Six Atmospheres #6
Blind-tasting UK own-label Champagnes
Blind-Tasting: Some UK Supermarket Own-Label Champagnes (and some ringers)
Champagne at the cheaper end of the market is interesting not only because of its commercial relevance - the average price of Champagne sold in the UK is £25.15 - but because of what it shows us about the dynamics of the region as a whole. Costs have to be kept pretty tight in terms of grape sourcing, grape prices (ripeness and health), pressing and ageing, and it pays to keep tabs on what compromises in these areas can taste like. They’re not really things you want to taste in more sought-after wines, or indeed the best of the recognisable brands.
The sales volumes offered by UK supermarkets mean they can often call on some pretty good producers to make their champagnes for them. But are any of them really worth buying, even just for parties (or a low-key gift for someone who won’t turn their nose up?).
I put in a couple of ringers here for fun. Wines tasted:
1.Morrisons English Sparkling Vintage Brut 2010 £15 on offer (rumoured to be made by Nyetimber, which does stack up)
2. Sainsbury’s Blanc de Noirs Champagne £21.50 (made by Palmer & Co)
3. Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV £25 on offer
4. Tesco Premier Cru Brut £21 (made by Union Champagne)
5. Co-Op Les Pionniers Brut NV £18 (made by Piper-Heidsieck)
6. Waitrose Brut Premier Cru £20.99 (made by Duval-Leroy)
7. M&S Louis Vertay Brut £18 (made, I think by Duval-Leroy)
My top wines?
Tesco Premier Cru Brut is really well put-together by Union Champagne in Avize. It’s probably the wine I’d finish first in this lineup; more than a shadow of creamy/brazil nut Chardonnay elegance that doesn’t feel pinched or pressed. A really solid purchase -one you’d buy for a party but be quite happy to tuck into yourself.
Morrisons English Sparkling 2010 would do very well in any lineup of English Sparkling. It seems as if this has come through the doors of Nyetimber, and the quality would match up with that. It’s not Nyetimber 2010 for sure, but more likely to be something Nyetimber no longer had a use for. Still, it’s worth a trip to Morrisons for any English wine fans.
Piper-Heidsieck Brut came across as quite a ripe, intense character here, zesty and tropical with lots of sweet-natured patisserie tones. There’s potential for even more elegance from this house (look out for the 2019 base when it lands). I wondered whether this was a 2017-based wine. Still, certainly one of the safest bets of the big labels at the moment.
The Sainsbury’s Blanc de Noirs was disappointing, both rather green and quite amylic (confected/pear-drop sort of fruit). Just not….champagne-y enough, with not enough time or reserve wine behind it. It’s made by the excellent Palmer &Co, but sadly doesn’t taste like a mini-version of their own Blanc de Noirs. Waitrose and Duval-Leroy have done a solid job, although I preferred the Les Pionniers for Co-Op at £18, which shared some of the smoky, tropical and sweetly-fruited character found in the actual Piper. Better for the money than the Louis Vertay at M&S.
If you’d like to watch, here’s the tasting itself: