And where from?

majestic is generally the best place for champagne, but sainsbury's extra dry nv is also very good.

Have a look at Superplonk, Malcolm Gluck's usually very reliable.

Does it have to be champagne (i.e. snob value of the label)? If not, you can get some excellent cava for under a fiver per bottle which will be far better than yer average Moet, etc.

"Good but cheap" :D

The Tesco own branded stuff has come out extremely well in tests. It was rated up there with the very best stuff but a heck of a lot cheaper.

It may not have the snob appeal but it tastes good! :)

vive cliq - yellow is nice £30 ish. ;)

Champagne has nothing to do with snob appeal- fizzy wine from anywhere other than a very specific area is not Champagne and it p*sses me off when people describe it as such.

A reasonable brand is Castellane- if you can find their "Florins", elaborated solely from the Chardonnay grape it offers a very good ratio of price/quality and a classic fine mousse.

Failing that if you want supermarket labelled stuff then I found the Tesco Premier Cru to be pretty good and cheap. Ditto Waitrose's own brand Champagnes.

If it doesn't have to be Champagne then may I suggest a Cremant D'Alsace, a much more sophisticated alternative to nasty cava and Aussie sparkling plonk.

Not bothered about snob value,just taste.
I was never really into the stuff until someone bought me some for christmas,..how much is the Tesco's stuff,under a tenner would be what i call cheap.

Nacro -- I described the LABEL as snob value, not the contents of the bottle. As you say, many different sparkling wines far outstrip proper champagnes.

Tesco Champagne Brut Premier Cru 75cl £13.99

Pol.Aime Champagne 750ml £10.94

[Edited by Scooby96 - 1/20/2004 2:42:47 PM]

Nice link Brickboy..

bargain at £8.99 it's as good, if not better than some of the more overrated, expensive brands (moet anyone- was described to me by the people that make it in Epernay as for "japanese tourists").

It's hard to find a good bottle over here for less than €16 so I'd say that £8.99 represents a bargain.

AFAICR Sainbo's premier cru extra dry (why not brut i don't know :rolleyes:) is about £12 with an additional 5% off if you buy 6 bottles or something. I don't think you will be able to buy champange that isn't utter p*ss for under a tenner a bottle, although if you buy it in france you might.

gotta agree with NACRO - champagne is champagne and other sparkling wines are not. tbh i have not tasted any cava that compares to, say, Louis Roederer Premier Brut. If it exists and could be had for £5 i would be very surprised.

[Edited by ProperCharlie - 1/20/2004 2:44:04 PM]

£12 is okay.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

:)

lol
the stuff that gets sold as chavvy champagne at some of the clubs i work at...im sure it comes in a box and you have to provide your own bottle....
Its called charmaine (or something like that) and it tastes like fizzy vinegar...
if you want cheap stuff, thats your best bet...but boy is it nasty......

I spend the extra and get some decent stuff, but hey thats me
:p

[Edited by Freak - 1/20/2004 2:56:58 PM]

Berry Bros are Good

Their own brand stuff is eminently drinkable

Tesco Champagne was getting rave reviews in the papers before Christmas

Costco's good. Mumm is about £12. Moet NV is £17. Dom Perignon is £45, Krug £55 and Crystal is £70. The Italian fizzy pop Prosecco from Oddbins is very nice at about £9

Asda Cava £5 nuff said :)

Can you get to France - Calais - even with the e/r the champagne is cheaper than the rubbish in the UK

I bought about 60 bottles of the stuff for my wedding - think its called ''Jacquart'' and is about £12-£13 a bottle but tastes like its £50 a bottle - we tasted so many others including the regulars that everyone has heard of and they were poor in comparison

Go to Franglais Beer and Wine store - just south of Calais in Frethun - you can see it from the road as you head south to Bologne (5 miles south of Calais) - but depends if your prepared to do such a trip. Its a wine tasting place that has a lot of good champagne brands.

btw - this champagne has won numerous awards in France

majestic are doing Jacquart for £13 a bottle with the discount, here

Thanks again.I'll be testing some of the supermarket stuff this weekend.