Best Cheap Champagne

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NibbanaBanana
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Best Cheap Champagne

Post by NibbanaBanana »

What's the best cheap champagne for a milestone celebration?

"How do you think I got so rich?"
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Define "cheap".
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rebellovw
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by rebellovw »

Andre
bloom2708
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by bloom2708 »

I think you are speaking of "sparkling wine".

Champagne all comes from the same region. I assume there is some price variation in real Champagne.

24 pack of Miller High Life "The Champagne of Beers". :wink:
Teague
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Teague »

Champipple.
Semper Augustus
bloom2708
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by bloom2708 »

Teague wrote:Champipple.
That made me laugh. Fred Sanford gem.
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SmileyFace
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by SmileyFace »

The local stores near you may not have the brand(s) recommended here. I suggest going to your local liquor or wine-specialty store and asking their expert for recommendations within your price-range. My local stores always give me great recommendations.
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WiscoTrout
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by WiscoTrout »

Buy Prosecco from Italy or Cava from Spain. Same fizz as the official French stuff, but without the stuffy French prices.
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queso
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by queso »

Freixenet.
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by oldcomputerguy »

If by "cheap" you mean in the $10 neighborhood, you might try Korbel. It's not strictly speaking "Champagne" since it's bottled in California (the word "champagne" is limited to product from the Champagne region of France, just outside Paris) but it is "methode Champenoise", which almost everything we think of as "champagne" is.

If your budget extends to around $50, and you can locate a bottle, I highly recommend Mumm de Cramant.
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bardenay
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by bardenay »

The best values are going to be Spanish Cava (which uses the "Champaign method") or Italian Prosecco. I would recommend going to a reputable wine shop and asking for a recommendation based how you are going to use it (Mimosas? Celebrate the end of a bike race?, etc.) and and the level of sweetness you prefer.

-Bardenay
adamthesmythe
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by adamthesmythe »

queso wrote:Freixenet.
That's my go-to brand.

It's really cava, not champagne. But we're not in France.
John Laurens
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by John Laurens »

You can get a whole buncha bottles of Mumms

Regards,
John
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Kenkat
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Kenkat »

I thought Freixenet WAS the good stuff, Moet was the wow, you're really going all out and Dom was the you've got to be kidding me. If they don't sell it at WalMart, it's not cheap enough.

For cheap champagne, I go with Cook's Brut.
FactualFran
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by FactualFran »

Best is a matter of taste. If cheapness is more important than quality, then forget about Champagne (sparkling wine made in a certain way from grapes grown in a certain region of France).

If there is a Trader Joe's near you that sells wine, see if they have any bottles of Trader Joe's Reserve North Coast Brut. The price is about $10 a bottle. Unlike a number of low price sparkling wines, it is made with the types of grapes used for Champagne (but grown in the North Coast region of California instead of the Champagne region of France).
Leemiller
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Leemiller »

Veuve clicquot.
themesrob
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by themesrob »

Lamarca prosecco is our cheap-but-still-nice bottle of choice. (i.e. not Andre-level.) Easily obtainable for $13 and quite delicious.
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Pajamas
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Pajamas »

Most all of the inexpensive (under $15) sparkling wines are very similar as far as quality and ratings. They are usually drinkable as long as they are dry ("brut" on the label) and are fine for mixing with liqueurs or juices. Even the $5 bottles from Trader Joe's are fine for mimosas.

If you are going to drink it plain for a special occasion, you might want to go up to the $20 to $40 range as there can be a significant increase in quality and as others have said, you will probably get more for your money with a sparkling wine not from France.

You can sometimes find sparkling wines at good prices in January to February after the holiday season.

The best way to get a good, inexpensive wine is to go to a shop with a large selection and ask someone who knows what they are talking about. I once jokingly asked an employee in a shop that has a lot of one-off deals if he had any good port for under $10 a bottle when I was finished shopping and he asked if I needed anything else and ended up feeling obligated to buy a couple of bottles of what he recommended. That port turned out to be surprisingly good and an unbelievable bargain. It doesn't really matter what anyone here recommends if it's not in the store when you go to buy it.
WL2034
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by WL2034 »

Leemiller wrote:Veuve clicquot.
I was going to suggest this. Not sure it qualifies as cheap. Less than $50 at Costco, though.

If looking for very cheap, Barefoot Bubbly!
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queso
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by queso »

adamthesmythe wrote:
queso wrote:Freixenet.
That's my go-to brand.

