Supermarket own-brand Champagne named better than Moet and Chandon – it’s not Aldi or Lidl and it’s £19 cheaper

A SUPERMARKET own-brand Champagne has been crowned Christmas champion - beating rivals including Moët & Chandon in a taste test.

Consumer champion Which? invited a panel of four wine experts to blind-taste a selection of non-vintage Champagnes to uncover the best bubbly.

The panel included Master of Wine Sam Caporn, Saturday Kitchen star Helen McGinn, as well as MJ Wine Cellars founder Magnavai Janjo and co-chair of the WineGB Awards Susie Barrie.

They sipped nine supermarket Champagnes, priced between £18 and £25, alongside Moët & Chandon.

The winner of the test was Tesco’s Finest Cru Brut Champagne, which scored an impressive 82% in the judges' test and was awarded a Best Buy endorsement.

Priced at £25, the Champagne impressed with its nutty aroma and fresh, fruity flavours.

And, it beat Moët & Chandon, which is almost twice the price at £44 but scored just 77% in the test.

Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny Premier Cru Brut Champagne also won a Which? Best Buy endorsement, scoring 80% in the judges' taste test.

It is priced at £22 and impressed with its aroma of crunchy green apples with a suggestion of pecans, spice and butterscotch. 

Waitrose’s Brut NV Champagne also scored 80% and was similarly awarded a Best Buy endorsement.

The judges said it had a pleasing blend of peach, pear and apple flavours, and a superb nut and winter spice taste. A bottle will set you back £25.

The taste team also tested sparkling wines, for those looking for a cheaper alternative to Champagne and uncovered some great bargain bottles.

The cheapest tested was Lidl’s Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene, which scored 80% and is just £7.49 a bottle.

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.”

It's worth bearing in mind that the prices quoted here are correct as of November 14, but they could change in the run up to Christmas.

If you're feeling price sensitive as festive expenses pile in, use a comparison site to make sure you're getting the best deal.

Trolley.co.uk lets you compare prices on thousands of products across the major supermarkets and filter results from the least to most expensive.

But, remember it doesn't include prices from some retailers, including Home Bargains and Lidl.

You can also have a quick scan of the internet with the Google Shopping/Product tab to see which retailer has the cheapest price on a specific product too.

Champagne isn't the only Christmas item Which? has been testing.

It has also tested mince pies with a surprising supermarket crowned best.

It also tried supermarket own-brand Irish cream against Baileys – and the winner wasn't Aldi or M&S.

In other taste test news, we tried booze advent calendars – the festive winner was just £2 per drink.

Plus, we tested 12 festive sandwiches including Aldi and Starbucks – the winner was a hearty handheld Christmas dinner under £4.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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