The bubbly types

All of the first quarter of my top 100 festive wines really sparkle. These 25 are listed upwards in price with selected UK stockists (often Lea & Sandeman as they have a particularly wide range), and this helps to indicate relative pricing. See winesearcher.com for more stockists, both in the UK and elsewhere, and see JancisRobinson.com for more details. All wines are 12% or 12.5%, and are champagne unless otherwise stated.

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Philippe Michel 2008 Crémant du Jura

From the Crançot co-op – an interesting choice for a mass-market supermarket. “Bottle fermentation.” Clean nose. Pretty dry and recognisably sub-alpine. Flirtatious. So light it is almost difficult to believe it is 12% alcohol. Juicy and appetising. Admirable for the price. Quite frothy but very clean and bracing. Tastes Brut. Well bought.

£6.99 Aldi

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Roche Lacour, Brut 2009 Crémant de Limoux

Not-too-frothy traditional method blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Chenin Blanc from the Languedoc hills. Apparently 40% of the blend is fermented in barrel. Very fine mousse. Clean, fresh, light nose. Very youthful but well put together. Not aggressively callow; attractively balanced. You can (just) taste that this was grown in a hot year in the far south rather than the north-east of France but it seems great value.

£9.99 Laithwaites

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Graham Beck, Brut Pinot Noir/Chardonnay NV Western Cape

Very well balanced South African. Creamy texture, thanks to 18 months’ bottle ageing on the lees. Hugely satisfying for the price even if not the driest.

£12.99 Waitrose

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Dom de la Taille aux Loups, Triple Zéro NV Montlouis-sur-Loire Pétillant

Gently sparkling Loire Chenin Blanc. Jacky Blot explains the name of this cuvée on the back label: “No chaptalisation, no liqueur de tirage, no liqueur d’expédition”. Gosh this is interesting on the nose! Smells of a damp cellar, like a successful natural wine. Apple skins and enormous vibrancy. I would love to be served this at a party. Not aggressively tart and dry, just lots of fascinating flavour. Very racy and refreshing. Impossible to spit. Persistent rather than potent.

£13.17 per bottle, £55 for six in bond Justerini & Brooks

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Jean-Louis Denois, Méthode Traditionnelle Brut Chardonnay/Pinot Noir NV Vin Mousseux de Qualité

Jean-Louis Denois is also from Limoux, and hugely skilled at making great-value, characterful fizz. Just a little fruitier, more opulent and less obviously lees-aged than the best champagnes but infinitely better than cheap champagne. His delicate Classique Brut NV is also excellent.

£13.95 Lea & Sandeman

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Waitrose Brut NV

From P & C Heidsieck, this has to be Britain’s best-value champagne – certainly until December 6 and very possibly even at its full price of £19.99. This particular Pinot-dominated cuvée is the best I can remember, seems to have some age on it and quite a contrast to the much more delicate Waitrose Blanc de Blancs from Burtin (£22.99) – also excellent.

Reduced to £15.99 (or £17.98 for two half-bottles) Waitrose until Dec 6

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Ridgeview, Merret Bloomsbury Brut 2009 England

English fizz gets better and better and Ridgeview is leading the charge. Neutral nose but some real depth. Light hazelnut flavour. Tight texture. Very respectable.

£17.59 until December 6, £21.99 after Waitrose, £21.99 elsewhere

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Jansz 2005 Tasmania

Much cheaper than in Australia, this brisk, super-clean, bracing wine would make a great apéritif, and tastes younger than it is.

£18.95 Slurp, £19.60 Tanners, £20.79 Noel Young

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Benedick, Grande Réserve Brut NV

Savoury nose suggests bone-dry wine. Mouthfilling fizz. Perfectly respectable and quite an impact on the palate. Quite long for the price.

£19.95 Lea & Sandeman

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P&C Heidsieck, Les Pionniers 2004

In Champagne, the even years of the past decade have produced some particularly successful vintage champagnes and this attractive combination of zest and evolution from a specialist in own-label champagnes is particularly well-priced.

£19.99 until Jan 3, £22.99 thereafter Co-op, selected branches

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Barnaut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru NV

Much more refined than the Aube Blanc de Noirs with which the UK (mass) market is flooded. Very appetising and great value.

