A sommelier's choice

Richard Vines takes a wine expert on a blind tasting to list 2016's best Champagnes to fit all budgets

Giovanni Ferlito is head sommelier at the exclusive Ritz hotel in London, where you can enjoy some of the world’s finest wines in one of the most glamorous dining rooms in Europe. He can appreciate fine Champagnes, such as the Krug, “Clos d’Ambonnay” Brut, Vintage 1996, which is on the wine list for £4,550 ($5,770). So what is he going to make of a supermarket variety costing £9.99? We asked him.

Ferlito agreed to conduct a blind tasting of Champagne from stores around London. He was excited and unsnobby about the challenge and said there wasn't a bad one in the whole bunch. But there were surprises: Marks & Spencer’s entrant, normally £25 but now on sale for £16, beat pricier bottles from Harrods and Fortnum & Mason. Here’s what he had to say.

(Click on pictures for details)

 

© Bloomberg