A walk on wine's Wilde side

Imitations of your favourite brands aren’t always a bad thing, writes Rosamund Hall. Here are just a few copycat wines that you should give a chance and for only a fraction of the price

- Rosamund Hall

I wonder if Oscar Wilde was talking about copycat wine when he said: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness." Not that any of the copycat wines I've tasted recently would be classed as mediocre.

Dupes and copycats are nothing new in the world of beauty and fashion – they are the affordable lookalike of luxury items, whether it’s an expensive skin cream or designer handbag. When it comes to wine, the trend is very much on the increase, and it seems that it’s well and truly having its moment.

I love copycat wines, but not for the reasons you might imagine. There is something enlightening and democratising about them – they bring an awareness about the wines they’re trying to emulate. They can even serve as a great introduction to these more premium wines that you might want to try, and they can help consumers home in on what tastes they actually enjoy.

They offer a taste that is similar to expensive brands, and their popularity is understandable as they give us the opportunity to enjoy the flavours of expensive wines without breaking the bank. And if I were the owner of a large brand, I’d be thanking the inspired copycats for bringing a whole new audience to my wines.

Copycat wines are having their moment on social media, with influencers, vinfluencers, and everyone in between staging their own “I can’t believe this isn’t the real deal” posts. It’s energising and exciting to see wine moving beyond the staid past of a world occupied by entitled white men in red trousers.

And so, in that spirit, here’s a roundup of some of my current favourite copycats – and the wines that might have inspired them.

Champagne

The copycat: Montaudon Champagne Brut, France, NV

£14.99 (available in Lidl stores nationwide)