Best Champagne 2020: The woman&home taste test

Shall we tell you a secret? This champagne has a Co-op price tag but it is created by an extremely well-known and respected French champagne house, whose bottles usually sell for £30 or more. It’s vegan and holds two impressive silver medals.

Elegant and creamy, this fizz is crafted by a female wine making team and is made using the classic Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier grapes. It would make a beautiful pairing with a smoked salmon starter or canape and would also match nicely with a leftover turkey risotto on Boxing Day! You can expect notes of brioche, vanilla and peach with pleasing complex finish.

Consistently a bestseller, this competitively priced award-winning Champagne comes from small Champagne house Philizot & Fils. Aged for a minimum of 48 months in the bottle, this fizz delivers aromas of apple and soft red fruit with a crisp zingy finish that will encourage you to seek a top up!

Light and refreshing, this elegant Champagne would make a delightfully decadent start to the day. While it does not have strong creamy or brioche notes, which many people love, it instead delivers a clean crisp finish without intense dryness, which could be preferable to others. It’s a pale yellow colour with flecks of green when it catches the light.

This sparkling fizz is a great talking point for any wine enthusiasts. It’s made purely from the black grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, which explains the moniker Blanc de Noir. The fizz is rich and fruity with a well-balanced acidity and enjoyable citrus notes. It would be great served with salmon, spicy appetisers or simply as an aperitif.

While Morrisons might not be the first name that springs to mind when asked for a Champagne recommendation, it deserves to be taken seriously. In a tasting hosted by an expert panel for Which?, this Morrisons fizz beat big names such as Moet & Chandon, Lanson and Veuve Clicquot for the top spot. The Champagne is matured for three years before being released for sale which allows it to develop a rich, creamy mousse.

You’ll struggle to find another Champagne of this quality at this price point. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a smoked salmon blini but is equally pleasant sipped on its own. Master of Wine and Lidl’s wine consultant Richard Bampfield scored this fizz 86 out of 100 and describes it as having a clean, dry finish.

This fizz just missed out on the top spot in the Which? Champagne taste test but it still scored an impressive 79 per cent. It has gentle toasted notes with a round and fruity mouth feel. It’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans and is made with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Undoubtedly one of the world’s most recognisable and loved Champagnes, this fizz was first created in 1869 and it’s been enjoyed by millions of people ever since. It has a very dry finish but has an elegant, fruity build up which makes it a very pleasant drinking experience.

Decanter awarded this fizz an impressive bronze medal in 2019 and described it as having ‘an appealing toasty character’. It’s fresh, lively and suitable for vegetarians. At the time of writing the Champagne is part of a promotion where you save 25 per cent when you buy six bottles. A bottle would make a lovely addition to any homemade hampers you’re making for friends or family this Christmas.