We asked a panel of independent wine experts to blind-taste supermarket champagnes and sparkling wines to uncover the best fizz to enjoy this Christmas.
Our top Best Buy champagne was a big hit with our experts and costs £25, while our cheapest Best Buy bottle costs £22 - half the price of Moët & Chandon.
Sparkling wines are a good budget-friendly alternative to champagne, and some really shone in our tests. We found two Best Buys, as well as a brilliant-value buy for just £7.50.
Best fizz for Christmas 2024
A trio of supermarket champagnes achieved Best Buy status this year, and we've also found a Great Value prosecco for those looking to spend less than £10.
Best Buy: Tesco Finest Premier Cru Brut Champagne – 82%
£25 for 75cl
Tesco Finest proved itself to indeed be the finest - it's our best overall champagne for Christmas 2024.
Our expert panel loved its elegant taste, creamy texture and long flavourful finish. They also praised its inviting nutty aroma and fresh, fruity flavours.
Available from .Best Buy: Aldi Veuve Monsigny Premier Cru Brut Champagne – 80%
£22 for 75cl
Highly rated by our experts, this first-rate fizz from Aldi has an aroma of crunchy green apples with a suggestion of pecans, spice and butterscotch. It’s an excellent, complex champagne that will add some sparkle to celebrations.
Available fromBest Buy: Waitrose Brut NV Champagne – 80%
£25 for 75cl
A classic bubbly with pleasing peach, pear and apple flavours, and a superb nut and winter-spice taste. Elegant and light, with an attractive golden colour, it also has a creamy, clean finish.
A great festive all-rounder.
Available fromGreat Value: Lidl Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene – 80%
£7.49 for 75cl
Perfect for Christmas parties, Lidl's lively prosecco also got the thumbs-up from our experts, coming in third in our sparkling wine test, after our two Best Buy picks.
The panel were impressed by its floral and fruity flavours, and it thought it would make a great party fizz.
Available in-store from Lidl.Should you choose crémant instead of champagne?
essentially French sparkling wine made in the same traditional way as champagne (bottle fermented) – but it’s not produced in France's Champagne region.
Crémant comes from other regions including Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Die, Jura, Limoux, Loire and Savoie, and because different grapes are used there are subtle differences.
For example, Alsace crémant tends to be fruitier and aromatic. Bordeaux tastes citrussy, while Limoux crémant is quite floral.
Another alternative to champagne is cava, which is made in the same way as champagne, but is produced in Spain.
The grapes in cava mostly come from the sunny south of the country, near Barcelona, so they ripen more than those grown in Champagne. This makes the cava lower in acidity – and it's often cheaper.
Looking for the best festive essentials? See our independent taste test for the to stock up onTop tips for serving festive fizz
We often pick up useful snippets from our experts over the course of running our taste tests. Here are some of their tips for getting the best from your fizz:
Store it properly. Keep it chilled. Don’t serve it straight from the fridge.Choose your glass wisely. Pair with smoked salmon. – from mince pies to mulled wine, discover all our top-rated picks for Christmas and beyondsource https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/best-christmas-champagne-ahlGf1g1hpcE