Christmas 2015: The best-value champagne, prosecco, and cava
Anthony Rose offers some alternatives to Veuve Clicquot and Moët et Chandon
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Your support makes all the difference.When the judging panel I was a member of was asked to select champagne, prosecco and muscat based on value for last month's Which? tasting of sparklers for Christmas, it was neither Veuve Clicquot nor Moët et Chandon that shone but the toasty-rich Les Pionniers Champagne, £16.99 from the Co-op, and the creamy and savoury Waitrose Blanc de Blancs Brut, £24.99, down to £19.99 from Wednesday. Tesco's finest* Premier Cru Brut, £18, also impressed.
Freshness and fun are prosecco's signature qualities, with its off-dry sweetness helping to make this simple Italian fizz il fenomeno del giorno. Most of them were reliable enough, with Morrisons' appley and crisp La Gioiosa Prosecco, £7, down from £10, the stand-out. Lidl's Prosecco Conegliano, £7.49, and Iceland's Vespucci Prosecco, £6.50, were also respectable in their value price tags. The top two sparkling muscats – the fragrant sweet fizz that merrily washes down mince pies and Christmas pud – were M&S's bright, lemony Asti, £9, and Aldi's refreshing Camoli Moscato Spumante, £4.99.
Away from the tasting, my own best value fizzes begin in the bargain basement with Aldi's tangy, lemon-sherbety 2012 Philippe Michel Crémant du Jura, £7.29, Tesco's creamy, dry finest* Blanquette de Limoux 1531, £8.50, and Codorníu's lovely Cava Brut, £9.99, down to £6.50 – £6.99, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Majestic multibuy. Lovers of sparkling rosé have fun in store with Lindauer's summer-pudding New Zealand Sparkling Rosé, £9.99, Co-op.
Creeping over the £10 mark, favourites include the lemon zesty, crisply dry Château de L'Aulée Crémant de Loire, £12, Oddbins, the toasty, rich and zingy 2010 Graham Beck The Rhona Blanc de Blancs, £13, or £9.75 at 25 per cent off any six, until Monday, then £10, from Tuesday, and the champagne-like, digestive biscuity Villion Blanc de Blancs, Viljoensdrift, £13.70, Tanners. Kent's 2010 Chapel Down Rosé Brut, £19.39, Booths, is sherbet-like and tangy.
Now is a good time to look for Champagne bargains; two fine ones are Canard Duchêne Authentique Réserve, £18.99, down from £25.49, Waitrose, from Wednesday, and Majestic's stalwart, J de Telmont Grande Réserve Champagne, £19.99, or £13.32 on multibuy.
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