The best champagne under €15
The festive season is hardly the time of year to watch your spending. On the other hand, the flow of money isn’t infinite either. At least, not in my case. Because I went a little overboard again this year, I went looking for the tastiest champagne – yes, champagne, so no cava, prosecco or crémant – under fifteen euros.
Admittedly, that wasn’t so easy. I thought HEMA and Albert Heijn around the corner from me would surely have something on offer, but a quick visit proved otherwise. HEMA doesn’t even sell champagne, and at Albert Heijn I pay two whole ten-euro notes for a bottle. Thankfully, after a substantial bike ride, I did manage to find what I was looking for: the supermarkets Lidl, Aldi and Jumbo all stock a bottle costing fifteen euros or less (!). I take them home and pop them before Christmas dinner. No one knows where the champagnes came from or how cheap they are. Here we go:
Aldi: Champagne Brut Veuve Durand, €12.99
First up: Aldi’s champagne, made from meunier, pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. It foams nicely and has lovely bubbles. Its taste doesn’t exactly knock our socks off, but there isn’t much to criticize either. Except perhaps that, compared with the other champagnes, the balance of flavors is slightly on the sour side. A little apple-like. At this price, you really can’t go wrong; this is a perfectly decent bottle of champagne. “Lovely for washing down your doughnut,” my mother says. And because you don’t have to worry about one bottle more or less, the idiot in your group of friends can also happily spray one empty during the New Year’s celebrations. Just make sure to chill it properly first—cold champagne simply sprays best.
Jumbo: Charles Lecouvey Champagne Brut, €14.99
This champagne has a softer taste. Or, well, softer? Perhaps more elegant is a better word. I have to admit that I had already read a thing or two about this champagne beforehand, including the description ‘an enticing mix of crisp apple and toasted brioche flavours’. I couldn’t have come up with the brioche story myself, but I can genuinely taste it. Delicious—is that perhaps the elegance I’m tasting? I won’t spend too many words on it before I really make a fool of myself, but this champagne is a keeper. Spoiler alert: it takes an honorable second place from us.
Lidl: Champagne Comte de Brismand Brut Reserve, €12.99
Next up is Lidl’s champagne. Last year, a crémant from Lidl’s range was rated just as highly as the Veuve Clicquot 2008 Vintage champagne, which costs fifty euros. Their incredibly cheap whisky was also judged to be among the best in the world. Of course, it makes no sense, but it does offer a glimmer of hope:
And sure enough, this champagne too—made from pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay—is enthusiastically received by the whole family. It smells wonderful, and although none of us are seasoned wine experts, we think we can detect something exotic here and there. I randomly call out things like ‘lychee!’ and ‘peach!’, but I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what I’m tasting. Either way, this champagne stands head and shoulders above the rest for everyone. How do they do it every time at Lidl? By now, I have a box at home.
