Co-op’s £20 bottle beats Moet in blind Champagne taste test
Which? asked wine experts to taste 10 bottles of supermarket, own-label or exclusive bubbly, as well as five bottles of top-selling big-name non-vintage champagnes
Co-op has beaten the likes of posh fizz producer Moet to scoop a top prize for its champagne.
Consumer group Which? asked wine experts to taste 10 bottles of supermarket, own-label or exclusive bubbly, as well as five bottles of top-selling big-name non-vintage champagnes costing up to £35.
Co-op's Les Pionniers NV Champagne costing £19 found itself plonked on top of the pile with the joint highest score of 78 per cent.
The panel described the champers as “elegant and well-balanced” and commended its flavour as “intense” and “reminiscent of honeycomb and nectarines”.
It came joint top with Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut NV Champagne. Which? says this can cost up to £35 a bottle but we found it discounted at Sainsbury's for £23 and in Asda for £25.
Reviewers said it's a great choice if you don’t like aggressively fizzy champagne, admiring its “fine, soft bubbles” and “apple and pear flavours”.
Just pipped to the first place post was Moet et Chandon Imperial Brut NV Champagne with 77 per cent.
Most of the panel thought this a “nice, buttery champagne”, but one found it “dull and earthy”.
All agreed that it had a distinctive flavour and dry finish but found it slightly “less sophisticated” than Co-op and Mumm Cordon Rouge's offerings.
But it is pricey - costing £34 at Tesco and £29 at Asda.
Falling flat at the bottom of the table, was Spar's Marquis Belrive Champagne with a score of 63 per cent.
Costing £17.50, this fizz failed to make a strong impression on the experts who said it was blander than the others.
Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine, said: “We’re delighted to be raising a glass this Christmas to an excellent Best Buy champagne for less than £20, proving that you don’t have to pay through the nose for delicious fizz.”
The champagnes taste tested by Which?
HERE'S a list of the other champagne Which? taste tested - although it won't tell us how they fared.
It says this information is only available to its paid-for subscribers.
- Aldi Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut - £12
- Asda Extra Special Premier Cru Champagne - £19
- Co-op Les Pionniers NV Champagne - £19
- Lidl Comte de Senneval Champagne Brut - £12
- M&S Louis Vertay Champagne Brut NV - £20
- Morrisons The Best Premier Cru Champagne Brut NV - £19
- Sainsbury’s Landric Champagne - £25
- Spar Marquis Belrive Champagne - £17.50
- Tesco Finest Premier Cru Champagne - £19
- Lanson Black Label Brut NV - £32
- Laurent-Perrier Brut NV Champagne - £35
- Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut NV Champagne - £34
- Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut Champagne NV - £27
- Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut NV Champagne - £35
- Waitrose Brut Champagne NV - £20
Which? also taste-tested Aldi's award-winning £13 bottle of champers, but it wouldn't tell us how the supermarket fared, saying this information is only available to its subscribers.
More on food
If champagne is too pricey for your budget, Prosecco could be a cheaper alternative. Morrisons is selling a magnum of Prosecco for £10 in its Black Friday deals.
While, Aldi is currently selling a massive six litre bottle of Prosecco for £80.
But you may want to hold off buying your fizz for Christmas as MoneySavingExpert.com's Deals Predictor reckons supermarkets will cut champagne prices to £9 or £10 in the third week of November.
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