STAR Jamie Goode Gosset Grande

Millésime 2000, France £70, Berry Bros & Rudd Uncork the finest fizz with our (0800 280 2440, expert’s guide to www.bbr.com), 12% alcohol One of the best I’ve ou can’t have Christmas without a bottle just budget substitutes for the “real thing”, tried this year, combining rich (or preferably more) of bubbly. There’s but excellent drinks in their own right. So toastiness with vibrant citrus fruit. Ystill nothing quite like a really good here’s my bumper guide to festive fizz, with champagne but people are now realising that styles and prices to suit all tastes and pockets. prosecco, and New World sparklers aren’t Let’s hear those corks popping on the big day!

Camel Valley Brut 2009, Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Valdo Oro Asda Cava Demi Cornwall, England Shiraz NV, Australia Puro Prosecco Sec NV, Spain £22.99, Waitrose, £7.99, Sainsbury’s, Superiore NV, Italy £4.49, Asda, 13% alcohol 13% alcohol £12.99, Waitrose, 13% alcohol Unusually for top- And now for something 11% alcohol If you like your fizz quality English fizz, completely different. Italian fizz prosecco with a little more Camel Valley’s brut Sparkling is booming as new sweetness, this is not made using is an Australian converts discover could be for you: champagne grape oddity but this its delicious it’s an off-dry varieties. But it rich, berry-fruited fruitiness and cava with a works brilliantly, fizz with a hint of sensible price. smoky edge to with lively herb- sweetness is truly But this lovely its melony fruit. tinged citrus fruit delicious. Serve peachy example You could even and a touch chilled, straight is worth paying try serving this of toastiness. from the fridge. a little extra for. over ice.

Champagne Taittinger Follador Prosecco Brancott Estate Tesco Finest Concha y Toro Brut Reserve NV, Valdobbiadene Extra Sparkling Sauvignon Blanquette de Casillero del Diablo France £25, Majestic Dry 2010, Italy Blanc NV, New Zealand Limoux 1531 NV, Brut (special offer), £14, Oddbins, £9.99, Majestic, France £9.99, Tesco, Reserva NV, Chile 12% alcohol 11.5% alcohol 13% alcohol 12.5% alcohol £9.99, Waitrose, I really like Taittinger This is a high-end I don’t know who Sealed with 12% alcohol – it’s a fresh, prosecco that adds first had the mad a “zork”, which From well-known elegant, fruity style extra refinement idea of making is re-usable if producer Concha of champagne to the trademark fizzy sauvignon you don’t drink y Toro, this is with plenty of fruitiness. It has blanc, but it the whole delicious fizz class, and at the lovely precise works. This is a bottle, this with fresh, ripe current special apple, pear and delicious, fruity, shows lively, fruit flavours offer price it’s white peach grassy fizz with citrus fruit complemented pretty good value. flavours with a hint of melony with a touch of by notes of toast Not to be missed. no rough edges. sweetness. herbiness. Tasty. and herbs.

Graham Beck Pinot Champagne Nicolas Arrestel Cava Champagne Laurent- Asda Extra Special Noir/Chardonnay Brut Feuillatte 2004, France NV, Spain Perrier NV, France Champagne NV, South Africa £20, Majestic, £4.24, Lidl, £25, Majestic, 2002, France £12.99, Waitrose, 12% alcohol 11.5% alcohol 12% alcohol £20.17, Asda, 12% alcohol Taut, crisp and fruity, This is probably the I like this brut from 12% alcohol South African fizz this is a stylish cheapest decent Laurent-Perrier – it’s Don’t dismiss this deserves to be vintage champagne sparkling wine fresh and elegant, own-label fizz. It’s better known here. showing some on the market, with nice citrussy actually quite This is one of their pleasingly toasty and is perfect freshness and serious, with finest: complex, richness. It has a for parties. It’s subtle toasty concentrated rounded and lovely fruit focus clean, correct notes. It’s a flavours of toast, toasty with lots and at this price, and tasty, with lovely precise almonds and of flavour and it’s good value nice fruity wine that’s lovely fresh

