There is much snobbery around when the subject of sparkling wine is discussed, with many people declaring that they prefer Champagne. So I decided that it would be a good idea to do a blind taste test with my family, to see if anyone really knew what they were talking about when it came to bubbles.

I decided not to completely put people on the spot and ask them to identify which drinks were Champagne and which were sparkling wine; my Nan had already declared that in no circumstances would she be able to achieve this and that she liked neither. I would only ask them to decide which drink was their favourite, before I revealed what the drink was.

I selected a range of wines, all sparkling, from various countries in Europe, and gathered four family members. First, we sampled a lovely Prosecco from Italy. This wine is made in the North East of the country, and is usually light and dry. ‘That’s too dry for me,’ said my cousin Amy, screwing up her face.

‘I like that actually,’ said my Nan, ‘very… refreshing and crisp.’

Next we sipped Asti, also from Italy, but generally a much sweeter wine than Prosecco. ‘I like that better,’ said Amy. ‘Not so dry.’

Possibly one of the most well-known sparkling wines in Britain is Cava, which hails from the Catalonia region of Spain. I chose a medium Cava for our experiment. ‘I recognise this taste,’ said Helen, my sister. ‘This is definitely Champagne this one, hic!’ The bubbles were clearly going to her head, and Helen’s friends clearly had, at some point in the past, passed of Cava as the ‘real thing’ to her.

‘This one’s lovely,’ said Amy, and my mum was in agreement also.

‘This is my favourite so far,’ she said.

Next we tried a brut Champagne. This famous bubbly can only be produced in the Champagne region of France in order to bear the region’s name on its label. ‘This tastes more like Champagne,’ said my mum, who clearly has indulged in the past.

‘Don’t really like this one,’ said my Nan, ‘It’s not as sweet as the last one.’ Amy was also in agreement.

Finally, we sampled Sekt, a simple, aromatic sparkling wine produced in Germany. ‘This is easy to drink,’ said my Nan. ‘I like it.’

We all agreed that each sparkling wine was very different, but overall favourite emerged as the Cava from Spain which, ironically, had the lowest price tag. ‘Who’d have thought it!’ Said my Nan, pouring herself another glass with a slightly merry twinkle in her eye.

Dom Donaldson is a wine expert.
Find out more about sparkling wine at http://www.virginwines.com/wine-zone/sparkling-wine

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