Sparkling Summer: What to Drink in 2025

Beyond Champagne. From Loire bubbles to tea fizz, here’s your sparkling survival guide for the season.

As temperatures rise and the sun settles in for its long seasonal reign, 2025 brings with it a wave of beautifully fizzy, refreshing drinks to keep you cool, elegant, and pleasantly surprised. Sparkling beverages are no longer reserved for special occasions — this summer, they’re everyday essentials.

From French crémants to non-alcoholic teas, from high-mineral waters to Japanese sparkling sake, here’s your curated list of the best bubbly choices to sip, pair, and share all season long.

The New Sparkling Mood

Bubbles have evolved. No longer limited to the realm of celebration, sparkling drinks now embody daily delight, nuanced pairing potential, and often, a lower-alcohol profile — ideal for the hot days ahead.

This summer, the trend is clear:

• Balance: freshness without sugar bombs, fruity but also herbal.
• Terroir: origin and character matter, even in bubbles
• Diversity: sparkling doesn’t just mean wine anymore

Here’s what to put in your glass.

1. Crémant de Loire: Elegant and Expressive

From the chalky soils of Saumur to the cooler zones of Anjou, Crémant de Loire offers some of the most expressive traditional method sparkling wines in France. Expect floral notes, orchard fruit, and a long, stony finish.

Pairs with: oysters, Saint Jacques tartar, goat cheese, melon and prosciutto, grilled zucchini

What to try: Maison Ackerman — Royal Cremant de Loire — in June we had a visit at Maison Ackerman — a troglodyte cave nested in the beautiful Val de Loire, the oldest fine sparkling house in the valley, founded in 1811. An amazing experience, paved with knowledge and design (as they like to call it — from Savoir-vivre to Savoir-faire). At the end of the experience, we tried 3 different sparkling versions — 2 whites and 1 rose. What a delight! My favourite was Royal Brut — A subtle delicacy of yellow fruits, dried fruits, a touch of herbal and elegant minerality.

2. Crémant de Bordeaux: The Soft-Spoken Beauty

Quietly charming, Crémant de Bordeaux brings a different energy — slightly riper fruit, creamy texture, and a touch of toasty depth.

Pairs with: duck putine, taloa, roast chicken, paella, almond cake

Bottles to try: Jaillance Brut Blanc de Blancs — which we also tried during Bordeaux fete le vin and it made a lot of sense during an incredible heatwave that hit France in June (and still goes on as I write this)

3. Sparkling Sake: Japan’s Delicate Sparkle

Yes, sake can sparkle — and in 2025, more people are discovering its dry, food-friendly, lower-alcohol charm. Often bottle-fermented (like Champagne), sparkling sake combines fine bubbles with umami and subtle fruit.

What to expect: pear, rice flour, lychee, delicate fizz, usually on the sweet side, but with great delicacy

Pairs with: sushi, ceviche, tempura, burrata

Bottles to try: Lachamte Sparkling Sake — probably the best sparkling sake I’ve had so far — on the palate it is demi-dry, but it has amazing hints of almonds, honeysuckle and hay.

Pro tip: Serve very cold in a flute or white wine glass.

4. Sparkling Tea: Sophistication, Sans Alcohol

Fermented, cold-brewed, and expertly blended — sparkling teas are redefining non-alcoholic elegance. Whether infused with botanicals or made from rare oolongs and senchas, these drinks bring complexity without ABV.

Try: Copenhagen Sparkling Tea — 0.0% — I paired this one with barbeque ribs and it was superb.

Alsom Perfect for aperitivo hours, spa days, or pairing with summer salads.

5. Sparkling Water: The Mineral Angle

Hydration meets hedonism. High-quality sparkling mineral water isn’t just a palate cleanser — it’s a pairing tool in its own right.

What to try:

• Chateldon — a royal feast in itself — limited bottling every year, the preferred water at Versailles and tons of minerals — amazing
• Also, if you can get your hands on Sparkling Three Bays — you have a total win — lots of minerals, a hint of citrus, smooth bubbles

This Sparkling Summer is about choice: the joy of elegant wine, the thrill of discovery in sake and tea, the confidence of non-alcoholic pairings. Whether you’re toasting a milestone or just making a Tuesday feel more luminous, let something sparkle in your glass.

Because summer doesn’t just call for refreshment — it calls for beauty, energy, and a bit of magic.