good balance. for money, too. flavours. hard to fault. citrussy fruit. C a r oline lee m in g Ph oto gr ap h s by Morrisons The Best Mas Miralda Cava Lindauer Brut Champagne R&L Champagne Le Prosecco NV, Italy Brut NV, Spain NV, New Zealand Legras Présidence Mesnil Blanc £9.99, Morrisons, £4.49, Asda, £7.99 (normally Vieilles Vignes 2002, de Blancs 2004 11% alcohol 11.5% alcohol £10.99), Majestic, France £39.80, Berry Grand Cru, France With pure pear and How do they make 12% alcohol Bros & Rudd (0800 £31.99, Waitrose, white peach flavours this so good for One of the 280 2440, www. 12% alcohol perfectly balanced so little money? best New World bbr.com), A fresh, complex by rounded It’s lively, fruity, sparkling , 12% alcohol champagne made texture and a bit bright and Lindauer’s brut Superb finesse solely from the of bite from the crisp – another NV is fresh, and ripe, elegant chardonnay grape, fizz, this shows perfect bottle to lemony and fruitiness make this is vivid and why prosecco take to parties focused, with this wonderful citrussy with subtle is becoming or buy in bulk a touch of class champagne well toasty notes and so popular. for your own. rare at this price. worth the price. real finesse.

Philippe Michel Champagne Krug Asda Asti Spumante Champagne Bollinger Morrisons Cava Crémant du NV, France NV, Italy £4.98, La Grande Année Rosado NV, Spain Jura Chardonnay £125, Majestic, Asda, 7% alcohol 2002, France £6.79, Morrisons, 2008, France 12% alcohol I reckon this is the £59.99, Tesco, 12% alcohol £6.99, Aldi, From probably the most tastiest sub-£5 12% alcohol Pink bubbly is 12% alcohol illustrious champagne bubbly there is. Everything Bollinger following still rosé An incredible bargain: house, this iconic Low in alcohol, makes is first class, up the popularity a sophisticated fizz bottle lives up to it’s sweet, grapey and this vintage charts, and this is with generous its reputation with and aromatic, cuvée is complex a fun fizz at a good citrus, apple and fabulous finesse, with deliciously and intense, with price. It’s bright pear fruit, and combining notes rounded fresh lovely pear, apple pink in colour with complexity you of citrus, peach fruit flavours. and citrus fruit, attractively crisp would expect in and brioche. Serve ice cold, balanced by strawberry notes wines at least Everyone should and try it with nutty, toasty and should be a twice the price. try this once. fruity desserts. savouriness. big hit at parties.

Nyetimber Classic Champagne Louis Champagne Moët Tesco Cava Ridgeview Merret Cuvée Vintage 2006, Roederer Brut et Chandon Grand Brut NV, Spain Bloomsbury 2009, Sussex, England Premier NV, France Vintage 2002, France £4.49, Tesco, Sussex, England £29.99, Waitrose, £27 (normally £39), £33.99, Tesco (online 11.5% alcohol £21.99, Waitrose 12% alcohol Majestic, 12% alcohol price), 12.5% alcohol Made using the (selected stores), Nyetimber has made Roederer is famous A rich, intense traditional champagne 12.5% alcohol the champagne for its blingy Cristal champagne with method of second Brilliant stuff from houses sit up and but this is one lovely citrus and fermentation in the one of the leading take notice, and of the best peach flavours bottle, this decent English producers, this fizz is richly non-vintage and a bit of toast, cava is crisp, this is fresh, flavoured with champagnes from one of the herby, clean precise, lemony, toasty, herby around, with biggest names and refreshing. balanced and notes and lovely precise (and yes, you A very drinkable bright, with subtle some baked flavours and nice do pronounce wine at a toasty hints. Well apple character. toasty richness. the “t”). good price. worth the price.