruell Brut Organic Cava

• Producer: Jaume Serra
• Region: D.O Cava
• Country: Spain
• Grape variety: Macabeo
• Abv: 11.5%
• Vintage: NV
• Residual sugar: 10g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: Under £10
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

Similar to the Cava Pata Negra Brut Organic mentioned above, this Spanish fizz called Heretat El Padruell offers outstanding value for money, and, while it shares many of the traits of the aforementioned Cava, this version has a bit more breadth. Indeed, with a slightly higher sugar content, it seems to have more creamy richness, along with pineapple, biscuit and bready flavours. Another great inexpensive find in the world of fizz – with the bonus of being organic.

8. Cava Jaume Serra Brut Organic

• Producer: Jaume Serra
• Region: D.O Cava
• Country: Spain
• Grape variety: Macabeo
• Abv: 11.5%
• Vintage: NV
• Residual sugar: 10g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: Under £10
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

Here’s another top value pick from Cava, and like our previous recommendations from this Spanish sparkling wine DO, this is made by Jaume Serra – which explains the similar quality, style and pricing. So, here is another option for fizz lovers on a budget that contains masses of ripe yellow fruit, a touch of earthiness, some toast and smoke, and delicious baked bread flavours – the appealing trait of good traditional method fizz.

7. Jasmine Monet Organic Black

• Producer: Jasmine Monet
• Region: Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza
• Country: Argentina
• Grape variety: Chardonnay: 85, Pinot Noir: 15
• Abv: 12%
• Vintage: 2019
• Residual sugar: 8g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: £20-30
• Medal: Silver – Organic Wine Masters 2020

This first-rate fizz was a surprise find in this year’s Global Organic Masters because of its source – the high altitude vineyards of Argentina, notably the cool, sought-after sub region of Gualtallary in Tupungato. It’s quite a delicate sparkling, with lime zest, apple and melon fruit, with a touch of pineapple too, and just a gently creaminess to the taste and bubble texture. It’s not a rich bready style of fizz, but a crisp-fruity youthful, dry sparkling wine of note.

6. Cava Contevedo Organic Brut

• Producer: Jaume Serra
• Region: D.O Cava
• Country: Spain
• Grape variety: Macabeo
• Abv: 11.5%
• Vintage: NV
• Residual sugar: 10g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: Under £10
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

Further proof of Cava’s ability to yield great, traditional method fizz at low prices, and, it seems, with organically-grown grapes too, is this sample called Cava Contevedo. Another fizz from Jaume Serra, it is of a high standard, particularly for its sub £10 retail price, and delivers plenty of ripe yellow ripe, brown bread, and some crisp apple bite. In short, it tastes a bit like a riper version of Champagne, and, retailing in the UK for not much more than a fiver, it must be one of the best-value sparkling wines in the world.

5. Vilarnau Limited Edition

• Producer: Vilarnau
• Region: D.O Cava
• Country: Spain
• Grape variety: Macabeo 50, Parellada: 30, Subirat Parent: 20
• Abv: 11.5%
• Vintage: NV
• Residual sugar: 15g/l (Extra Dry)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: £10-15
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

Our final Cava in this list hails from the respected producer Vilarnau, which is in fact own by Gonzalez Byass – the sherry producers behind Tio Pepe, who now have a range of top estates around Spain, many of which are organic. With that in mind you won’t be surprised to learn that this is a great Cava, with lemon zest, toast, along with ripe pineapple, and a touch of earthiness, as well as an appealing note of roasted nuts. Delicious, and affordable.

4. Limney Estate Organic Sparkling Wine

• Producer: Davenport Vineyards
• Region: Kent, England
• Country: UK
• Grape variety: Chardonnay: 50, Pinot Noir: 26, Pinot Meunier: 24
• Abv: 12%
• Vintage: 2014
• Residual sugar: 7.1g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: £27
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

Hailing from one of the most sustainable wine producers in the world, and a winner last year in The Drinks Business Green Awards, Davenport Vineyards is a highly experienced grower of organic grapes. But what do its wines taste like? Well, this 2014 vintage from its Limney Estate is a great example of English sparkling quality, and it’s organic. Loaded with fresh apple fruit, roasted hazelnuts, and fine-textured bubbles, it has all the hallmarks of fine fizz, along with the rather firm cleansing acidity that characterises English sparkling wine.

3. Masottina ‘Costabella’ Brut Biologico Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore

• Producer: Masottina
• Region: Veneto
• Country: Italy
• Grape variety: Glera
• Abv: 11.5%
• Vintage: NV
• Residual sugar: 8g/l (Brut)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: £10-20
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

There’s a growing sector of top-end Prosecco, and with that, an emergence of sustainable, organic viticultural methods too, and hence we are seeing more delicious organic Proseccos like this one from Masottina. The extra outlay for fine Prosecco gains you fizz with pristine ripe fruit, such as fleshy white peach, and juicy fresh grapefruit, along with zesty lime notes, and a creamy-textured bubbles. You won’t get the bready, nutty characters of traditional method fizz, but great Prosecco can compensate with its appealing, pure, bright, fruity aromatics.

2. Oxney Organic Estate, Classic Rosé, English sparkling wine

• Producer: Oxney Organic Estate
• Region: East Sussex, England
• Country: UK
• Grape variety: Pinot Noir
• Abv: 12%
• Vintage: 2016
• Residual sugar: 2.6g/l (Brut Nature)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: £35
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

It’s becoming increasingly well known that if you want fine, refreshing sparkling wine, then England is a fantastic place to go. But with its damp maritime climate, the country is hardly the obvious place to practice organic farming – which does away with powerful synthetic fungicides to deal with all manner of grape diseases, many of which are caused by damp conditions. So, it was exciting to find that this year’s most highly-rated organic pink sparkling wine was from the UK, offering the drinker a sustainable, and refreshing option, loaded with fresh apple, and ripe strawberry fruit, along with a bit of brown bread and hazelnut, before cleaning the mouth with fine bubbles, and a chalky dry sensation, plus a touch of citrus zest. In short, a delicious, bright, estate-grown organic fizz from Sussex.

1. Champagne Drappier Quattuor Blanc de Quatre Blancs

• Producer: Champagne Drappier

• Region: Champagne
• Country: France
• Grape variety: 25% Arbanne, 25% Petit Meslier, 25% Blanc Vrai, 25% Chardonnay
• Abv: 12%
• Vintage: Non-vintage
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Approx. retail price: £50+
• Medal: Gold – Organic Wine Masters 2020

This year’s Organic Masters featured a range of particularly good sparkling wines, notably from Cava, Prosecco and England. However, the top performer was a Champagne, and a remarkable one from Drappier.

Called Quattuor Blanc de Quatre Blancs, it employs the full four white grapes of Champagne, including Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. This means that it provides a home for some of the historic, near forgotten grapes of Champagne, while also supporting organic farming in the region – a relative rarity. It also helps that this high quality output hails from the region’s most sustainable producer – Drappier is carbon neutral.

As for the character of the fizz, it’s a Champagne of great quality, and interest, with a wide range of traits, from roasted hazelnut and pastry, to an array of apple flavours, from stewed and baked to fresh and ripe, before finishing with a chalky grip and taste. In short, a complex, balanced and highly appealing glass of fizz, that, for the Champagne specialists among you, mixes some oxidative apple skin characters with more reductive smoky, roasted notes.