So to some of us, at least, it is no surprise that Veuve Monsigny NV has just been declared the second best-selling champagne in the UK, only behind LVMH’s Moët et Chandon. But it is an impressive feat, and one that has been achieved remarkably swiftly.

Veuve Monsigny is made by Philizot & Fils, a champagne house situated in the Marne Valley that is run by the husband-and-wife team Stéphane and Virginie Philizot. Aldi began working with Philizot & Fils in 2012, placing an initial order for 120,000 bottles. It didn’t take long to capture attention. I recommended it as the “Best Cheap Champagne” in the Telegraph’s Christmas coverage the following year (back then it cost only £11.99) and wasn’t the only one to be impressed.

Over the years, the champagne has picked up silver medals at blind tasting competitions and won praise from critics and drinkers alike. By 2018, the discount store was selling more than a million bottles of Veuve Monsigny a year and Philizot & Fils had had to hugely increase its winemaking capacity in order to keep up with demand.

And the name? Veuve Clicquot Champagne, which is owned by the luxury group LVMH, named after the widow (veuve) Madame Clicquot who, aged 27, took on her husband’s champagne business after his death in 1805. But Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny is not named for a widow and there is no Monsigny family involved. The name is entirely abstract. But it does sound the part.

So how good is it? The quality has varied, up and down, over the years. This is completely normal. Champagnes, even the best-known ones, do change in flavour and in quality from one batch to another, this is why I keep on tasting them. The last batch of Veuve Monsigny that I tasted was good – for the price. But it wasn’t my favourite own-label supermarket champagne this Christmas. 

In 2021, that award goes to Tesco’s gorgeous, toasty, brioche-scented finest* Premier Cru Brut NV Champagne (Tesco, £21) which I tasted alongside several well-known (and much more expensive) champagne brands and which absolutely stormed it in the quality stakes. I know it’s £7 more than Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny NV but it’s worth it – in terms of QPR (quality-price-ratio) I’d score Tesco’s champagne higher.

If you want a bottle that says champagne on the label and costs £14 then Veuve Monsigny is indeed your best buy this year: an easy, gentle, drink. But what if you are not bothered about champagne branding and just want the best-tasting fizz that you can find for around £14? Sometimes it pays to abandon the glamorous brand (in this case champagne) and go for a top-quality wine (such as a crémant) from a lesser appellation. 

My money here would be on a wine like Domaine des Haut Perrays Crémant de Loire Brut NV (Lea & Sandeman, £13.50/£14.50 mixed case/single bottle price). This is a sparkling wine made in the Loire in the same way as champagne – meaning the bubbles are produced by secondary fermentation in the bottle. The grapes aren’t the same – Haut Perrays is made from chenin blanc, chardonnay and cabernet franc. But the taste is superb, honeyed and biscuity with a refreshing edge. Also, the label is very smart. And I know a lot of people mind about that.

Here are more of my recommendations for sparkling wines for Christmas.