Ah, let’s raise a glass of festive cheer, we’ve made it into December! Christmas is a time when we tend to spend a little extra on our drinks, and that often includes champagne, prosecco, cava and other sparkling wines. These are the best supermarket own brands for 2019, plus a few high-scoring drinks from other wineries that you can buy in the supermarket.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend a few tastings this year, and I’ve also collated some of the highest scoring drinks from a wide range of national and international awards, so it’s the cream of the crop listed here.

CHAMPAGNE

Marks & Spencer dominated the supermarket non-vintage champagne category this year, but Waitrose just pipped them to the post on price. One of the most useful things I’ve ever been told about champagne is the only thing that matters is whether you personally like the taste of a particular bottle, so I’ve included some tasting notes to help you decide too.

M&S Abel Charlot Brut, £20.00, case of 6 online or buy singly in store. IWC Great Value Award Winner Sparkling between £12 and £20, IWC silver medal category winner 93/100, IWSC silver 91/100, Good Housekeeping joint 8th place 74/100. A dry champagne with lemon, biscuit and nutty notes.

Waitrose & Partners Brut Champagne, £19.99. Which? Magazine 2nd place and rated 80/100, IWSC silver medal 91/100. A stylish dry wine with fruity notes and the aroma of buttery baked pastries. Also available at Ocado.

M&S Delacourt Brut Champagne, £25.00, case of 6 online or buy singly in store. Which? Magazine joint 4th place 79/100, IWSC 92/100, Decanter silver medal. Subtle aroma and biscuit, buttery and lemon flavours.

M&S Herbert Beaufort Grand Cru Champagne, £30.00 for 75cl, case of 6 online or buy singly in store. Good Housekeeping joint 2nd place 79/100. Fruity with a hint of sweetness, hints of apple and citrus, pair with rich foods.

Best of the rest:

• Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Blanc de Noirs Champagne, £21.00, on offer for £19.00. Also currently ‘buy 6 get 25% off’. Which? Magazine joint 4th place 79/100, Olive magazine bronze medal. Good body and tasty, nutty flavours. < MOST COMPETITIVE OFFER THIS WEEK
• Morrisons The Best Brut Premier Cru Champagne, £21.00 for 75cl, on offer for £14.00 (temporarily out of stock). Good Housekeeping joint 4th place 78/100, IWSC bronze medal. Citrus and apple crumble aromas, balanced by a creamy, toasty richness.
• Tesco Finest Premier Cru Champagne, £20.00 for 75cl. IWSC silver medal 92/100, Which? Magazine 8th place, 75/100. Reliable easy drinker with lemon and brioche notes.
• Lidl Comte de Senneval Brut Champagne, £11.50 for 75cl, in store only. Which? Magazine 7th place, 77/100. Crisp acidity and a clean, dry finish. The one to make your champagne cocktails with. < LOWEST PRICED AWARD-WINNER

Vintage champagne

If you want to push the boat out a tiny bit more, vintage champagne is often a treat – but the extra expense makes me look for award winners so there’s less chance of making a mistake. Right now the Waitrose offer makes their vintage champagne cheaper than most non-vintage champagne so it’s worth a look.

Asda Louis Bernard Extra Special Vintage Brut Champagne, £25.00. Decanter silver medal 91/100, IWC silver medal, IWSC silver 90/100, Olive magazine silver. Ripe stone fruit and subtle smokey notes, with fresh lime on the palate. < BEST VINTAGE FLAVOUR

Waitrose Brut Special Réserve Vintage Champagne, £25.99, on offer for £19.99. IWSC silver medal 92/100. Lemony, honeyed, creamy and nutty flavours, refined finish. < BEST VINTAGE OFFER THIS WEEK

Tesco Finest Vintage Champagne, £26.00. Olive magazine gold medal, IWSC silver 91/100. Biscuity nose, buttery with lemony freshness and moussy bubbles.

Rosé champagne

Aldi Veuve Monsigny Champagne Rosé NV, £16.99, back in stock! Won IWC Great Value Champion Sparkling 2019 (overall winner), and IWC Great Value Sparkling between £12 and £20 (gold medal). Strawberry and cocoa aromas, creamy berry fruit and vibrant finish. < BEST VALUE PINK CHAMPAGNE

M&S Champagne Delacourt Cuvée Rosé NV, £20.00, bulk buy online & single bottles in store. IWSC silver medal 91/100. Fresh pastry palate, with summer fruits and a long finish.

Waitrose Rosé Champagne Brut NV, £26.99 on offer for £19.99. IWSC silver 91/100. Delicate fruit flavours with a fresh tight finish.

PROSECCO, CAVA & OTHER SPARKLING WINE

I’ve used a price cap here, so everything’s under £12.00 for the cost-conscious sparkling wine shopper and the prices for the award winners start from as low as £6.50. Cheers!

