Best cheap xmas champagne -

Firestar_3x · 15 Dec 2011 at 15:44

TBH when you're well into the festivities a cheap bottle doesn't really matter plus i quite like a good sparkling wine, but it's nice to have a couple of bottles of something a little bit special during the Christmas meal and run-up to newyear.

Glaucus · 15 Dec 2011 at 16:25

Firestar_3x said:
Doesn't compute

Lot of chefs have been banging on about it in the last year or so. Apparently we have perfect weather for producing "champagne". Or as you are getting at sparkling wine.

Martynt74 · 15 Dec 2011 at 16:36

Ahleckz said:
I often drink the cheap Cava from ASDA/Tesco, but only because I get immense pleasure from opening them up with my sabre. I've almost perfected the technique and lose very little drink.

I was always under the inpression that cheaper bottles of Cava wouldn't be as thick so there was a higher risk of the bottle shattering?

I've been playing around with this recently, i think the first time i did it my girlfriend said she'd never see me look quite so childlike in excitement!

a1ex2001 · 15 Dec 2011 at 16:57

Glaucus said:
Lot of chefs have been banging on about it in the last year or so. Apparently we have perfect weather for producing "champagne". Or as you are getting at sparkling wine.

One of the jos of 'climate change' 20 years ago people would have said you were bonkers!

Glaucus · 15 Dec 2011 at 17:00

a1ex2001 said:
One of the jos of 'climate change' 20 years ago people would have said you were bonkers!

Was looking for something to back me up. But found this instead! Sorry about the site

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/f...hampagne-makers-named-best-bubbly-planet.html

Anyway I'm sure champaign needs lower temp and wetter seasons. Which is why England supposedly makes such good stuff, rather than climate change. Can't say I've tried it. But if i can still find that at £25 ill give it ago.

Voices · 15 Dec 2011 at 17:05

QuickLink said:
Just checked the names of the English and there is one: 2004 Chapel Down Pinot Brut Reserve, Kent, England.

I am not sure whether the 2004's are still in the supermarkets, but as far as I know, they've had some rather successful years after that as well. Good suggestion! (I am not so sure about Chapel Down's red and white wines. They seem to miss something...). As I suggested above though, Ridgeview's Bloomsbury is very good as well.

As an aside, would there be some interest in keeping up a 'Daily Deals' thread for wines, akin to the one for games in the Gaming section? It might actually benefit us all

Ahleckz · 15 Dec 2011 at 22:11

Marvt74 said:
I was always under the inpression that cheaper bottles of Cava wouldn't be as thick so there was a higher risk of the bottle shattering?

I've been playing around with this recently, i think the first time i did it my girlfriend said she'd never see me look quite so childlike in excitement!

Na, I've never shattered a bottle. I've done it with dirt cheap sparkling white and rose wine, and some more expensive Cava. I haven't dare do it with 'proper' Champagne though. It's so cool doing it, I still get giddy whenever I get to do it.

Martynt74 · 15 Dec 2011 at 23:05

Ah, see I've only ever done it with champagne. Plan to start the toast at my wedding with it next week using my future wife's brothers sword

Ahleckz · 15 Dec 2011 at 23:13

Marvt74 said:
Ah, see I've only ever done it with champagne. Plan to start the toast at my wedding with it next week using my future wife's brothers sword

That's a pretty awesome way to get it going! I've got this gold plated Arabian sabre thing which works really well. I'd like to try it with a proper bladed (but blunt) edge as my thing is basically just a bit of steel in a handle.
I'm going to do it for our Christmas dinner, I imagine my Father's face will be one of horror as I'm waving around a bottle of Champagne and a sword!

Martynt74 · 16 Dec 2011 at 09:10

Haha i thought so. The missus isn't overly happy about it but her final hope was the hotel may not allow it, but i rang them and the woman said she'd done it and it'd be fine

At home i just use a butchers knife!

randomshenans · 16 Dec 2011 at 10:06

Glaucus said:
Was looking for something to back me up. But found this instead! Sorry about the site

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/f...hampagne-makers-named-best-bubbly-planet.html

Anyway I'm sure champaign needs lower temp and wetter seasons. Which is why England supposedly makes such good stuff, rather than climate change. Can't say I've tried it. But if i can still find that at £25 ill give it ago.

lol to go with your shoe pastry?

Daily deals would be goof voices dude.

Voices · 16 Dec 2011 at 17:06

QuickLink said:
Daily deals would be goof voices dude.

Ouch

Ahleckz · 16 Dec 2011 at 17:25

Had a look in Waitrose today for some English sparkling wine, and they didn't have a single bottle.

moogie · 24 Dec 2011 at 07:57

Ahleckz said:
Had a look in Waitrose today for some English sparkling wine, and they didn't have a single bottle.

managed to grab a few bottles of 2004 Chapel Down Pinot Brut Reserve at my local waitrose yesterday, polished off one of them last night
really tasty and easily on a par with some of the pricier champagnes imo

Glaucus · 24 Dec 2011 at 09:45

Reymond blanc on his Christmas show last night was singing the English sparkling wine praise.

J1234 · 24 Dec 2011 at 11:07

For English sparkling, look no further than Nyetimber. The vineyard is just around the corner from me, been there many times. Waitrose sell te 2006 cuvée and BBR sell the cuvée, rose and 2001 blanc de blancs, both excellent.