« Chateau de L’Aulée Crémant de Loire NV, France (Oddbins, £12)
You can now buy champagne for £12 but I can’t imagine why you would bother because, taste-wise, this unaffected, classy wine from the Loire beats them all hands down. Made from chenin blanc, it has some richness, and a rustic, rosy-cheeked honesty but also the polished finish you’d expect given the estate’s connections with Bollinger. 12.5 per cent abv. Victoria Moore »