With New Year celebrations coming up, many households may be considering splashing out on a bottle of champagne to make a toast to 2023.
However, with the posher brands costing anything upwards of £30 a pop, some may be rethinking the extravagant purchase as they look to cut back costs on their shop. While most supermarkets offer own-brand versions of the fizz at a cheaper cost, shoppers may well worry that a reduced price will equal a reduction in taste and quality too.
But it seems that these concerns are unfounded, as the Manchester Evening News put four bottles of champagne with different price tags to the test - and found that the cheapest one topped the taste test overall. Here's the verdict from the MEN reviewer on champagne from Lidl, Aldi, and Marks & Spencer.
READ MORE: Chocolate truffles rated from worst to best from Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, M&S and more
Moët, £34
Starting off with the priciest option out of the four champagnes put to the test, the bottles from French fine winery Moët - one of the world's largest champagne producers - have been a tried-and-tested household favourite for generations. Purchased from Marks & Spencer from £34 reduced from £39, Moët impressed with its luxurious appearance and easy-to-pop top - but most importantly, how did it fare on taste?
The most expensive champagne on the list came in second place when compared to the other three options, receiving a rave review overall, but was ultimately pipped to the post by a cheaper option - more on that later. "This one had a nicely refined fragrance to it, and on tasting you got the hint of nuttiness that perhaps marked it out as something a bit different from the rest of the fizz we'd been testing," was the reviewer's opinion.
Verdict: 8/10
Marks & Spencer's Louis Vertay, £18
M&S also fared fairly well when measured up against the other champagnes, finishing in third place but still earning a respectable score. One of the pricier options but still considerably cheaper than Moët, M&S' champagne earned brownie points for its gold embossed bottle which would be sure to impress if given as a gift.
The taste was a bit of a mixed bag, with the reviewer writing: "This one fizzed really nicely and had a really interesting creamy taste to it. On the label it described its flavour as 'red apple and brioche' - I totally got the brioche but didn't find it fruity at all."
Verdict: 7/10
Lidl's A Carpentier, £13.99
While it is one of the more cost-effective options on the list, it seems that sadly you do sometimes get what you pay for as Lidl's champagne came bottom of the pile when pitted against the others. Rated just 5/10 overall, this fizz failed to impress both in its appearance and taste.
"This one lost its fizz very quickly on pouring - and I'm afraid the taste fell flat with all of us testers too," the reviewer admitted. "On the taste front it was very pear-like, and there was no getting away from that lack of fizz. Very disappointing."
Verdict: 5/10
Aldi's Nicolas de Montbart, £9.99
Aldi's offering was reduced down from its full price of £13.99 when bought for the taste test, making it the cheapest option of the four - and it also bagged the highest score too. From the classy bottle to its "smooth and sweet" flavour, this champagne impressed on all fronts.
"As soon as we popped this one we could smell the lovely fizzy fragrance, and on first sipping could taste strawberry and cream flavours," the reviewer said. This one also stayed fizziest the longest with a pleasing spread of bubbles in the glass."
Verdict: 9/10
READ NEXT:
Pork pies put to the test from M&S, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's - and only one wasn't 'bland'
Amazon, Royal Mail and Evri on how to spot and protect yourself from delivery scam texts
Oodie compared to £16 Primark dupe - one is 'sheer bliss' and will save on your heating bill
Sainsbury's and Tesco apologise after shoppers have Christmas dinner ruined by 'rotten' turkeys
Asda extends Blue Light Card discount for emergency workers - full list of who's eligible
