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Cheaper supermarket own-label champagnes have beaten a luxury champagne house in an annual festive taste test.
The consumer group Which? asked British supermarkets to choose a non-vintage champagne that costs up to £50. A panel of four impartial wine experts blind-tasted the sample to determine which bubbly was the best.
Tesco Finest Premier Cru Brut Champagne (£25) was rated highest among the panel at 82 per cent. It beat Moët & Chandon’s Brut Impérial, which scored 77 per cent, despite costing nearly double the price at £44.
The judges said the Tesco Champagne was a “distinctive, elegant champagne with a full body, creamy texture and long, delicious finish”. Its “inviting nutty aroma and fresh, fruity flavours” impressed the experts.
Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny Premier Cru Brut Champagne also wooed the judges, with the £22 bottle scoring 80 per cent. The panel, which included Sam Caporn, co-chairwoman of the International Wine Challenge, liked its “aroma of crunchy green apples with a suggestion of pecans, spice and butterscotch”.
Waitrose’s Brut NV Champagne also outscored Moët & Chandon’s bottle of bubbly, with the panel rating it at 80 per cent. The judges said the £25 bottle had “pleasing peach, pear and apple flavours”, and a “superb nut and winter spice taste”.
Which? awarded Tesco, Aldi and Waitrose’s champagnes “best buy” status.
The experts also tested cheaper alternatives to champagne. Lidl’s Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene, scored 80 per cent. At £7.49 a bottle, the judges deemed the bottle of sparkling wine “an excellent alternative to champagne, and perfect for Christmas parties”.
Panel members did not know which product they were trying and the order in which they tasted each bottle was rotated to minimise the risk of bias.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Home Products and Services Editor, said: “Millions of people like to toast the festive season with some fizz, and our panel found affordable and delicious options that were dramatically cheaper than alternatives from the big-name champagne houses.
“Our taste tests show that you don’t have to spend over the odds for a supermarket champagne or sparkling wine that delivers on quality and value for money, making it the perfect Christmas tipple.”