Champagne: battle of the brands

Ascertaining the best champagne brand via tasting notes and scores is largely an exercise in irrelevance. Strange as it might ostensibly sound, the actual taste of the stuff is way less important to most of its consumers than several other factors. Stranger still, the brands themselves know this full well, yet maintain a facade of emphasising the importance of their vineyards and winemaking. 

In truth, the value of these brands is built up through packaging, sponsorship, celebrity endorsement, product placement, distribution, advertising and accessories. In a word – and wine lovers of...