When you’ve got something to really celebrate, there are few drinks that trump Champagne.
Made in the French region of the same name, Champagne has enjoyed protected geographical status since June 1936, one of the very first wine-growing regions in the world to do so. Producers wanted to preserve the superior status of their liquid gold, which many believe are superior to Italy’s Prosecco and Spanish cava despite all going through similar making processes.
While you may opt for the latter two for dinner parties and birthdays, when a big moment arrives, the only cork you’ll want to pop is the one on a bottle of Champs.
It may be an elite sparkling wine, but there are quite a few brands specialising in it. It can be tricky to know what to go for, even for those who’ve gulped down their fair share of flutes in the past, so we’re here with the ES Best guide to the finest Champagne brands.
Where to buy Champagne online
- Amazon
- Asda
- Tesco
- Sainsbury’s
- Waitrose
- Selfridges
- Harvey Nichols
- Harrods
- John Lewis
- Fortnum & Mason
- Clos19
- Morrisons
- The Whisky Exchange
- The Bottle Club
- Majestic Wine
Buy a case or buy a bottle, and prepare to toast the good times ahead.
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Moët & Chandon
An instantly recognised brand, Moët & Chandon is a bottle that you’ll find in luxury hotels and restaurants the world over. Its history can be traced back to 1743 and wine merchant Claude Moët who founded the legendary Champagne house. An affordable price point and crisp, fruity flavour profile are two of the reasons it has found widespread success.
Buy now £43.00, Clos19
Dom Pérignon
"Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!". Champagne aficionados will recognise this as Benedictine monk Dom Perignon’s famous quote when he first tasted the sparkling wine at the abbey of Hautvilliers back in 1697. The rest, as they say, is history.
It may taste like the stars, but it’s linked to a certain kind too, with Lenny Kravitz and Lady Gaga partnering with the brand on some of its latest bottles. Rich with fruity and citrussy notes, it’s balanced with warm brioche flavours, creating a rounded palate for a truly elegant serve.
Buy now £330.00, Clos19
Veuve Clicquot
Instantly recognisable thanks to its bright yellow label and packaging, the crisp, dry flavours of Veuve Clicquot keep it on must-drink lists around the world.
Owned by LVMH, it’s one of the biggest Champagne houses around and is named for the widow of the company’s heir, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (Veuve Clicquot means ‘Widow Clicquot’). She helped shape the Champagne industry, creating the first single-vintage variety and coming up with a process called the riddling rack, which opened the door to production by the masses.
The Yellow Label is the classic bottle to reach for, and is available in a personalised gift box making it even more special for big occasions.
Buy now £118.00, Selfridges
Champagne Laurent Perrier
The perfumed nature of this sophisticated Champagne is what makes it a top choice for weddings, birthdays and the most special of occasions. Expect hints of white fruit and citrus, a little honeysuckle and a luxurious mousse. As well as sparkling white Champagne, the brand also offers a delightful cuvee rose. Widely available in supermarkets as well as online, you’re looking at around £50 - £70, so one for when you’re feeling a bit flush.
Buy now £65.99, Selfridges
Champagne Lanson
Founded in 1760, Champagne Lanson is a famous Champagne house based in Reims and is perhaps best regarded for its Black Label cuvee, its flagship sparkling wine. Hawk eyed drinkers will notice the Maltese cross on the label; it’s there because the founder’s son had ties to the Hospitaller’s Order of Malta, thought to be the oldest charity in the world, founded in 1048. For Lanson, the cross now represents openness, kindness and hospitality.
The core range includes the renowned Black Label, a fresh and sweet White Label, a fruity and delicate Le Rosé, Le Blancs de Blancs and Le Black Réserve, a full and fresh non-vintage Brut.
Buy now £36.00, Tesco
Taittinger
One of the Champagne region’s greatest wine-producing families, Taittinger rarely requires introduction. The name is synonymous with luxury and was name-checked by Britain’s famous fictional spy James Bond in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale.
Despite its opulent reputation, there are bottles on the affordable end of the scale, averaging from £30 - £60 at most supermarkets. It’s a fine choice for engagements and weddings; expect an elegant pale gold filling your flute or Champagne saucer and medium flavour intensities of pear, apple, toast and citrus unfurling on the tongue.
Buy now £46.00, Fortnums
Louis Roederer
Another Champagne house based in Reims, France, Louis Roederer remains one of the last remaining independent and family run businesses of this exceptional wine.
From the very start, the house has had a forensic approach to Champagne-making, mastering each stage of the process to produce the finest final glass. As early as the 1870s, the brand exported its Champagne to the US and to Russian Tsars.
It grows its grapes on 240 hectares of land in the Grands and Premier Crus of the Marne, cultivating three grapes to produce its cuvees: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Prices vary greatly from around £45 to just shy of £9k for a six litre Methuselah-size bottle of Cristal.
Buy now, Selfridges
Bollinger
Loved by aristocrats and with links to the late Queen Elizabeth II (she reportedly sipped a glass of Bolly before bed) Bollinger’s roots to Champagne can be traced back to 1585. The brand itself has been around since 1829 and is a winning choice for big toasts and large celebrations. It prizes the Pinot Noir grape above all others, with the result a dry and complex sparkling wine packed with ripe fruit and spicy aromas. Prices climb from around £40 to upwards of a grand.
Buy now £52.99, Majestic
Ruinart
Another excellent Champagne brand owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH, Ruinart was founded by Nicolas Ruinart, the nephew of a Benedictine monk in the year 1792. Wine is aged in the very same chalk cellars under Reims that Nicholas formed in 1768. As well as a rose, Ruinart produces a non-vintage, and a Blanc de Blancs in homage to Nicholas’s Uncle Thierry’s contribution.
Buy now, Majestic
Armand de Brignac
The house of Armand de Brignac is considered by many as one of the finest Champagne houses in the world, and as you’ve seen from this list alone, there’s plenty of competition.
Better known as ‘Ace of Spades’ thanks to the logo on its attention-stealing gold-coloured bottles, the Champagne house’s history dates back to before the French Revolution. In 2006, Jay Z added his name to the brand’s historic timeline when he used a bottle as a prop in the video for “Show Me What You Got”. It was total product placement; Jay Z already had a stake in the business, and ended up buying it outright in 2014.
Naturally, with such A-list ties, Ace of Spades became one of the most-wanted bottles for parties, weddings and special occasions. By 2021, the one-time Glastonbury headliner had sold half the company to luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy.
Made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes, it’s light and lively with a creamy and silky mouthfeel. As well as this gold, you can also find a rose version (£480).
Buy now £300.00, Selfridges
