The Best Vegan Sparkling Wines and Champagnes to Try This Holiday Season

There is no celebratory drink more quintessential than Champagne. But these days, bubbly is for much more than special occasions and New Year's Eve toasts. There’s plenty of silky smooth Champagne and sparkling wine that’s so good, you’ll want to revel in it all year round. Before you go on your next bubbly-buying quest there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, not all Champagne and sparkling wines are vegan. Many wines—be it sparkling or still—use animal products, like egg whites or gelatin for example, to achieve a certain clarity or color. That’s why finding a transparent brand that lays out its ingredients, and communicates its value, is important if you do want to know what’s being poured in your glass.

Second, let's get the facts straight about Champagne vs. sparkling wine. Champagne is a type of sparkling wine that comes from the region of Champagne, in northern France. In addition to regional requirements, it also must be made from specific grapes to constitute as Champagne—most commonly Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay grapes are used, but a number of others are allowed in as well. Any sparkling wine not from Champagne, France and meeting the grape criteria, is just sparkling wine. So, all Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne.

You certainly don’t need to have actual Champagne to enjoy some boozy bubbles. There are plenty of enjoyable sparkling wines that will satisfy your champs craving. Below we’ve rounded up some Champagne and sparkling wines that are not only vegan, but also born from female-owned companies. Cheers to these badass bubbly bosses bring us a delectable sparkling, appropriate for any occasion...and any time of day!

Clean wine brand Avaline stormed onto the scene thanks to Cameron Diaz and partner-in-wine-crime Katherine Powers. The two wanted to bring to market a clean wine that was fully transparent about ingredients and nutritional stats. Unlike common practices within the industry, Avaline decided to openly share the ingredients that go into each bottle. So far their transparent wine is a hit. The latest addition is a bubbly that might be one of the best in the lineup: Avaline Sparkling is a clean, vegan-friendly sparkling wine made with organic grapes and no unnecessary extras—and it’s low in sugar, with only 0.5 grams of sugar per glass.

Avaline is $26 per bottle and can be found on Wine.com and other retailers across the US.

There aren’t many woman-led Champagne houses, but Carol Duval-Leroy is one of them. She scaled her family business, which was founded in 1859, and turned the brand into a leader in Champagne, known for making extraordinary bubbly. What’s more, a number of years ago Duval-Leroy announced it was going all vegan, citing that consumers want wines made as naturally as possible and that it was the right thing to do. Rather than using fining agents like egg whites or gelatin, the company lets its wines sit for three months or more, allowing the natural sediment to fall to the bottom of the tanks and barrels. The wine is then clear, void of sentiment. Your pallet will be met with a formidable dry crispness with a hint of minerals and a satiny finish.

You can find Duval-Leroy Champagne at various retailers in-store and online at a $40 and up price point.

Veuve Clicquot, pronounced “Verve Klee Koh” translates to “Widow Clicquot,” named for the first woman to run a Champagne house. In 1818, Madame Clicquot invented the first known blended Rosé Champagne and was the woman who started the female revolution in Champagne by transforming her husband's failing wine business and becoming one of the first international businesswomen in the world. Today, Veuve is not female-owned and run (the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group acquired Veuve Clicquot, where it remains today, headed up by Jean-Marc Gallot), but with its deep influence from pioneering women, it deserves a seat on our list.

With Veuve’s sparkling rosé, which is vegan along with all their Champagne, you’ll encounter aromas of fresh wild ripe strawberry with a full-bodied structure that will dance on your palette long after you sip. Veuve selects high-quality grapes from some of the most sought-after vineyards in Champagne, France, to uncover the characteristics that expertly express the Veuve Clicquot Rosé style. This might help explain the cost, which is well worth the splurge.

Veuve Clicquot Rosé runs about $70 (depending on where you buy) and is widely available from retailers like BevMo, Wine.com, and more.

Actor and model Cara Delevingne recently teamed up with sisters Chloe and Poppy to form Della Vite, a swanky Prosecco brand that hails from Italy. So far they’ve released two Proseccos that are currently only for sale in the UK, but coming to the US soon, the company says. Della Vite's Prosecco Superiore DOCG is vegan certified and the production of the wine is eco-friendly. Their farming avoids use of heavy machinery and overseas ingredients. Plus, the Della Vite winery operates on solar-powered energy. Della Vite is said to be a combination of sophistication and lightness with a distinct and complex flavor profile. Keep a lookout for their entrance in the US coming soon so you can try this bubbly for yourself.