It's really cava, not champagne. But we're not in France.
Agreed. I wasn't going to go down the whole sparkling wine vs. champagne rabbit hole since we're talking "cheap" here. Mumm Napa at Costco isn't bad either if you are looking for something slightly more upscale. I think it's around $13-$15 a bottle. I can get Freixenet at any of my local grocery stores and it's usually already cold. Score! :happy
John Laurens wrote:You can get a whole buncha bottles of Mumms

Regards,
John
XD .. lol.. nice. Forgot about that one.
knight rider
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by knight rider »

Costco has a Kirkland prosecco for $6.99 that's very drinkable. We prefer it over Freixenet.
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El Greco
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by El Greco »

Korbel is quite drinkable and is $10-$15. For a bit more, $35-$50 Gloria Ferrer or Iron Horse are excellent choices and rival many French Champagnes. All of these are California Sparkling Wines
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bertilak
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by bertilak »

knight rider wrote:Costco has a Kirkland prosecco for $6.99 that's very drinkable. We prefer it over Freixenet.

+1 on Costco.

Pick your price range. Costco's selections will generally be among the best for whatever price they are charging.

And yes, Costco's selections under their own Kirkland brand are very good whenever we try them.

Perhaps just as important will be the style you prefer. Read Costco's descriptions or ASK whoever is in charge of the wine section. Think in terms of sweet, dry, fruity, earthy, etc.. Work your way through a few styles to calibrate your preferences.
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by jebmke »

Duval Leroy NV Brut is always reliable -- usually mid $30s.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
ralph124cf
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by ralph124cf »

WL2034 wrote:
Leemiller wrote:Veuve clicquot.
I was going to suggest this. Not sure it qualifies as cheap. Less than $50 at Costco, though.

If looking for very cheap, Barefoot Bubbly!
I second the Barefoot Bubbly. It is my "house" champagne, and I always keep a few bottles in my refrigerator.

Ralph
hicabob
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by hicabob »

Trader Joe's Blanc de blanc is good and about $6. Not from Champagne region but it's dry, French, bubbly & white.
arsenalfan
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by arsenalfan »

+1 Lamarca. Just sweet enough...
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blueblock
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by blueblock »

South Africa's Graham Beck makes sparkling wine using the French method with impressive results at $16/bottle:

http://www.wine.com/v6/Graham-Beck-Brut ... x?state=CA
Nicolas
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Nicolas »

bertilak wrote:
knight rider wrote:Costco has a Kirkland prosecco for $6.99 that's very drinkable. We prefer it over Freixenet.

+1 on Costco.

Pick your price range. Costco's selections will generally be among the best for whatever price they are charging.

And yes, Costco's selections under their own Kirkland brand are very good whenever we try them.

Perhaps just as important will be the style you prefer. Read Costco's descriptions or ASK whoever is in charge of the wine section. Think in terms of sweet, dry, fruity, earthy, etc.. Work your way through a few styles to calibrate your preferences.
Before our periodic trips to Costco I consult the independent Costco Wine Blog, which is quite good. Here's a search on that site for champagne available at Costco:
http://costcowineblog.com/?s=Champagne

Whenever anyone mentions cheap champagne I'm reminded of that Three Stooges short where Curly pronounces it as "sham-pag-nee". :D
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by madbrain »

oldcomputerguy wrote:If by "cheap" you mean in the $10 neighborhood, you might try Korbel. It's not strictly speaking "Champagne" since it's bottled in California (the word "champagne" is limited to product from the Champagne region of France, just outside Paris) but it is "methode Champenoise", which almost everything we think of as "champagne" is.

If your budget extends to around $50, and you can locate a bottle, I highly recommend Mumm de Cramant.
Sorry, as a Frenchman living in California, I just say no on Korbel ! It's not Champagne. And doesn't really taste like it.
I like many sparkling wines from California, but not this particular one.

Trader Joe's often has a Champagne called Charles de Marques for $19. It is not so great either, but drinkable.

The Costco Champagne (Kirkland brand) for about the same price, is much better.

Moet is great. So is G.H. Mumm cordon rouge. Veuve cliquot too.
I have never spent the money for Dom Perignon. Can't ever see myself spending that much for one bottle.
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Woodshark »

In answering the OP's original question, we have found that "Cooks" champagne (sparkling wine) is by far the "Best Cheap Champagne" we can find. We can appreciate a good french champagne but there are situations where quantity overcomes quality and this fits the bill quite nicely for brunches and deck parties. Everyone's taste is different but I have to say that to our tastes Freixenet ( A Spanish Cava) is terrible. We much prefer another Cava called Cristalino. Great by the case for weddings and such.
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by bertilak »

Nicolas wrote: Before our periodic trips to Costco I consult the independent Costco Wine Blog, which is quite good. Here's a search on that site for champagne available at Costco:
http://costcowineblog.com/?s=Champagne
Thanks for that link!
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madbrain
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by madbrain »

bertilak wrote:
Nicolas wrote: Before our periodic trips to Costco I consult the independent Costco Wine Blog, which is quite good. Here's a search on that site for champagne available at Costco:
http://costcowineblog.com/?s=Champagne
Thanks for that link!
Note that many of the wines under that link aren't actually Champagne.
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Nestegg_User »

While not "champagne ", we did like Cheneau
"Lady of Spain" Brut Cava -- very tasty and not all that expensive (~$15).

