Aldi’s £14 champagne is UK’s bestselling fizz after Moet & Chandon

The budget bottle of bubbly has overtaken Lanson in sales as Britons prepare for Christmas

Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut (Aldi)

Aldi’s budget champagne has become a bestseller in the UK, second only to luxury champagne brand Moet & Chandon.

The £13.99 Veuve Monsigny champagne, which is exclusive to the discount retailer, has surpassed Lanson champagne as a favourite among Britons looking for affordable luxury.

According to the Guardian, figures from data firm IRI show that sales of Aldi’s award-winning budget bubbly overtook Lanson champagne, which is priced at around £35 and is made by one of the oldest Champagne Houses.

It comes after Aldi launched the UK’s cheapest champagne bar in London’s West End, which sold glasses of Veuve Monsigny for just £2.33 each. The “Veuve Champagne Bar” was only open to the public for a limited time last week.

The champagne, which is made for Aldi by French company Philizot & Fils in Champagne’s Marne valley, won a bronze award at the International Wine Challenge, where it was described by judges as having a “floral palate, fresh with a little development but beautiful balance and restraint”.

Earlier this year, The Independent named Veuve Monsigny as our best budget buy and as one of the top 10 champagnes for 2021. Our reviewer said it is “fresh, zesty and bubbly, with way more character than wines twice the price”.

While £13.99 is a surprisingly low price for champagne, Aldi has not been immune to the impact of supply chain issues this year, which pushed champagne prices up by eight per cent in the three months to September, according to figures from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.

The supermarket has had to put the price of its champagne up by £1 this year compared to Christmas 2020.

A 2019 YouGov poll found that Britons spend an average of £1,116 each for Christmas Day, with most of the money (£381.6) going towards gifts, while £159.90 is spent on food and drink.

But the soaring cost of inflation, which has reached a 10-year high, means people are shopping around more and making cheaper swaps to save money this festive season.

When Aldi launched its champagne bar, Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying, said the supermarket is “extremely proud of our award-winning Veuve Monsigny Champagne – it’s up there with the best bubblies available”.