Looking for great champagne that won’t break the bank? We’ve discovered some top-notch supermarkets that will add sparkle to your festive celebrations at a fraction of the price of established brands.

We asked a panel of independent wine experts to blind taste supermarket champagnes and sparkling wines to discover the best sparklings to enjoy this Christmas.

Our top Best Buy champagne was a big hit with our experts and costs £25, while Best Buy’s cheapest bottle costs £22 – half the price of Moët & Chandon.

Sparkling wines are a good alternative to champagne on a budget, and some really shined in our tests. We found two Best Buys as well as a great value buy for just £7.50.

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The best Christmas drinks 2024

A trio of supermarket champagnes have achieved Best Buy status this year and we’ve also found a Great Value prosecco for those looking to spend less than £10.

Best Buy: Tesco Finest Premier Cru Brut Champagne – 82%

£25 for 75cl

Tesco Finest has indeed proved to be the best – it’s our overall best champagne for Christmas 2024.

Our panel of experts loved the elegant taste, creamy texture and long, aromatic finish. They also praised the welcoming nutty aroma and fresh, fruity aromas.

Available from Tesco.

Best Buy: Aldi Veuve Monsigny Premier Cru Brut Champagne – 80%

£22 for 75cl

Highly rated by our experts, this premium fizz from Aldi has a flavor of crisp green apples with a hint of pecans, spice and caramel. It’s an excellent, complex champagne that will add some sparkle to the holidays.

Available from Aldi

Best Buy: Waitrose Brut NV Champagne – 80%

£25 for 75cl

A classic sparkling with pleasant aromas of peaches, pears and apples and a superb taste of nuts and winter spices. Elegant and light, with an attractive golden color, it also has a creamy, clean finish.

A sea full of festivities.

Available from Waitrose

Great value: Lidl Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene – 80%

£7.49 for 75cl

Perfect for Christmas parties, Lidl’s lively prosecco also got the thumbs up from our experts, coming third in our sparkling wine test, behind our two Best Buy picks.

The panel was impressed by its floral and fruity aromas and thought it would make a great party.

Available in store from Lidl.

To see all of our festive recommendations, including our Great Value Champagne selection and Best Buy’s top two sparkling wines, head over to our full reviews of Christmas champagne and the the best sparkling wines

Should you choose crémant instead of champagne?

If you’re looking for the champagne experience for less, a good crémant is a smart choice. Its essentially French sparkling wine, made in the same traditional way as Champagne (fermented in the bottle) – but not produced in the Champagne region of France.

Crémant comes from other regions, including Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Die, Jura, Limoux, Loire and Savoie, and because different grapes are used, there are subtle differences.

For example, Alsace crémant tends to be more fruity and aromatic. Bordeaux tastes citrusy, while Limoux crémant is quite floral.

Another alternative to champagne is cava, which is made in the same way as champagne, but is produced in Spain.

The grapes in the cava come mostly from the sunny south of the country, near Barcelona, ​​so they ripen more than those grown in Champagne. This makes the cava lower in acidity – and is often cheaper.

This year, a cava and a crémant topped our sparkling wine taste test, impressing our experts with their elegant flavors – and one is under £10. check us independent sparkling wine reviews to discover the bottles worth buying.

Looking for the best holiday essentials? Check out our independent taste test for the best mince pies to stock up

Top tips for serving festive fizz

We often take useful tidbits from our experts during our taste tests. Here are some of their tips for getting the best out of your fizz:

• Store it properly. Store the champagne upright in a dark place with a cool and constant temperature. Once opened, it is best to drink the bottle within three to five days.
• Keep it cool. Refrigerate the sparkling wine at least a few hours before you plan to serve it. Allow a little more time if you need to chill several bottles at once. If you are using an ice bucket to serve it, add water and ice as it is better than using ice alone.
• Do not serve it directly from the refrigerator. Unless you prefer your champagne really cold, remove the bottle from the fridge 10 minutes before serving – the taste and aroma will be diminished if it is too cold.
• Choose your glass wisely. Flutes are preferred for fizz, but our experts warn that they can hinder the flavor a little because you can’t get your nose close to the fizz. Try a standard wine glass or a coupé glass instead.
• Goes well with smoked salmon. The champagne acts like a squeeze of lemon, providing a burst of acidity to cut through the richness of the salmon. Our experts recommend choosing a dry champagne for the perfect party pairing.

The best Christmas food and drink – from mince pies to mulled wine, discover all our top picks for Christmas and beyond

Please drink responsibly. See Drinkaware for advice.