Champagne for a celebration

10:45am Saturday 19th April 2008

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I'M often left nonplussed by non-vintage Champagne. Ironically, many folks would not dream of spending upwards of £20 on a bottle of any other wine. "I can't afford that sort of money," they would cry. But for some strange reason, the same people wouldn't bat an eyelid if it was for a bottle of Champers.

Fortunately, there are some good examples of non-vintage Champagne and if you choose wisely, you will not be wasting your money.

A bottle of Heidsieck & Co Monopole Blue Top nv Champagne Brut landed in the Tipping's Tipples in-tray recently. Being my normal diligent self, I took it home to thoroughly chill and taste on your behalf. It was far better than I expected. The other good news is that the wine is available from just about everywhere. The bad news is that, unlike me, you will have to fork out £23 for a bottle.

Chef de Cave, Dominique Pichart, insists on a pinot noir-dominated blend in the Monopole range, which includes Blue Top, to give a good depth of fruit and spiciness. It is elegant, benefiting from a very fine fizz and subtle flavours of lemon, green apple and bready notes - just right for a celebration.

If fizz isn't your thing, then I can recommend the following whites instead. And as you might expect they are considerably cheaper too.

Ken Forrester Estate Chenin Blanc 2007, from Stellenbosch, South Africa, is new at Majestic. Chenin is something of a South African speciality and this barrel-fermented example delivers well at the price. Creamy in the mouth, it has flavours of lemon, stonefruit and honey with a little vanilla and a crisp, dry finish.

It seems nearly every bottle of Kiwi sauvignon on the supermarket shelves is from Marlborough, but Morrisons has Seifried Sauvignon Blanc 2007 from the Nelson region, in the northeast of the South Island. An aromatic wine, with passionfruit, elderflower and pronounced mineral notes, it's beautifully crisp, as sauvignon should be, and has a slight effervescence.

• Heidsieck & Co Monopole Blue Top nv Champagne Brut, £22.99 at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Somerfield, Budgens and Londis 17/20
• Ken Forrester Estate Chenin Blanc 2007, £7.49 or £5.99 when you buy two at Majestic 16/20
• Seifried Sauvignon Blanc 2007, £7.99 at Morrisons 17/20