Aldi enforces Champagne sale restriction this Christmas
The supermarket is limiting the number of Champagne bottles that shoppers can buy in the run up to Christmas to prevent shelves being emptied before the big day.
Aldi is restricting sales of its popular Nicolas de Montbart Champagne Brut, now priced at £9.99, to stop consumers loading up on the reasonably priced fizz. The move follows a 38% increase in sales of the Champagne since the discount hit, and will enable shoppers to buy just four bottles per person ahead of Christmas.
Last year, the retailer was forced to impose a two-bottle restriction on its Crémant de Loire, which it sold at the extremely low price of £4.99.
“We want everyone to be able to raise a glass of quality wine this festive period, without breaking the bank,” Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying for Aldi, said last year. “By lowering the price of our exquisite Crémant de Loire to just £4.99, and introducing a two-bottle limit, we’re ensuring more customers can experience this exceptional sparkling wine at an unbelievable price.”
Damagingly low?
Only this week, French winegrowers in Hérault protested after a Lidl supermarket briefly sold a bottle of Côtes de Gascogne rosé for €0.01. The retailer says the price was the result of an internal error but unions warned of further action if it happens again.
Jean Pascal Peragatti, co-head of the Hérault FDSEA (federation of farmers’ unions), argued that the message the low price sent to consumers was “damaging” at a time when producers are struggling to sell wine. He further warned that shoppers might conclude that wines priced at €5 are overpriced.
From 18-31 December, Aldi is dropping the price of more than 65 bottles in its Specially Selected wine range, with the lowest-priced bottle a mere £3.99.
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The discount applies to wines including a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (down from £8.99 to £4.99, Italian Pinot Grigio Blush (down from £6.49 to £3.99), an Amarone (down from £18.99 to £9.99), a Chablis Premier Cru (down from £19.99 to £14.99) and Combe d’Argent Bordeaux (down from £7.99 to £4.99).
Bargain Champagne
However, Aldi is far from the only UK retailer slashing the prices of its Champagne. As db recently reported, Champagne discounting is rife with the average price of a bottle falling by 9.4% in the first 10 months of 2025.
Speaking to db, Julien Lonneux, CEO at Vranken-Pommery UK, took the pragmatic view that “in the last six to seven weeks of the year, very little Champagne is sold at full price. Consumers will always find a brand they like on promotion. Even very loyal customers of one brand could end up buying another in store.”
However, not all producers are quite as sanguine. Billecart-Salmon UK managing director Chris Crosby says: “Discounting might create short-term volume spikes, but it can quickly destroy the trust built with our loyal clients.”
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