Co-op Champagne costing £19 beats its more expensive rivals in Christmas blind taste test

Supermarket champagne beats more expensive brands in a blind taste test
Experts rate Co-op champagne better than brands, including Moet & Chandon
Co-op Les Pionniers NV Champagne, costing just £19, came top for its flavour

By Sean Poulter Consumer Affairs Editor For The Daily Mail

Published: 02:03 GMT, 17 November 2018 | Updated: 02:08 GMT, 17 November 2018

The Co-op Les Pionniers NV Champagne scored 78 per cent in the taste tests and beat more expensive brands

A supermarket champagne costing £19 has beaten more expensive rivals in a Christmas blind taste test.

An expert panel said the Co-op Les Pionniers NV Champagne, pictured, was ‘elegant and well-balanced’ with an intense flavour ‘reminiscent of honeycomb and nectarines’.

It scored 78 per cent in the tests, which put it in on a par with Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut NV Champagne, costing £35.

The Co-op bubbly beat more expensive and famous champagne house brands, including Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, Heidsieck Monopole, Lanson Black Label and Laurent-Perrier.

The expert panel, which was assembled by the consumer group Which?, tasted 15 champagnes costing up to £35.

Bottom of the table, with a score of 63 per cent, was Spar Marquis Belrive Champagne, which cost £17.50.

It was described as ‘blander than the others’ however the panel felt it could still work as a relatively cheap party drink.

The wines were all chilled and tasted with their identities concealed.