They say that too much of anything is bad for you. However, when it comes to champagne, that's never the case! Unfortunately for us mere mortals, champagne has a reputation for coming with high price tags but worry not; if you are a budget-conscious champagne lover, you can still enjoy the finest without creating a big dent in your pocket. Here is a list of some of the best champagne bottles that go for less than £40.
Much of the Billecart-Salmon comes from a small vineyard holding, but also uses grapes from Montagne de Reims and Marne Valley. This champagne is produced in a long, cool fermentation process, giving it a unique taste amongst its peers. It is one of the Grande Marque champagnes that come with a lively, fresh and textured taste and a significantly long finish. The wine retails for around £39.
Champagnes produced by Le Mesnil are known for having a rich and smooth taste, albeit with a touch of acidity in the background. This vintage wine offers a richer, crisper and a fuller fruity taste that comes with a toasty finish, and is known to retail for about £34 at popular supermarkets.
This champagne is a United Kingdom Cuvee, which is blended from 75 per cent Pinot Noir and 25 per cent Chardonnay. It is known for its flowery nose with a palate of lemon, grass and gingerbread notes. You will also taste a honeysuckle note in the background. It is less acidic and has a cleaner finish than Berry Bros. & Rudd Blanc de Blancs. You should be able to find this wine for about £37.
This Cuvee comes from a delicate blend of harvest grapes and reserve wines, which are aged for between 5 and 15 years. It is then aged for more than twice the approximate time needed by appellation. This gives it a matured taste a good mix of different notes. Bollinger Special Cuvee is a mix of 60 per cent Pinot Noir, 15 per cent Meunier and 25 per cent Chardonnay. Its nose has an aroma of spices and ripe fruit but comes with hints of apple compote, peaches and roasted apples… you may even find fresh walnut notes in the background. The wine is golden in appearance due to a large number of black grape varieties. The bottle retails for about £35.
This vintage wine is produced from the grapes grown along the river banks of Marne River France. The grape varieties used in the production of the wine include 15 per cent Pinot Noir, 45 per cent Chardonnay and 40 per cent Pinot Meunier. It has a fruity taste and smell that oozes of a mix of citrus fruits, peach pear and some hints of the acacia honey. The wine tastes rich and smooth in the mouth, whilst also having a perfectly balanced acidity. A single bottle of Baron-Fuente’ Champagne goes for about £30.
This is a non-vintage wine that comes from Champagne, France. It is made from a blend of 60 per cent Meunier, 30 per cent Chardonnay and 10 per cent Pinot Noir. Monthuys Père et Fils NV has a smoky mineral taste that is felt along a lively acidic background. The wine also has the flavours of blackcurrant and poached apple, with hints of lemon zest and toasted almond. Its finish is both creamy and toasty. This excellent bright gold coloured champagne retails for about £28 a bottle.
Produced by Vollereaux winery in Champagne, France, this Chardonnay wine is a mix of harvested grapes with a large number of reserve wines that have been matured for at least three years. It gives a sparkling, crisp taste with a smooth finish. It is a little acidic with the acidity cutting across other notes in the wine. Nevertheless, it is quite creamy with a small hint of toasty finish. Vollereaux NV Blanc de Blancs Brut has a ripe apple nose with a pale golden colour. It’s lovers say that it gets better with age when the fruity taste settles down and combines with the acidity. A bottle of this wine usually retails for about £35.
