New Year’s Eve 2026 is approaching and we are ready to toast with prosecco, sparkling wine or champagne. But which bottle to choose for the midnight toast if you don’t have a large budget? He thinks about answering Que Choisir, the famous French consumer magazine, with a test that shows how it is possible to enjoy excellent champagne without spending a fortune.
The test involved 32 champagnes purchased directly from producers and major retailers. In these times of price increases, the testers tasted wines at reasonable prices, with half of the selection costing less than 27 euros.
Conducted by a jury of professionals (sommeliers, oenologists, wine merchants) and expert enthusiasts, this blind tasting demonstrates that it is possible to toast with fine champagnes at an excellent price (2 out of 3 bottles at the top of the list cost less than 23 euros).
What’s the trick to finding good bottles at affordable prices? Look for family-owned businesses that operate on lower profit margins than large champagne houses. The selection is varied and includes brut and extra brut champagnes, classic blends, as well as fresher and more refined blanc de blancs and full-bodied blanc de noir.
The ranking of champagnes
The ranking reserves some interesting surprises. The overall winner costs only 20 euros, while big names such as Veuve Clicquot (43.90 euros), Moët & Chandon (41.93 euros) and Mumm (31.11 euros) are positioned at the bottom of the ranking, with disappointing scores compared to the price.
The best quality-price ratio is between 17 and 25 euros, a range in which there are family producers who have achieved the highest scores. A fact that confirms that a high price is not always synonymous with superior quality.
Here is the complete list of the 32 champagnes tested, from best to worst and with relative price:
