This $10 Wine Is Ranked As One Of The Best In The World

Calling all wine lovers: Lidl, a European grocery store (with a few U.S. locations in the Carolinas and Virginia) won an award for their house Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc NV. This 8£/$10 Crémant is ranked one of the best in the world, winning the International Wine & Spirits Competition's Silver Outstanding award.

This distinction puts up in the same category as 40 other excellent bubbly wines that cost so much more, including some brand names like Veuve Clicquot. It's possible that the Queen, who loves her buddly, would even drink this wine.

Crémant is a sparkling wine but is not as quite bubbly as Champagne. In terms of taste, the two varietals are very similar, and you can definitely slam back endless mimosas with orange juice and crémant. Though it's made using a very similar fermentation process as Champagne, the biggest difference is that does not come from Champagne grapes. Crémant can come from the same grapes that produce other sweet white wines, like Reisling or Pinot Gris. Additionally, Crémant doesn't originate from the Champagne region of France. When it comes to making cocktails, you can substitute this for Champagne and the taste or texture will barely be noticeable. In other words, Lidl's Crémant is Champagne taste on a budget, and that is great news for summer backyard hangs or chance encounters on the subway.

Sadly, this wine is only available in the UK (excuse me while I Venmo my English friends so they can send me boxes of this stuff). It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which means I need to keep lots of boozy Crémant popsicles in my freezer.

If you happen to be near an American Lidl store, there's a similar wine they sell that will satisfy your cheap boozy bubbly needs: Los Andides Crémant de Loire. I'm a huge fan of wines that come from the Loire region of France — their whites to be crisp and bright, but with a nice full body and a touch of dryness. Can someone in NC, SC, or VA send me a case or five? Because let's be real, there is such a thing as too much Charles Shaw.