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Christmas champagne
There is only one way to celebrate the arrival of Christmas and that is with a glass of really good fizz. I always drink bubbly whilst opening presents with the children on Christmas morning.
One of the nicest ways of starting the day is by making an especially festive Bucks Fizz. Mix it half and half with fresh blood orange juice (it’s a most amazing deep red), or try it with pink grapefruit juice. Peach juice will turn this fizzy cocktail into a Bellini.
I don’t recommend using champagne for these cocktails. Instead take advantage of the many good value offers on Spanish cava this Christmas:
- Tesco have a special half price deal on a limited amount of 6 packs of their Millennium Cava, on sale at £17.99 (equivalent to £2.99 a bottle). In addition, the standard Tesco Cava is at a special reduced price of £3.49.
- Marks & Spencer have reduced their standard cava from £5.50 to £3.99 (dry and medium dry) and their vintage 1997 cava is down from £7.99 to £5.99.
- Aldi supermarket has reduced its champagne from £9.99 a bottle to £7.89.
Light, apéritif champagnes
This is the time to indulge in some really good champagne. All the supermarkets have sound own-label examples. Current favourites include: Tesco Blanc de Noir Champagne (£11.99), Marks & Spencer Oudinot Champagne (down from £13.99 to £9.99), and Somerfield Prince William 1er Cru (£13.99).
The best-known non-vintage champagnes vary massively in style. If you favour light, zippy, apéritif-style champagne, go for Lanson Black Label (around £22.00), Pol Roger White Foil (£23.00 to £25.00) or Heidsieck Monople, great value at around £15.00.
Medium-bodied champagnes
Easy-drinking, top-of-the-range champagnes I’ve enjoyed in this category recently include Moët & Chandon NV (around £20.00) and the ice-cream-soda-like Mumm Cordon Rouge (around £20.00). Look out for these in magnums (Oddbins, Majestic Wine Warehouses and Threshers often have a good choice), as they both look good and with 1.5 litres in a bottle, serve up to 12 glasses.
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