By virtue of many factors - a young audience, a cost of living crisis, a freelancer’s salary - I spend a lot of time talking about value. Is this wine worth the money I’m spending? Although it’s fun to drop a small fortune on a good bottle, it’s less thrilling to live off instant noodles for the rest of the month. We need to be thinking long-term here.
Because of this, I’m always banging the drum about sparkling wines that acts as alternatives to Champagne — you know, the crémants, méthode cap classiques and spumantes. So where does this leave Champagne itself? Its reputation as an expensive luxury precedes it. These days, you do well to get a non-vintage cuvée at under £50 a bottle.
But sometimes, you want a taste of the real thing, you want to treat yourself to a piece of winemaking legacy. But how do you know you’re getting value for your money? Read on for my failsafe tips on finding good supermarket Champagne, as well as my top picks under £50b (plus one that’s currently reduced to just £27.99).