Bargain champagne Best Buys unveiled by Which?Sainsbury's bubbly beats Moët in champagne test
19 November 2009
There's no need to splash out on expensive champagne this Christmas with the bargain supermarket own brand bubbles on offer, says Which?
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut NV (90%, £31.91) topped a Which? test of champagnes but Sainsbury's Blanc Noirs Champagne Brut NV was only 1% behind and around half the price at £15.98.
H Blin & Co Champagne Brut NV from Oddbins also scored 89% (£24.99) and supermarket The Co-operative followed closely behind with its Les Pionniers Champagne Brut (88%, £15.55).
Moët and Chandon’s Brut NV proved disappointing - it came 13th out of the 14 champagnes tested (79%). Which? expert tasters weren't impressed by its 'slightly medicinal' aroma or 'aggressive acidity.'
Our online guides to appreciating a good Champagne and reading a wine list can help you get the most out of having a festive tipple this Christmas.
Which? Best Buy sparkling wines
Which? also compared sparkling wines and found the £8.99 Bluff Hill Brut (87%), from Marks and Spencer, was the best. The 'vibrant citrus' scent and 'well-balanced and refreshing' flavour impressed Which?'s panel of wine experts. Graham Beck Brut from Waitrose also performed well (86%, £12.99).
The Griffiths Park Sparkling Brut (85%), available from Morrisons and Asda, and Aldi’s Phillippe Michel Crémant du Jura Brut (85%) were both scored as exceptional value at under £7.
Martyn Hocking, Editor, Which? magazine, says: 'With the party season ahead of us it’s great to know that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good quality champagne. Sainsbury’s own brand is a corker.
'It’s also worth considering sparkling wines which can keep the party flowing at only a fraction of the cost.'
The full report 'Bargain bubbles' appears in the December 2009 issue of Which? magazine. Subscribe now to try three issues of Which? for £3.
Which? champagne taste test
Which? asked supermarkets and major off licences to nominate one own-label, non-vintage brut, white champagne costing less than £30 and a white sparkling wine costing less than £15. Three leading champagne brands were also included in the taste test.
The champagnes and sparkling wines were blind tasted and scored by experienced champagne tasters, Tim Atkin, Caspar Auchterlonie, Peter McCombie, Charles Metcalfe and Joanna Simon.
The marks for each wine were discussed by the panel and combined to give an overall percentage score.
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