Prosecco

Asda Alberto Nani Organic Prosecco, £9.00, reduced to £8.00 and in buy 6 get 25% off offer. IWC Great Value Award Sparkling under £12 winner, IWC category silver medal 93/100, IWSC bronze. Great texture and balance with a creamy palate of tropical fruits and lovely complexity.

Morrisons The Best Prosecco DOCG, £10.00 for 75cl, on offer for £7.00. Good Housekeeping winner, 88/100, IWSC bronze medal. Refreshing and crisp, with apple, lemon and grapefruit notes.

Tesco Finest Prosecco Brut, £8.00 for 75cl, on offer for £6.50. Which? Magazine winner and Best Buy, 78/00, IWSC bronze. A clean, classic prosecco with fruity and floral notes. < BEST PROSECCO OFFER THIS WEEK

Best of the rest:

• Aldi Superiore Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, £7.49. IWSC silver medal 93/100. Lemon, apple and pastry elements with richness and sweetness balanced by fresh acidity.
• Asda Extra Special Prosecco Asolo Brut DOCG, £8.00 and in the buy 6 get 25% off. IWSC silver 91/100, Decanter bronze. Perfumed with citrus blossom and panettone notes, good complexity. < PENNY’S PICK, loved this.
• Aldi Pianetta Organic Prosecco, £7.99. Decanter Bronze medal 86/100, IWSC bronze, IWC commended. Fresh and lemony with creamy bubbles and a clean finish.
• Morrisons The Best Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco, £10.00, on offer for £8.00. Olive magazine silver medal. Toasty flavours and pear notes, not too sweet.

Cava

Tesco Finest Vintage Reserva Cava, £9.00. IWSC silver medal 90/100. Round on the palate, with a sweet gooseberry note and a mineral edge.

Co-op Irresistible Cava Brut, £7.00 for 75cl. Which? Magazine 4th place 72/100. A classic style cava with gentle sweetness and acidity, and floral and almond flavours. < LOWEST PRICED AWARD-WINNER (their Irresistible Prosecco, £7.00, is good too).

M&S Vintage Cava Brut 2015, £12.00, bulk buy online or buy single bottles in store. Which? Magazine joint 6th place 70/100. Dry cava with lemon and lime notes and a biscuity finish.

You might also like to keep an eye out for Morrisons The Best Vintage Cava Brut, £9.00, in case it comes back into stock – it’s won IWSC silver 91/100 and would have been my top pick for cava.

Other sparkling wine

Asda Extra Special Selection Crémant de Loire Brut, £9.00 for 75cl, reduced to £8.00, also buy 6 get 25% off. Which? Magazine sparkling wine 3rd place with 74/100, also IWSC silver award 91/100 and Decanter bronze medal. Crisp lemon flavours and honeysuckle aromas. < BEST BULK BUY SPARKLING OFFER

Aldi Exquisite Crémant de Jura, £7.99, buy online. IWSC silver medal 92/100, Decanter bronze medal 86/100, IWC bronze. Crisp sparkling wine with pear drop and red apple flavours.

Lidl Crémant de Loire, £8.00 for 75cl, in store only. Which? Magazine sparkling wine 4th place 72/100. Earthy, biscuity flavours and apple and citrus notes.

Best of the rest:

• Asda Pendium Moscato Sparkling Wine, £9.00 reduced to £6.00. IWSC bronze medal, IWC bronze, Olive magazine silver. Low alcohol sparkler with delicate rose petal scent and well-balanced sweetness.
• Aldi Angel & Four Masterstroke, £10.00 for 75cl, in store only. Which? Magazine sparkling wine joint 6th place 70/100. An English sparkling wine with elderflower aromas and zesty notes. < PENNY’S PICK, English sparklers are rarely under £20.00.
• Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Crémant de Loire, £11.50 for 75cl, reduced to £9.50 and also buy 6 get 25% off. Which? Magazine sparkling wine joint 6th place 70/100. Sweet, slightly smoky flavours.

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Have you seen anything here that catches your eye? I’m off to pick up a nice bottle of cava from the Co-op before the shops shut so I’ll see you again soon.

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Other Christmas 2019 food & drink guides you might like:

• BIG list of best value Christmas drinks: Wines, spirits, liqueurs, soft drinks & more
• BIG list of best value Christmas food: Smoked salmon, party food, turkey & alternatives
• BIG list of best value Christmas food: Christmas puddings, showstopper desserts & sweets
• BIG list of best value Christmas food: Mince pies, Christmas cake & alternatives

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Full disclosure: I am not working with any of the above supermarkets in a professional capacity although I have worked on a collaboration with Morrisons in the past. I’ve attended a number of PR events and wine tastings during 2019 and these are my honest opinions, combined with awards from official tasting panels.