Morrisons Adrien Chopin Brut Champagne, £18, and Waitrose Brut Champagne, £20, have both been named Best Buys in the Which? Christmas 2020 champagne taste test.
Our panel of experts commended our top scorer, Morrisons Adrien Chopin, for its golden colour, stewed apple aromas, rich flavours, and its hint of sweetness. Meanwhile, they praised the second placed Waitrose Brut champagne for its ripe red apple flavours and soft acidity, which makes it the perfect party fizz.
The two pricier runners-up were the Sainsbury’s Landric Champagne Brut at £25 and Moët & Chandon’s Imperial Brut Champagne at £36. The Landric was lauded for lemon flavours with a nutty aftertaste, while the Moët & Chandon’s candied notes with mellow aromas and a crisp acidity won admiration..
Find out how this season’s most popular champagnes, including a £12.50 bottle from Lidl, and a much-hyped Veuve Cliquot bottle for £35, fared when tasted blind by our panel of wine experts in our round up of the best champagnes for 2020.
What came bottom?
The champagne with the lowest score was an Aldi champagne costing £27 (more than both of our Best Buys) yet disappointing with a subdued, wishy-washy character.
Second-to-bottom this year was another Morrisons wine, meaning Morrisons features in the top and the bottom our results table with its own-brand champagnes. The Best Premier Cru costs £3 more than the Adrien Chopin, but it didn’t hit the mark, proving that the most expensive is not always the best.
See which eco Christmas crackers came tops in our test
How we found the best champagne
We asked supermarkets to nominate champagnes that were:
- £36 and under at the time of testing
- Great value for money, and perfect for Christmas drinking
- Own-label brands which are widely available to buy this season
- Non-vintage
We also tested Moet & Chandon, Veuve Cliquot, and Lanson wines, available widely at different supermarkets, to see how they stacked up against own-label bottles. All-in-all, we put eighteen champagnes to the test.
Our expert panel was made up of five wine experts including authors, restaurant consultants and Masters of Wine. For the first time ever (thanks to Covid-19), our wine tasting was held remotely, with three of our experts joining us outdoors from a garden for a social-distanced tasting, and another two joining us on a tasting call from their homes, while we (also remotely) studiously recorded their scores and comments.
Five surprising foods to eat while you’re drinking champagne
Champagne and smoked salmon is a classic Christmas breakfast pairing, but what else could you serve your fizz with this festive season. Here are our experts top pairing suggestions:
- Popcorn smothered in truffle butter
- A platter of cheese puffs
- Sushi served with vegetable, egg, or raw seafood
- Sweet and sour prawns
- Thai canapes
See more top wine pairings.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/11/18-morrisons-fizz-named-best-champagne-for-christmas-2020/