Latest news with #VeuveMonsigny
Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I tested all the supermarket Champagne for under £20 – Aldi winner was £5 cheaper than Sainsbury's bubbly
You simply don't get better champagne bang for your buck than our winner TOP OF THE POPS I tested all the supermarket Champagne for under £20 – Aldi winner was £5 cheaper than Sainsbury's bubbly Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHEN it comes to popping the cork on a bottle of real French bubbly, don't think you have to splash out a fortune for a famous bottle brand. Some of the best fizz can be found on supermarket shelves for bargain prices. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 10 Great French champagne doesn't have to cost a fortune - thanks to your local supermarket Credit: Getty 10 Wine expert Helena Nicklin samples what is on offer in the supermarkets for less than £20 and gives her verdicts Credit: Oliver Dixon Aldi's Veuve Monsigny was voted the world's best champagne, despite costing just £14.95 a bottle. But it is not the only budget champers worth sipping. Wine expert Helena Nicklin samples what is on offer in the supermarkets for less than £20 and gives her verdicts. Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut NV £14.95 Aldi 10 Award-winning champagne that delivers rich, complex flavours without the high price tag Credit: supplied THIS corker has been top of the pops among wine writers for ages, with plenty of us singing its praises. And following its triumph at the World Champagne Awards, that is now official. Key fizz grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are blended together to create these bubbles but the real surprise is the depth of those spiced brioche and baked apple flavours. A delicious flute that proves you don't have to spend a fortune on a famous name. You simply don't get better champagne bang for your buck than this. Stock up now for the summer, while you still can. 5/5 Wine expert taste tests the newest supermarket dupe of Whispering Angel Etienne Dumont Champagne Brut NV £14.95 Sainsbury's 10 A good standby supermarket-saver bottle or one to grab any time when you want real bubbly without a bonkers price tag Credit: supplied A FROTHY French fizz, this classic champagne blend is not a bad budget option to consider for less than 15 quid. In your flute, this will give you a little almond, a little green apple and a little toast flavour. It also has a satisfyingly deep colour. In the mouth, though, it's maybe just a tad weedy and thin, with bubbles that don't last as long as they could. But it's a perfect candidate for champagne cocktails and at this price, it works. A good standby supermarket-saver bottle or one to grab any time when you want real bubbly without a bonkers price tag. 2/5 Henri Cachet Champagne Brut NV £14.98 Asda 10 Affordable and approachable, this creamy champagne offers fresh pastry notes and smooth vanilla aromas—ideal for celebrations without the hefty price Credit: supplied ASDA's cheaper champers is a gentle, mid-way style that should keep everyone happy. Well below the price of a bottle of any famous branded fizz, this froth is soft and creamy. It is more about fresh pastry flavours than tart and tangy apple and has a lovely, almost vanilla-like aroma. Perhaps less complex than some fizzes at the same price. But that isn't a problem because it's still highly gluggable even when enjoyed alone. Perfect for parties, nicely chilled, or any special occasion where you would like to raise a glass of the real thing but don't fancy breaking the bank. 3/5 Comte de Senneval Champagne Brut NV £9.99, Lidl in store 10 Not, perhaps, the most refined of French fizzes, with its savoury, clunky mineral notes and a whiff of something like cheese rind, but there's a lot of flavour there Credit: supplied THESE bubbles have done well for Lidl, for good reason. And currently reduced from £13.99 to £9.99, they are a serious bargain. What you get here is not perhaps the poshest or most refined of French fizzes, with its savoury, clunky mineral notes and a whiff of something like cheese rind, but there's a lot of flavour there. And of course you are still popping the cork on a bottle of the real deal. For me, this is one to serve well chilled and sip with party canapés – or some nibbles and snacks if you are drinking at home, to soften it up a bit. A tasty tipple and great value for your hard-earned money. 3/5 Louis Delaunay Brut Champagne NV £15, Tesco 10 Super value for money, this delivers a proper champers experience, loaded with all the toasty apple goodness you could ever want Credit: supplied HATS off to French fizz-maker Louis Delaunay and Tesco for managing to bring this in at such an affordable price. Super value for money, this delivers a proper champers experience, loaded with all the toasty apple goodness you could ever want. It's a lovely golden colour, too, so looks pretty in the glass. The only downside for me is a slight lack of freshness on the finish. Nothing a good chill can't sort out, though. Get this one nice and cold in the fridge before you pop the cork and celebrate what a bargain you've bought. Great as a present, too. 4/5 Pol Guyot Selection Champagne Brut NV £19, Sainsbury's 10 Think plenty of apple flavour, with a bit of toast and butter for that exclusive feel Credit: supplied I'M a big fan of this fizz, for just under 20 quid, and also love how the 'Pol' nods to the more glamorous and pricey Pol Roger brand for a luxe vibe. It's a proper bargain, which tastes more expensive than it is. Definitely a step up in superiority from those £15 club fizzes, for only an extra £4. Think plenty of apple flavour, with a bit of toast and butter for that exclusive feel. The finish on this sparkling treat packs a subtly bitter kick that might not be for everyone, so that's something to bear in mind. But this is a serious sipper for the price, nonetheless. 