Domaine Tselepos Amalia Brut
£11
What is it?
Greece’s leading sparkling wine – a brut made with the aromatic native grape Moschofilero.
What does it taste like?
Honeyed and flowery – think roses and pineapples. It is light yellow-green in colour, with fine bubbles that are lively on the tongue.
Best drunk…
…as an apéritif. Or with freshly squeezed orange juice in a mimosa.
Where to get it
Direct from the Peloponnese-based winery, 100 miles west of Athens (+30 27 1054 4440, tselepos.gr).
Abrau-Durso Imperial Brut
£10
What is it?
Russia’s best méthode champenoise wine – a light sparkler made from locally grown grapes on the slopes of the Black Sea. The vineyard was established in 1870 on the orders of the tsar, who wanted to serve a domestic fizz to his court.
What does it taste like?
Semi-sweet, thanks to its variety of classic grapes, from Pinot Blanc to Riesling. It is light straw-coloured.
Best drunk…
…in preference to Sovetskoye Shampanskoye, the ubiquitous, ultra-sweet, mass-produced Russian pop made from imported bulk wines.
Where to get it
In any of the upmarket wine boutiques lining Moscow’s Kutuzovsky Prospektor direct from abraudurso.ru (+7 86 1727 5855).
Magura
£9
What is it?
A classic golden brut made using the méthode champenoise in Bulgaria’s Rabisha winery, close to the Romanian border.
What does it taste like?
Dry, with a fruity nose and a gentle, continuous trail of bubbles in the glass. It’s more subtle than Iskra, the better-known local bubbly – its name translates as ‘spark’, and is more ’bang!’ than pop.
Best drunk…
…straight from the bottle. Everybody else does.
Where to get it
Order it at underground bar Club Chervilo (9 Tzar Osvoboditel Street, Sofia; +359 2 981 6633, chervilo.com) and retreat to one of the decadent red-velvet snugs.
Gellewza Frizzante
£11
What is it?
A renowned demi-sec rosé from the largest family-owned winery in Malta. It’s made with indigenous red grapes using the carbonated method.
What does it taste like?
Bursting with ripe, fruity flavours, it has a delicate strawberry bouquet.
Best drunk…
…as a welcome drink. It’s widely used to greet guests at Maltese weddings.
Where to get it
In Valetta’s five-star Hotel Phoenicia (+356 21 225241, phoeniciamalta.com), where it’s served by the glass in the Club Bar.
Watch Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman on selected flights in December.