£24.95 Lea & Sandeman

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Laurent Perrier NV

At the special price offered by Roberson, this may be the best-value grande marque champagne on the UK market. The current cuvée is particularly fresh and zesty. Racy and well-balanced.

£24.95 Roberson

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Chartogne-Taillet NV

Bravo to quality-conscious growers like this who give consumers maximum information on the back label such as exactly what went into the blend (80% from the 2006 vintage, 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir). Very fresh on the nose yet with deep flavours. Serious stuff from the village of Merfy. Exceptionally persistent. Great value.

£25.15 Vine Trail, £38.99 Selfridges

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Agrapart, Les 7 Crus NV

Blend of 2008 and 2007 from seven different well-placed vineyards, made with some oak. Light and delicate. Really lively. Whisper-clean and yet satisfying. The dosage was a modest 7g/l and the disgorgement date is given to help consumers and wine trade distinguish the bottling from others with the same name.

£27.50 Vine Trail, £39.99 Selfridges

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Pierre Peters, Cuvée de Réserve Blanc de Blancs NV

The base year here is 2006 but, as the name suggests, more than 35% of the wine comes from older reserves, maintained in a solera system and encompassing 16 vintages. The all-Chardonnay fruit is sourced mainly from top villages on the Côte des Blancs. Very complex and interesting for the money.

£28.95 Berry Bros

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Tarlant Brut Nature Champagne NV

The most satisfying of Marks & Spencer’s admirable collection of growers’ champagnes. Not aggressively dry, despite absence of dosage. Quite robustly textured (thanks to the oak casks).

£30 M&S, selected branches

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Larmandier-Bernier, Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Non Dosé Premier Cru NV

This grower does not put a foot wrong. This is their most delicate wine, balanced on a tightrope admittedly but with no sign of any wobble. Lovely. But I also admire their slightly more rustic Tradition Extra Brut Premier Cru NV (£28.50) and their very dry and demanding Terre de Vertus Blanc de Blancs Non Dosé Premier Cru NV (£34.50).

£31.95 Lea & Sandeman

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André Roger, Vieilles Vignes NV

Very deep-flavoured, mature wine from venerable Grand Cru Pinot vines – the sort you could drink with food.

£40 Jascots.co.uk

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Egly-Ouriet, Tradition Grand Cru NV

Long-aged. “Natural” apple peel aromas. Very pure and unadorned. All top Montagne de Reims villages. Extreme champagne with a very dry finish. Lots of potential.

£42.50 Lea & Sandeman

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Gosset, Grande Réserve NV

Beautifully balanced blend based on 2005. I preferred it to Gosset’s current vintage champagne. Very nervy and muscular. Not too sweet, not too tart.

£43.50 Lea & Sandeman, £54.99 Selfridges

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Pol Roger 2000

Great energy on the nose, still very youthful with lots of potential. Explosive, and drier than some Pol blends. The 2002 rosé (£64.99 Selfridges) is one of the best pink champagnes.

£44.95 Lea & Sandeman

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Bollinger, La Grande Année 2002

Good old Bollinger pioneered giving useful information on the back label. This wine, made from the produce of 16 Premier and, especially, Grand Cru villages is intense and savoury.

£74.95 Lea & Sandeman and elsewhere

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Vilmart, Cuvée Creation 1999

Champagnes from the opulent last vintage of the 20th century are at their peak now. This marvel from a much-admired Montagne de Reims grower is oak-aged and Chardonnay-dominated.

£74.95 Gauntleys of Nottingham

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Dom Pérignon 2002

I can’t remember a vintage of this famous wine that showed better on release. Sumptuous.

£115 Noel Young , £119.95 Lea & Sandeman, £130 Selfridges

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Louis Roederer, Cristal 2004

Intellectual and dense, but playful and dancing too. You can enjoy it already, although it has potential. Grows on the finish. Very luxurious.

£161.95 Lea & Sandeman, £180 Selfridges

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Jancis’s top 100 festive wines

Don’t miss our world-renowned critic’s four-part series on what to drink over the festive season, updated on www.ft.com/robinson . Next week, the best reds