The £7.99 Lidl sparking wine that tastes as good as top champagne but is SIX times cheaper
The same prize was received by almost 40 top champagnes including the Veuve Clicquot 2008 vintage Champagne, which sells for more than £50 at Sainsbury’s, Majestic and Tesco.
A BOTTLE of sparkling wine from Lidl that sells for £7.99 has been ranked among the best after scooping the same award as nearly 40 Champagnes costing over SIX TIMES the price.
Lidl’s Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc has landed the “Silver Outstanding” at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC).
The same accolade was received by almost 40 top champagnes including the Veuve Clicquot 2008 vintage Champagne, which sells for more than £50 a bottle at Sainsbury’s, Majestic and Tesco.
Often overlooked in favour of Champagne and Prosecco, Crémant is a French sparkling wine, which is produced by using a similar method and grapes as champagne.
Lidl told the Sun Online that Crémant is fairly new but gaining pace in the UK as customers like its “champagne-like dry, biscuity yet zesty finish to the sparkling wine – often more effervescent than Prosecco.”
The budget supermarket sells 10,000 bottles of the Crémant de Bourgogne a month on average.
Lidl and Aldi have gained popularity for stocking up top wines at a budget price.
A £10 Aldi wine was this week awarded a Gold prize by Decanter – one of the world’s most respected drink competitions.
Last month, Aldi’s Exquisite Collection Côtes De Provence 2016 rosé also won the silver medal at The International Wine Challenge.
Lidl, meanwhile, saw a massive 50 per cent sales spike of its rosé wine in May compared to last year, as Brits appetite for the wine grows and they continue to fight off price rises.
Earlier this month, a report from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association’s (WSTA) found the average price of a bottle of wine jumped more in the last 12 weeks than it had in the last two years .
In the last three months of 2016 an average priced bottle of wine sold in the UK passed the £5.50 mark for the first time ever and the latest industry data shows it has now hit £5.56 – an all-time high.
Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA said both British businesses and consumers should prepare themselves for more price rises.
“Sadly this is now a reality as an average priced bottle of wine in the UK is at an all-time high,” he said.
“Unfortunately, for both British businesses and consumers, we are clear that this is not a one-off adjustment, but rather that wine prices will continue to rise,” he added.
9 easy ways to cut your booze costs
WE spoke Steve Nowottny, news and features editor at MoneySavingExpert.com and Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of money.co.uk about how you can spend less for great wine:
- Be aware of marketing tricks: Remember a supermarket’s job is to make us spend. So don’t be hoodwinked by stores’ marketing tricks, such as hiding bargain products on the bottom shelf and using sales-type signage for non-sale items.
- Drop one brand level as you shop: Premium to branded, branded to regular, regular to value. Doing this on everything you buy could save some an estimated 30 per cent off your bill.
- Don’t be a supermarket snob: Aldi and Lidl have decent wine at really good prices. Have some fun with this and do a blind taste test.
- Be wary of duty free: You might think you’re getting a bargain when you buy duty free but you may find cheaper elsewhere.
- Buy in bulk: Buying wine in cases will often give you the best value for your money. Look out for deals in supermarkets which give you 25 per cent off when buying 6 bottles.
- Download the wine app Vivino: You can take a photo of any wine label and it will compare prices for you.
- Sign up to an online wine club: Signing up to online wine clubs like Virgin wines will mean you earn rewards and get great deals – but beware of rip-offs too.
- Buy with friends: If you like a bargain but don’t want to splash out too much, consider splitting the cost with friends.
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