ANDREW CAMPBELL

Competition (IWSC). With a score of 8, the toast, biscuit, crème brulee, apple and citrus flavours impressed the judges as did the pricep – reduced from £13 to just a tenne tenner in Marks and Spencer until Jan January 1. And don’t worry ifi your local store has moved on to the 2010 vintage – that’s just won gold at the Internat International Wine Challenge (IWC).

Third (with 7.9) is the Co-op’ Co-op’s own-brand non-vi non-vintage Les Pionniers Brut, made by top cham champagne house P&C Heid Heidsieck. There’s plenty of b brioche and citrus no notes plus a hint of nu nuttiness that helped th this classy champagne to the Which? title of ‘ ‘Best Buy’. At £16.99 a bottle, it’s hard to knock it.

In fourth is a great v value fizz for a party or a anyone on a budget. At £7.29 from Aldi, Philippe Michel Cremant du Jura Chardonnay Brut 2012

At its full price of £24 the pinot noir-dominated Champagne Duval-Leroy Brut NV should not have made it into this list. But at its Majestic case deal price of £15.99 this IWC silver medallist slipped in. Fresh citrus and floral notes made it a firm favourite with some of the panel but others marked it down for being ‘sharp and acidic’ leaving it in sixth with a score of 6.75.

In seventh spot came the IWSC silver medal winning Pierre Darcys Champagne NV – reduced to £10 in Asda. There’s plenty of citrus fruit in a fairly simply style.

Graham Beck Brut NV is reduced to £10.49 under Majestic’s case deal. It scored 6.5 for its full-flavoured style but its (cheaper) M&S cousin ‘The Rhona’ is a far better buy.

In ninth is the only rosé champagne sampled. M&S’s Oudinot Cuvee Rose Brut claimed a prestigious IWC gold but with a score of only 5.5 its subtle strawberry flavours failed to sway this panel of judges. What do we know?

In 10th came Aldi’s citrusdominated £10.99