A difficult year for imports means our nation is facing some serious Champagne problems. December usually brings deep discounting in our national retailers – allowing us to stock up on big name Champagne for Christmas – but this year we’re facing an unprecedented shortage of fizz. The grand marques are allocating stock all over Europe and so your usual choices may not be so easy to find or attractively priced once the big shop comes around. That means that house Champagne is going to be more important than ever if you want to bag a case of the good stuff without paying over-the-odds. The good news is that these own-labels can punch well above their price point. One of the bottles, diligently tested, and re-tested here might just be your new go-to.
Delacourt Brut Champagne, 12.5% – Marks & Spencer £25
The good people at M&S tell us that this comes via Champagne Castelnau and comprises about 55 per cent wines from the 2016 vintage in which Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier fared much better than Chardonnay.
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