Written by: Tim Edison

Updated: December 26, 2023

Costco Champagne Review

Are you looking for an affordable champagne to celebrate a special event? Have you ever considered a Costco champagne? 

Kirklands costco champagne

There’s nothing quite like a glass of champagne to make you feel like you’re really indulging yourself with a luxury treat.

Also, of course, there’s no better way to celebrate a special occasion or important moment in your life than by raising a glass of bubbly.

However, we all know that champagne can be extremely costly. So, what do you do if you want the indulgent and special experience of champagne but without the high price tag? 

For many people, the answer is to head to their local Costco! While it may not be your first thought when you’re looking for retailers of fine wines, in fact Costco sells a number of cheap champagne brands that might surprise you with their high quality. 

For those in the know, Costco champagne represents a surprisingly affordable yet delicious choice to celebrate any milestone in your life. There are several types of choose from, however if you’re looking for Cristal champagne at Costco you might want to consider their home brand – Kirkland Champagne.

Don’t be put off by the fact that this champagne is Costco’s own brand – it certainly doesn’t taste cheap and with a price tag of around $20 a bottle, it’s a fraction of the price of some of the more famous varieties. 

Are you ready to find out more about champagne at Costco? Read on and discover what we found when we tried this affordable bubbly. 

Costco-store


What Should I Know About Champagne?

Of course, we all know that Champagne is the number one choice for any luxury occasion, but what actually does the term “champagne” mean.

There is a lot of confusion about this, with many people thinking that it is an interchangeable term for any kind of sparkling wine. This definitely isn’t the case, and there are some very strict regulations in place surround which wines can be called champagne and which cannot. 

There are more than 300 villages in France’s Champagne region, and these are divided into two designations – grand cru and premier cru. Of these, the grand cru villages (of which there are 17) are the highest quality and only produce around 10% of the world’s champagnes. The next 44 villages are Premier Cru. 

Recommended: Don't miss our ultimate Costco wine list next!

The only sparkling wines which are permitted to call themselves Champagne must come from this region of France, although it’s worth noting that there are a handful of producers in California who are also permitted to use the name Champagne on their labels because of a complex historical connection.

For a sparkling wine to truly be a Champagne, it must adhere to an extensive list of regulations and rules, so you can be confident of their quality.

Some of those rules specify that only approved varieties of grape (including Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane) can be used in the production of this wine.

There are also regulations about spacing, planting heights and pruning methods as well as labelling. Therefore, when you open and drink this Kirkland Costco champagne, you can be pretty confident that it’s been made to some fairly strict standards. 

Recommended Next: Not got time to finish the bottle? Find out how to store opened Champagne to keep it fresh.

Of course, that’s not to say that other types of sparkling wine can’t be made in an identical fashion to champagne, using a technique called the “methode champenoise”. This process involves converting yeast and sugar into carbon dioxide in a secondary fermentation process so the bubbles are naturally created inside the bottle during the aging process.

Nevertheless, although the methods may be the same, the luxury connotations aren’t there when you use a standard bottle of sparkling wine, and for some celebrations only the real stuff will do. 

When you’re coming up to one of those key celebrations, you might want to consider Costco’s own Grand Cru at a price that you can really afford.

Related: How long does Champagne last unopened?

Costco-Champagne


A Grand Cru Champagne at an Affordable Price

There are some times in life when only a grand cru authentic champagne will do, and when one of those times rolls around, you could do worse than to consider the Kirkland Signature Champagne Brut from Costco. 

This sparkling wine is made by blending Chardonnay grapes with Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir – all from Verzenay, a grand cru village in France’s Champagne region.

Having undergone secondary fermentation in its bottle and then having been matured for at least 15 months, this champagne promises to be something surprisingly special. 


Made By Manuel Janisson

Costco’s Kirkland Brut is actually made by Manuel Janisson. Janisson’s own champagne isn’t easy to get hold of in the USA, however the cheapest bottles available come in at around $40 to $50, so you can see the significant savings that the Costco version represents. 


Aromas and Flavor

The non-vintage Brut from the Kirkland brand has a pleasing citrusy aroma as soon as you open the bottle. You’ll detect lemon and lime paired with apple and floral notes which make this a delight on the nose. 

Take your first sip and you’ll detect a slightly creamy flavor which still has just enough crispness to satisfy your palate. You’ll note the citrus flavors that you could detect on the nose, with lime and lemon zest being uppermost along with green apple as an undertone. 

There are lots of bubbles, as you would expect, but this sparkling wine is still perfectly delicate and its good acidity level makes it perfect with a wide range of foods. It works especially well with fatty and salty food, and it works well with light meats like chicken or fish. 

With its dry, crisp finish, this champagne has a wonderful complexity, and since you’re getting a genuine French champagne at an amazingly low price, it’s certainly worth trying this sparkling wine for your next celebration, or even as a special treat to indulge yourself after a hard week. At under $20 a bottle, who can afford not to?


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About the Author Tim Edison


Tim started Wine Turtle way back in 2015.
These days he contributes to Wine Turtle (and other renowned wine publications) while continuing his wine education.
Tim's wine of the month is the Coates & Seely Reserve Brut NV (from Hampshire, England).



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