Champagne has long provided good fodder for price wars between different wine retailers and this looks set to continue.
The Oddbins chain will prolong their offer of a 25 per cent discount on six bottles of selected champagnes until at least the end of June. This brings the price of Henri Harlin down to £14.99, reduces a range of F Bonnet's slightly more toothsome blends down to between £15.99 and £18.99, and brings Lanson Black Label (which improves with a year or two in the cellar) down to £18.99.
Better still is their current Easter offering, however: three bottles for the price of two of Taittinger NV and Pol Roger White Foil NV, bringing their respective prices per bottle down to £16.66 and a bargain £15.99. Pol Roger is very much an insider's champagne, beloved by fastidious wine lovers in Britain. The wine is always dry, serious and dense and holds up well to ageing in bottle. Only by driving to France could you expect to find it at this price, and even then you would have to look carefully. This offer is valid from Wednesday 27 March to Easter Monday 1 April inclusive only, and is subject to availability.
The French Nicolas chain, which is now a sister company to Oddbins, is meanwhile offering a discount of 20 per cent on many of its mainly French wines. I spotted Laurent Perrier NV at a very fair £17.99 in the window of the Great Portland Street, London W1, branch on Saturday, 23 March.
London's best small independent chain – an anklet perhaps – Lea & Sandeman which has branches in SW10, W8, SW13 and NW3 – is offering halves of Billecart Salmon's estimable rosé champagne at £10.95 rather than their normal £14.95 over Easter. 'Much more delicious than a chocolate egg' is the sales pitch – and in the case of most chocolate eggs that is true. If you buy six halves, the price goes down to £9.95 each. But in my experience half bottles of champagne age relatively fast. Pop those corks!