4/5 Louvel Fontaine Champagne Brut NV £18.48 Asda 10 It's a properly posh-seeming drink that will take you from aperitifs though canapés and even on to a main course, should you like Credit: supplied DON'T be fooled into thinking that because the bottle looks less fancy, the fizz inside may disappoint. Well-known names and glitzy labels are fine but it's the froth in your flute that counts – and this tipple seriously overdelivers for the price. Despite costing less than 20 quid, it stays crisp and fresh as you drink, while loaded with hazelnut, brioche and citrus flavour. It's a properly posh-seeming drink that will take you from aperitifs though canapés and even on to a main course, should you like. Great for parties, gifting, toasts, a night in or anything you fancy really. It's often on offer, too, so keep checking. A real off-the-radar gem. 5/5 Nicolas de Montbart Champagne Brut NV £13.99 Aldi 10 Think soft, bruised apples and a sprinkling of chopped almonds when you sip – but it could do with increased acidity to balance things up Credit: supplied ANOTHER French fizz from Aldi at a very affordable price. It's great that the supermarket chain has sourced a back-up champagne for when its prize-winning Veuve Monsigny dries up, and this is a decent drop. But the taste is just a little bit generic for my liking, and noticeably sweet. Think soft, bruised apples and a sprinkling of chopped almonds when you sip – but it could do with increased acidity to balance things up. One for cocktails rather than sipping on its own, in my opinion. So a great option for those summer party Kir Royals and knocking up a tasty Buck's Fizz. 2/5 Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
The Sun
10 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I tested all the supermarket Champagne for under £20 – Aldi winner was £5 cheaper than Sainsbury's bubbly
WHEN it comes to popping the cork on a bottle of real French bubbly, don't think you have to splash out a fortune for a famous bottle brand. Some of the best fizz can be found on supermarket shelves for bargain prices. Aldi's Veuve Monsigny was voted the world's best champagne, despite costing just £14.95 a bottle. But it is not the only budget champers worth sipping. Wine expert Helena Nicklin samples what is on offer in the supermarkets for less than £20 and gives her verdicts. Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut NV £14.95 Aldi THIS corker has been top of the pops among wine writers for ages, with plenty of us singing its praises. And following its triumph at the World Champagne Awards, that is now official. Key fizz grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are blended together to create these bubbles but the real surprise is the depth of those spiced brioche and baked apple flavours. A delicious flute that proves you don't have to spend a fortune on a famous name. You simply don't get better champagne bang for your buck than this. Stock up now for the summer, while you still can. 5/5 Wine expert taste tests the newest supermarket dupe of Whispering Angel Etienne Dumont Champagne Brut NV £14.95 Sainsbury's A FROTHY French fizz, this classic champagne blend is not a bad budget option to consider for less than 15 quid. In your flute, this will give you a little almond, a little green apple and a little toast flavour. It also has a satisfyingly deep colour. In the mouth, though, it's maybe just a tad weedy and thin, with bubbles that don't last as long as they could. But it's a perfect candidate for champagne cocktails and at this price, it works. A good standby supermarket-saver bottle or one to grab any time when you want real bubbly without a bonkers price tag. 2/5 Henri Cachet Champagne Brut NV £14.98 Asda ASDA's cheaper champers is a gentle, mid-way style that should keep everyone happy. Well below the price of a bottle of any famous branded fizz, this froth is soft and creamy. It is more about fresh pastry flavours than tart and tangy apple and has a lovely, almost vanilla-like aroma. Perhaps less complex than some fizzes at the same price. But that isn't a problem because it's still highly gluggable even when enjoyed alone. Perfect for parties, nicely chilled, or any special occasion where you would like to raise a glass of the real thing but don't fancy breaking the bank. 3/5 Comte de Senneval Champagne Brut NV £9.99, Lidl in store THESE bubbles have done well for Lidl, for good reason. And currently reduced from £13.99 to £9.99, they are a serious bargain. What you get here is not perhaps the poshest or most refined of French fizzes, with its savoury, clunky mineral notes and a whiff of something like cheese rind, but there's a lot of flavour there. And of course you are still popping the cork on a bottle of the real deal. For me, this is one to serve well chilled and sip with party canapés – or some nibbles and snacks if you are drinking at home, to soften it up a bit. A tasty tipple and great value for your hard-earned money. 