Aldi’s “crackerjack” Champagne Veuve Monsigny Brut back on the shelves !

Aldi’s “crackerjack” Champagne Veuve Monsigny Brut back on the shelves !

-Aldi’s “Giant Killer” Champagne back on the shelves after 2 year absence

Original Copy written by Axel Ritenis

Sydney, 10 February ,2025

Aldi’s acclaimed Champagne Veuve Monsigny Brut is back on shelves- just in time for Valentine’s Day at the value price of $32.99!

This “giant killer” bubbly, lauded by experts and adored by shoppers, offers a premium champagne experience without the hefty price tag.

“I conducted a Bench tasting of this wine (after breakfast with a fresh palate) using a Josephine Austrian Crystal  Champagne Tasting glass and a classic Spiegelau Champagne flute and I found the current batch of Veuve Monsigny Brut to be as good as ever,.. if not better than 2 years previously when it was last available in Australia.”

Quote -Wine Editor A.Ritenis on 10 February, 2025

“The Veuve Monsigny’s trophy cabinet is overflowing, including a Top 100 Blue Gold award at the Sydney International Wine Competition. It has even triumphed over prestigious names like Laurent-Perrier and Moet in blind taste tests conducted by magazines in the  UK,.. brands that often command double the price.”

(*Aldi also offers the Monsigny Premier Cru Champagne for $34.99 annually for Christmas & New Year.)

Tasting Notes:

The Champagne Veuve Monsigny Brut NV is officially described as “an elegant and very good value for money champagne with style and finesse, with a hint of the following aromas- pineapple,pear and vanilla custard and a smooth mousse or texture with good length on the palate and a lemony honey acidity on the finish.”

Food Pairing : It is recommended alongside smoked salmon, cream cheese, oysters, and seafood canapés.

Whilst there are many good champagnes available in the $70 category, it’s the Veuve Monsigny that truly shines amongst the competition!

 My own historic Tasting notes remain pretty well unchanged:

“This delightful champagne with distinctive notes of toasty biscuit and custard and a lingering hint of Pinot Noir structure on the palate…is back on the shelves at ALDI,.. I found the wine to be  “energetic and focused on the front palate with a tight acid line and puissance/intensity on the palate . Delightful hints of Citrus, apple (and maybe pineapple) with honey and light toasty characters fill the mouth…and please the wallet. A wine of some finesse and style and a true bargain at this price.”

Historically,I  first learned about this wine from my  “insider wine connections” at the French Trade Commission around 2017 and other Wine Experts /Journalists like Huon Hooke, and everyone in the wine trade was talking about ALDI’s significant impact on the UK market, where they reportedly hold 10% of the Champagne market by offering “low margin, virtually cost price champagne.” At the time this had caused considerable consternation in the European wine trade, where major Champagne houses maintain high margins, with “practically 40% of the price of a bottle of branded champagne [going] on their spectacular, lavish and expensive marketing and brand building!”

My judgement of the Veuve Monsigny Brut  in years gone by was that it was “quite a Classy champagne with the requisite style and finesse to satisfy a budget Connoisseur,.. and the Sydney market proved the point-when they couldn’t get enough of this tasty drop and ALDI suffered from the global supply problems.

“It was traditionally a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, and 20% Pinot Meunier, and continues to be   “replete with an exuberant elegance and finesse and  displaying  the yeasty, biscuity characteristics (both on the nose and the palate) that the consumer associates with true champagne. This ethereal complexity and textural intensity  is sadly,..often missing from the commercial  Australian Methode Champenoise wines that I generally find dissapointing.”

In my previous articles I always suggested  pairing it with “a bite, like Sydney Rock Oysters, Salmon and trout canapés and a Chicken liver pâté,” or with “Prawns, shellfish or oysters, and practically any seafood” and nothing has changed in that regard either-You know the drill ,..We are all wine experts now!

I still remain convinced that in a blind tasting against major brands like Veuve Clicquot, Moet & Chandon, and Piper Heidsieck, it would “acquit itself very well…especially considering it is only half the price!”

In short, most everyone in  the ALDI Wine fan club ,..and many premium wine drinkers to boot,..regard this as  “a ‘Cracker of a French Bubbly’ for this price!”

The Veuve Monsigny’s accolades include awards at the Melbourne International Wine Competition, the Sydney International Wine Competition, and a commendation at the Decanter World Wine Awards.