Any cheap champagne??

Quietmanc

Lugh_Chronain wrote: »

People are actually paying for the region so it seems. There's also a lot of snobbery around both Cava and Champagne. The technique of making it is most likely the same I guess.

I believe that it's called 'methode champenoise'.Spelling may be off though.I would say that what suits one may not suit another.It doesn't really matter what is perceived as the 'best'. My favourites are Mumm(but only once or twice a year!) and most of the Freixenet range.

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

cremeant de bourgone is excellent and tastes great as well. It cost about £6 a bottle. Use to supplement a hopefully good but cheap champagne, maybe some good offers?
http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/category-is-Champagne+and+Sparkling+Wine/category-is-Cr%E9mant+de+Bourgogne/

trolleyrun

Bredon Champagne from Waitrose is currently on offer:

http://www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductView-10317-10001-42580-Bredon+Champagne+Brut

Tried this last Christmas and I enjoyed it

Lugh_Chronain

Quietmanc wrote: »

I believe that it's called 'methode champenoise'.Spelling may be off though.I would say that what suits one may not suit another.It doesn't really matter what is perceived as the 'best'. My favourites are Mumm(but only once or twice a year!) and most of the Freixenet range.

Methode Champenoise is the traditional method by which Champagne is produced. After primary fermentation and bottling, a second alcoholic fermentation occurs in the bottle.

The description most often used for sparkling wines not from Champagne yet using the second fermentation in the bottle process is methode traditionnelle.

These appear to be the same though it also appears that the different terms are currently in use due to an EU ruling. The terms methode champenoise and champagne method were forbidden by an EU court decision in 1994. Methode traditionnelle appears to have been in use since 2005.

In the European Union and many other countries, the name Champagne is legally protected by the Treaty of Madrid (1891), which reserved it for the sparkling wine produced in the eponymous region and adhering to the standards defined for it as an Appellation d'origine contrôlee; the protection was reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.

Other countries appeared to use the term Champagne during this period though fairly recently other protections have also appeared to have come into place.

However, most sparkeling wine pruducers, though not all, use the traditional method of second fermentation in the bottle, as with Champagne.

Sparkling wines are produced worldwide as you know, and many producers use special terms to define them: Spain uses Cava, Italy designates it spumante, and South Africa uses cap classique. An Italian sparkling wine made from the Muscat grape uses the DOCG Asti and from the Glera grape the DOCG Prosecco. In Germany, Sekt is a common sparkling wine. No idea though if those other than Cava are any good as I've not tried them.

I tried a British sparkeling wine once though which was OK but found the fizz a little overbearing after a while. I think the wine producer was called Denby.

Most of this information is from Wikipedia.

Edwardia

Prosecco is good with pandoro or panettone or one of those amaretto di saronno biscuits. It's far sweeter than most champagne found in UK.

don.westcoast

Morrisons. Lanson NV £15. 3 bottles per customer. Scotland so no multiple buy offers. Can't find it cheaper.

Lugh_Chronain

Edwardia wrote: »

Prosecco is good with pandoro or panettone or one of those amaretto di saronno biscuits. It's far sweeter than most champagne found in UK.

A couple of very good Prosecco's apparently are La Marca Prosecco, Majestic Wine, currently £7.99 a bottle, Tesco Finest Bisol Prosecco, currently £8.49 (£7.66 a bottle with voucher from Tesco Wine).

Marks & Spencer's Prosecco Rabosa (rose) £7.99 and ASDA's own £6.98 appear very good as well though neither seem to currently sell these at the moment.

Prosecco also appears to have a bit of a reputation and also appears to be associated with Pinot Grigio drinkers. Controversially it has also been said that Pinot Grigio and Prosecco are both drunk by people who don't really like wine, but like the idea of it. Possibly a bit elitist perhaps though I would say each to there own. And as Quietmanc has pointed out, what suits one may not suit another.

I have tried Pinot Grigio once and found it a little too sweet though not sickly. My personal choice if I were to purchase a wine would be a Sauvignon Blanc if I wanted something slightly dry or a Chablis, more acidity and flavours are less fruity than Chardonnay. Though lets not forget, the grapevines around the town of Chablis are almost all Chardonnay.

I'm not that keen on sparkling wine either though as Edwardia has previously pointed out, it does appear to depend on the fizz, the size of the bubbles for it to appear pleasant. From what I recall of the M&S cava I mentioned previously on another thread, it appeared to have that melt in your mouth sensation. Very pleasant too.

All said and done, if I were to order a crate of wine I most likely would drink it till it was finished though generally I do prefer a good ale over a glass of wine. It also depends on the occasion and who I'd be drinking with.