3/5 Louis Delaunay Brut Champagne NV £15, Tesco HATS off to French fizz-maker Louis Delaunay and Tesco for managing to bring this in at such an affordable price. Super value for money, this delivers a proper champers experience, loaded with all the toasty apple goodness you could ever want. It's a lovely golden colour, too, so looks pretty in the glass. The only downside for me is a slight lack of freshness on the finish. Nothing a good chill can't sort out, though. Get this one nice and cold in the fridge before you pop the cork and celebrate what a bargain you've bought. Great as a present, too. 4/5 Pol Guyot Selection Champagne Brut NV £19, Sainsbury's I'M a big fan of this fizz, for just under 20 quid, and also love how the 'Pol' nods to the more glamorous and pricey Pol Roger brand for a luxe vibe. It's a proper bargain, which tastes more expensive than it is. Definitely a step up in superiority from those £15 club fizzes, for only an extra £4. Think plenty of apple flavour, with a bit of toast and butter for that exclusive feel. The finish on this sparkling treat packs a subtly bitter kick that might not be for everyone, so that's something to bear in mind. But this is a serious sipper for the price, nonetheless. 4/5 Louvel Fontaine Champagne Brut NV £18.48 Asda DON'T be fooled into thinking that because the bottle looks less fancy, the fizz inside may disappoint. Well-known names and glitzy labels are fine but it's the froth in your flute that counts – and this tipple seriously overdelivers for the price. Despite costing less than 20 quid, it stays crisp and fresh as you drink, while loaded with hazelnut, brioche and citrus flavour. It's a properly posh-seeming drink that will take you from aperitifs though canapés and even on to a main course, should you like. Great for parties, gifting, toasts, a night in or anything you fancy really. It's often on offer, too, so keep checking. A real off-the-radar gem. 5/5 Nicolas de Montbart Champagne Brut NV £13.99 Aldi ANOTHER French fizz from Aldi at a very affordable price. It's great that the supermarket chain has sourced a back-up champagne for when its prize-winning Veuve Monsigny dries up, and this is a decent drop. But the taste is just a little bit generic for my liking, and noticeably sweet. Think soft, bruised apples and a sprinkling of chopped almonds when you sip – but it could do with increased acidity to balance things up. One for cocktails rather than sipping on its own, in my opinion. So a great option for those summer party Kir Royals and knocking up a tasty Buck's Fizz. 2/5
The Sun
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
UK £15 supermarket own-brand Champagne crowned best in the WORLD & it's £30 cheaper than Moet
A SUPERMARKET own-brand champagne that costs just £15 has been named the best in the world. The sparkling wine, which hails from the Champagne region of France, is often thought of as a high-end product, unaffordable for many cash-strapped Brits. 3 3 However, budget supermarket Aldi has shown that it is possible to live a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget. Aldi's Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut, which was named the World Best Champagne at the World Champagne Awards is priced at just £14.95. The penny-pinching friendly drink is a whopping £30 cheaper than prestigious brand Moet, which retails for £45, but despite its budget price tag, it won the favour of experts. Aldi said: "Crafted to perfection from a classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, and matured in cellars to enhance its complexity and length, Aldi's Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut is known for its aromas of ripe apple, soft red fruit, and delicate florals - a testament to expert winemaking without the premium price tag." The purse-friendly bottle triumphed over luxury competitors including G.H. Martel Honoré de Balzac Edition Limitée Brut Champagne, which costs up to 70% more than the Aldi product. Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK: "To have our £14.95 Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut recognised as the best in the world is proof that exceptional quality doesn't have to come with an eye-watering price tag. "It's a proud moment not just for Aldi, but for our customers who can enjoy world-class champagne without breaking the bank." And this isn't the first award that the Aldi champagne has won. Last year, the drink picked up multiple medals at the International Wine Challenge, Drinks Business Sparkling and Champagne Masters. The supermarket's wider range of wines, beers and spirits has won over 180 awards this year. Cheapest supermarket revealed and Wetherspoons axe fan favourite menu item Aldi has once again been crowned the UK's cheapest supermarket for everyday essentials, beating German rival Lidl. That's according to new research by consumer group Which?, which compared the price of a typical shop of 82 items across eight major UK supermarkets. At Aldi, the shop came in at just £135.48 on average – the lowest of the lot. Lidl followed closely behind, with a near-identical total of £135.79 if using a Lidl Plus loyalty card, or £135.82 without it. This makes Lidl just 31p more expensive than Aldi. The shopping list included branded and own-brand favourites such as Birds Eye peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter. Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which?, said: 'Aldi continues to be the UK's cheapest supermarket in our monthly price analysis for May while Lidl has narrowed the gap to just 31p. 'For a bigger list of groceries, Asda continues to be the cheapest supermarket, beating shopping at Tesco with a Clubcard by more than £10."
