Champagne at prosecco prices? Every little bit helps. Tesco’s Finest champagne has defeated the prestigious French label Moët & Chandon in a festive quaff test.
The Tesco Finest premier cru brut champagne achieved the top score of 82% in a blind taste test conducted by consumer group Which?. The £25-per-bottle bubbly was praised by the judges for its “nutty aroma and fresh, fruity flavours”. The supermarket fizz beat Moët & Chandon, which scored 77% and is almost twice as expensive at £44.
Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny champagne was also a success with the panel. It scored 80% and, like Tesco Fizz, took the coveted ‘best buy’ gong from the Consumer Champion. The £22 bubbly has an “aroma of crisp green apples with a suggestion of pecans, spices and butterscotch”, according to the tasters.
Waitrose’s brut NV champagne scored the same as Aldi and is also a “best buy”. At £25 it is described as having “pleasant peach, pear and apple flavours, and an excellent taste of nuts and winter spices”.
A champagne toast may be an annual festive tradition, but money is tight in many households. Which one? also road-tested, cheaper sparkling wines. The cheapest of these, the Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene from Lidl, scored 80%. Priced at £7.49, this budget bottle is an “excellent alternative to champagne, and perfect for Christmas parties,” it says.
Natalie Hitchins, which one? editor of home products and services said the panel had identified “affordable and delicious options that were dramatically cheaper than alternatives from the major Champagne houses”. “Our taste tests show that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on champagne or supermarket sparkling wine that offers quality and value for money,” she said.
The latest supermarket data showed shoppers were already preparing for Christmas, with October sales figures showing households had stocked cupboards with festive treats. While some complain of a ‘Christmas flu’ when mince pies hit shelves in September, Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insights at food industry analyst Kantar, said consumer demand was there. Last month, 648,000 consumers bought a Christmas cake, while 14.4% of households bought mince pies, he said.
So, with mince pie season already in full swing, which one should you buy? Happy Which? has also put posh supermarket mince pie brands to the test so you don’t have to.
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While Tesco and Asda’s offerings were flat, Waitrose’s number 1 brown butter mince pies, not for the first time, won the day and are a “best buy” at £4 for six. Aldi Specially Selected mince pies also impressed the judges with a “great buttery taste and tasty filling”.
“The competition was fierce this year, but Waitrose was the sole winner of our ‘best buy’ endorsement,” said Hitchins. For those looking for a more affordable option, Aldi’s pies – at £2.29 for six or 38p per pie – are “tasty, but not expensive”.