Champagne: Co-op and Waitrose beat Moet and Veuve Clicquot in blind tasting

The Co-op’s Les Pionniers NV Champagne cost just £16.99

The Co-operative Les Pionniers NV Champagne (Co-op)

Thrifty Champagne-lovers will be happy to know they can still indulge in their favourite bubbly drink without spending a fortune this Christmas, after supermarkets’ own-brand Champagnes have beaten expensive big brands in a blind taste test.

The Co-op’s Les Pionniers NV Champagne, which cost just £16.99, was labelled the best Champagne - out of 15 brands on offer this Christmas including the likes of exclusive Moët & Chandon - scoring 85 per cent.

The champagne was praised for its “complexity and depth”. Moët & Chandon’s Brut Imperial Champagne, which costs nearly twice the price, came 10th with a lower score of 74 per cent.

Thieves reportedly opened bottles of champagne inside the warehouse (Getty)

Consumer magazine Which? annual blind test ahead of the festive season and found that two out of three best buy Champagnes are supermarket own-brands, with a much more affordable price than their luxury counterparts.

Waitrose Blanc de Blancs Brut NV, for under £25, finished second. The judges praised its “apple and citrus” notes.

While Lanson Black Label Brut Champagne, one of the the priciest in the “Best Buy” category at £30 a bottle, was the highest ranked Champagne brand, coming in third with a score of 81 per cent.

Own-brand Champagne from Tesco, Lidl and Sainsbury made the list, finishing fifth, sixth and seven respectively.

A panel of five expert judges blind tested each product before discussing their tasting notes and agreeing on a score for each bottle.

“Our taste test has once again revealed that supermarket own-label products can more than match the big brands. Our experts rated many affordable products highly which shows that good quality products aren’t always the most expensive,” said Richard Headland, editor of Which?