For the California sparkling-- you might try S. Anderson Brut, although it's not nearly as inexpensive
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by oldcomputerguy »

madbrain wrote:Sorry, as a Frenchman living in California, I just say no on Korbel ! It's not Champagne. And doesn't really taste like it.
I like many sparkling wines from California, but not this particular one.
I bow to the superior palate. :beer
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
jcpct
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by jcpct »

Another vote for the Costco Champagne. It's from France and less than $20 a bottle. We also buy cases of their prosecco which can't be beat for the price.
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by JaneyLH »

Woodshark wrote:In answering the OP's original question, we have found that "Cooks" champagne (sparkling wine) is by far the "Best Cheap Champagne" we can find. We can appreciate a good french champagne but there are situations where quantity overcomes quality and this fits the bill quite nicely for brunches and deck parties. Everyone's taste is different but I have to say that to our tastes Freixenet ( A Spanish Cava) is terrible. We much prefer another Cava called Cristalino. Great by the case for weddings and such.
+1 Served it at our wedding!
Cruise
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Cruise »

A few years ago (2000) had a blind champagne tasting party, with about ten bottles ranging in price from $18 to $100 (DomP). Each of the tasters independently rated the blind tastings, with the results tabulated by our locally-sourced statistical/methodological expert panel.

The winner, by a mile, was Piper Heidsieck, which we continue to buy today at around $37.00.
blueman457
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by blueman457 »

Leemiller wrote:Veuve clicquot.
+1

Specifically: Veuve clicquot - Yellow Label.
KATNYC
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by KATNYC »

blueman457 wrote:
Leemiller wrote:Veuve clicquot.
+1

Specifically: Veuve clicquot - Yellow Label.
+1. We always buy Veuve clicquot yellow label for any event that requires bringing a bottle.
We ended up drinking our own bottle for NYE since others at the party preferred the hard liquor.
WhyNotUs
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by WhyNotUs »

+1 Prosecco

NibbanaBanana wrote:What's the best cheap champagne for a milestone celebration?

"How do you think I got so rich?"
I own the next hot stock- VTSAX
letsgobobby
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

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chemchok
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by chemchok »

Gruet Brut, a sparkling wine made in New Mexico, at around $15 a bottle, is one of the best cheap "champagnes" you can get.
jbuzolich
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by jbuzolich »

Another +1 on Veuve Clicquot. I used to buy a case every November or so and keep it under my bed just so I could grab a bottle or two to take with me to dinners or events I wasn't planning for earlier. I enjoyed drinking what I had brought and had no issues opening it myself when I got there. I was younger and stupid then though and enjoyed spending the overtime pay instead of getting out of debt or investing more. At least I kept the 401k at the minimum to receive the max match.
Ninnie
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by Ninnie »

I used to think Freixenet was good, and then I got used to Moët. In the champagne world, you will get what you pay for.

A great alternative is Cremant- you can get an excellent Cremant for $20. I prefer the flavor to Prosecco and Cava - it's right up there with the better champagnes.
clutchied
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by clutchied »

for sparkling wine (champagne made outside of the champagne region) It's Schramsberg for me. They actually transported over french vines a long time ago. Made in Napa Valley.

for actual Champagne I really like Veuve Clicquot.
nickjoy
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by nickjoy »

Korbel.

I can't taste a difference for money above it (~$13). Including the Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. To me it tasted just like Korbel, just costs an extra $35.

Below Korbel I can taste a difference. Granted, I like my mimosa's about 80-90% champagne.
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by caffeperfavore »

Gruet Brut. $15. It's from New Mexico (for the uninitiated, it's no joke), but you can find it anywhere. It's our go-to cheap bubbly.

If it must be Champagne, then ask any good wine store what their favorite grower champagne is. These are small producers (the guys who grow the grapes) that can often make some exceptional wines for a fraction of the cost of the big houses. Look for CM, RM, or RC on the label to identify one. The problem is that what's available often varies by region in the US based on distributor, so it can be futile to offer names.

Veuve Clicquot, in my humble opinion, is not a great value. While I wouldn't turn my nose up at it if you're buying and it is enjoyable, it's also mass produced (10M+ bottles a year) and there's lots of better values out there. You're paying for a ton of marketing. I'd rather reach for a Nicolas Feuillatte in the price range. For something really cheap, but still French (but not from Champagne), Francois Montand might fit the bill at around $14.

I've enjoyed a number of things I've had from California recently including Mumm, Carneros, Scharffenberger, and Gloria Ferrer for half the price of Veuve. The Segura Viudas Reserva from Spain, mentioned above, is a nice value too.
patrick474
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by patrick474 »

I second the Gruet suggestion. You could do at lot worse with much higher-priced sparkling wines.
ne2ca28
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Re: Best Cheap Champagne

Post by ne2ca28 »

+1 for La Marca Prosecco. We recently had small party with beer and mimosas offered. The mimosas were made with the La Marca Prosecco that we got at Costco. 4 bottles of Prosecco were gone in no time.
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