By Wine X Staff (who swirled, spit, and seriously rethought brunch mimosas for this one)
Let’s get one thing straight: This isn’t an article about Champagne.
This is about what happens right below Champagne on the price ladder — that mystical zone where $4 separates party fuel from soulful sparkle.
In today’s blind tasting cage match, we’re pitting the bubbly darling of engagement brunches — LaMarca Prosecco — against the criminally underappreciated Saint-Hilaire Brut Blanquette de Limoux, a French stunner often lumped in with crémants but boasting even older roots and bigger sparkle swagger.
One is the pop princess of sparkling wine. The other is a Benedictine monk in a bomber jacket who knows how to sabre a bottle and drop a philosophy quote.
So, what do you get when you pay just a little more?
Let’s pour and find out.
🥂 BOTTLE 1:
LaMarca Prosecco
Veneto, Italy • ~ $13
The Crowd-Pleaser. The Mimosa Machine. The Safe Date.
LaMarca is what most Americans think of when they hear “sparkling wine.” Floral nose. Bit of apple. Slightly sweet. The carbonation feels like it was added by an algorithm.
It’s friendly. Familiar. Polished to the point of being anonymous.
It’s also made via the Charmat method — tank-fermented for speed, volume, and gentle sparkle. This keeps it affordable, approachable, and utterly forgettable once your second glass is gone.
Not bad. Not special. Kind of like getting a shoulder massage from someone wearing gloves.
🍾 BOTTLE 2:
Saint-Hilaire Brut 2021
Blanquette de Limoux, France • ~ $17
The OG Bubbly. The Monk-Approved Original. The $17 Life Upgrade.
Before Champagne was a glimmer in Dom Pérignon’s eye, there was Limoux.
Saint-Hilaire is the oldest known sparkling wine in France, made méthode traditionnelle — in-bottle fermentation, lees aging, all the Champagne technique without the Champagne markup. Think crémant’s mysterious older sibling who studied abroad and never came home.
On the nose: green apple skin, wild herbs, fresh-baked croissant.
On the palate: crisp acidity, fine bubbles, a backbone that Prosecco could only dream of.
This bottle feels structured. Finished. Intentional. Like someone actually gave a damn.
💥 So What Does “Just a Little More” Buy You?
We’re talking a $4 difference here. One overpriced latte. Half a Taco Bell mistake. But it changes everything.
When you trade up to Saint-Hilaire (or other crémant-style French sparklers), you’re not just buying more flavor — you’re buying time. Time in bottle. Time on lees. Time in tradition.
You’re tasting intention, not just fermentation.
✨ What’s Crémant Got to Do With It?
Glad you asked.
Crémant is the underdog sparkling category of France — made with the same painstaking méthode traditionnelle as Champagne, often from regions like Alsace, Burgundy, or Limoux. Prices hover in the $15–$25 zone, with quality that frequently punches way above.
Saint-Hilaire, while technically not labeled a Crémant (because it predates the category), fits the mold perfectly: bottle-fermented, high-acid, regionally expressive, and criminally underpriced.
Drinking Prosecco after this is like drinking LaCroix after a proper gin and tonic. You just… know better now.
🧃 The Brutal Truth About Value
The sparkling aisle is loaded with fakers. Cute labels. Clever names. “Organic-ish” promises. But when you’re chasing actual quality for your dollar, you need to look past the hype.
And when it comes to paying just a little more, here’s what happens:
- Your bubbles last longer.
- Your wine actually finishes.
- Your glass gets refilled not because you’re bored — but because you’re in love.
Saint-Hilaire isn’t just better. It’s better by a mile for barely more than your usual pick.
🔚 Final Sip
LaMarca is fine. We’re not here to yuck your brunch. But if you’re ready to glow up your glass and still spend under $20, bottles like Saint-Hilaire — and its crémant cousins — are where your money starts tasting like a flex.
So next time you’re picking up a bottle to impress someone (even if that someone is just future you on a couch), reach for the label with history, method, and actual structure.
In a world full of Prosecco…
Be Saint-Hilaire.