Telegraph
19-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
The supermarket own-label wines to snap up now – including a brilliant £22 champagne
Picking a bottle of wine you'll love at the supermarket is part art, part luck – not a science. There's no failsafe way to do it. But there are hacks and tips that can point you in the right direction. You're here, reading this from someone who tastes a ludicrous number of supermarket bottles, so that's a start. My best advice for striking gold in front of the supermarket bottle-wall? Head straight for own-label. Granted, some retailers do own-label better than others; read on to find the supermarkets whose wine ranges I rate most highly. But wherever you shop there are some seriously good bottles hiding behind anonymous supermarket livery. And some of them, like the Sauternes that Aldi sells at Christmas-time (it's from Château Suduiraut) are made by stars of the winemaking world. I've tasted hundreds of bottles to pick two standout own-label (or private-label) wines from each major supermarket. The selections take into account special offers, as well as a mix of countries, prices and styles (red, white, sparkling). Let me know which own-label bottles you rate. Aldi Most Aldi wines are created expressly for the discount store, whether they're so-called private label (brands developed especially for Aldi, such as the popular Veuve Monsigny champagne), or part of Aldi's Specially Selected or Unearthed collections. Aldi sells two seasonal ranges, for spring-summer and autumn-winter; the much-loved Crémant du Jura is part of the A/W range and already gone for this year. It also runs a wine of the week promotion. What to buy Asda Extra Special is the name of Asda's own-label range but, like other supermarkets, it also carries some wines that are made specially for its range and not available anywhere else. I've recommended one of these below since it's a particularly good wine for the price. What to buy Booths Booths' reputation is so good, and its branding so smart, that the E.H. Booth & Co. label has become a stylish selling point, like a mini Fortnum & Mason. The wines are reliable across the range, so if you live near a branch of this northern chain, count yourself lucky. The supermarket does run promotions, but the own-labels are rarely sold on offer: the philosophy is year-round benchmark value. What to buy Co-op Co-op is a very under-appreciated place at which to shop for wine although, for me, the own-label bottles aren't its greatest strength. That said, there are still some seriously good wines in its range, including the Les Pionniers Champagne, which often triumphs in blind tastings against other supermarket fizz. Irresistible is the name of its main range but there are other own-label brands too. What to buy Lidl Many of the best wines in Lidl aren't own-label but found among the so-called 'Wine Tours' – collections that change each month – rather than in the core range sold all year round. As far as own-label goes, I rarely find much to recommend in the Deluxe range that Lidl calls its own but there are some good picks amongst the 'private label' wines, usually simply marked with the name of the wine and no other branding. What to buy M&S Almost all M&S wines are own-label and to help customers navigate the bottles, the upmarket retailer has a number of ranges. M&S Collection is the top tier, Found is a collection of reasonably priced (£7-10) off-the-beaten-track grapes; Classics are representations of favourite styles; while Expressions is an affordable range (with a label that looks like an old MOT disc) of expressions of different grapes. What to buy Morrisons Morrisons' The Best range is highly variable, but for a broad steer head towards Iberia, in particular the Portuguese red wines (The Best Douro and Dão) and the wonderful sherries. In sparkling, the Crémants de Limoux (both the white and rosé) are also noteworthy. The range is frequently promoted, using both multi-buy and straightforward discounting mechanisms. What to buy Sainsbury's Sainsbury's has two own-label ranges. House is the budget option, with bottles priced around £5-6 but there is better value for money (and a lot more choice) to be had by trading up to the Taste the Difference range. Promotions typically last around three weeks with discounts available only to Nectar cardholders. What to buy Tesco Tesco does own-label brilliantly, with a huge range that offers impressive variety as well as high quality at different prices. There are also a number of exclusive brands alongside its Finest and Tesco ranges, many of which are often offered at special prices to Clubcard holders. Picking out just two wines doesn't do justice to the number of good bottles here. What to buy Waitrose Waitrose has a number of own-label ranges, including Blueprint (a pretty reliable set of classic styles at entry-level prices); No 1 (a more premium range); Loved & Found (a collection dedicated to unusual grape varieties) and On the QT (finer, limited-edition wines made in collaboration with star producers). What to buy
