It's always a good idea to make sure you move quickly for a deal on festive champagne.
I hate to bring up the C-word (Christmas, in case you were wondering) so early in the year, but this is a necessary evil for a wine column. One of the best things about this time of year is that the Champagne deals seem to get cheaper and cheaper.
However, I've said it before and I'll say it again; if you want to make sure you get the good stuff for the 'big day', you do need to move quickly. Champagne does, and will, sell out well ahead of time. I'll give you a few recommendations of the best options out there just now, but first, a few words of warning!
Champagne is a complicated beast. All of the wine from there is hand-made, often boutique stuff, and always of some degree of quality - but this is quite variable. What you can be guaranteed of is that as it is a luxury item, you can quite often end up paying over the odds.
A big-brand Champagne is no guarantor of quality (in some cases, it's the opposite) and some of the best buys out there are brands you have never heard of. However, always beware the mythic £10 Champagne! Occasionally, certain chains will stock a super-budget Champagne for around the £10-12 mark, but in my experience, while these wines are 'okay', a Cava, Prosecco or New-World fizz in the same price range would likely offer better value for money.
One of the cheapest (and safest) purchases out there at the moment is the very recognisable Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top NV, which a lot of the major wine retailers and supermarkets have on special offer just now. It is nice, light, zippy and refreshing - nothing too complex, mind. It normally retails at around the £30 mark, but the craziest current deal is with Sainsbury's (£12.49, down from £24.99). They are limiting the number you can buy in one purchase to a mere 36 bottles. What to do?
Next up, is the lesser known Drappier Millésimé Exception 2006 (£29, Oddbins). Genuine top-quality vintage Champers. Drappier champagnes always impress me, and they have a bit of a cult following already, so I expect they won't always be this cheap. Put it this way - this stunning 2006 vintage would cost at least double if it said something like 'Veuve Cliquot' on it.
If you want a quality vintage champers, but also want the vanity aspect of the big brand name (shame on you), go for Laurent-Perrier 2004 (£34.99, down from £46.99, Waitrose). It's a bit richer and fuller than the non-vintage style, but still has that lovely aspect of honeyed sherbet that you expect from the brand.
Life is full of hard choices, eh?
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