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Best champagne truffles taste tested
Whether you’re looking to treat yourself or buying them as a gift, it doesn’t get much more luxurious than a box of rich, chocolate champagne truffles.
To find out which ones will truly delight, we assembled a panel of four leading chocolate experts to taste test big brands and supermarket offerings.
Luxury brands including Charbonnel et Walker, Fortnum & Mason and Hotel Chocolat were pitted against truffles from Aldi, Co-op and M&S costing less than £10.
One premium brand triumphed, while several others failed to impress. But our experts also uncovered a brilliant budget-friendly box.
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Best champagne truffles
Not all the truffles we tested tickled our experts' tastebuds. Two pricey big-name brands failed to impress, with the experts saying they lacked balance and freshness.
Only logged in Which? members can view our full test results and tasting notes below, and discover which champagne truffles topped our taste test.
If you’re not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetically ordered list of the champagne truffles on test. To get instant access to these and all our reviews, join Which? today.
Aldi Veuve Monsigny Marc de Champagne Truffles
£1.99 for 50g (£3.98 per 100g)
Aldi's truffles are the cheapest on test, costing less than a third of the price of some big brands. But are they a good money-saving choice?
Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these champagne truffles ranked overall.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Aldi (in store only)
Charbonnel et Walker Milk Marc de Champagne Truffles
£19 for 135g (£14.07 per 100g)
Established in 1875, Charbonnel et Walker claims to be Britain’s first luxury chocolatier. Did it's classic champagne truffles impress our panel of chocolate experts, though?
Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these champagne truffles ranked overall.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Charbonnel et Walker
Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade Marc De Champagne Truffle
£6.25 for 124g (£5.04 per 100g)
These supermarket truffles are far cheaper than big-name brands, but are they one of the best-value boxes?
Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these champagne truffles ranked overall.
Want to buy without reading our results?
Available from Co-op
Fortnum & Mason Marc de Champagne Truffles
£18.95 for 125g (£15.16 per 100g)
If you're looking for an eye-catching gift, Fortnum's champagne truffles certainly look the part. But do they taste as good as they look?
Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these champagne truffles ranked overall.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Fortnum & Mason
Holdsworth Classic Marc de Champagne Truffles
£8 for 100g (£8 per 100g)
Handmade in the Peak District, Holdsworth truffles are nearly half the price of rival brands such as Charbonnel. But are they a good choice if you're gifting on a budget?
Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these champagne truffles ranked overall.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Amazon, Holdsworth and John Lewis
Hotel Chocolat Classic Champagne Truffles
£12.95 for 100g (£12.95 per 100g)
Unlike other brands we tested, Hotel Chocolat's truffles are made with real champagne, rather than Marc de Champagne (concentrated flavour). Does it make for a superior tasting truffle, though?
Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these champagne truffles ranked overall.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Hotel Chocolat
M&S Collection Marc de Champagne Truffle
£7 for 125g (£5.60 per 100g)
M&S adds both brandy and Marc de Champagne to its truffles. But is it a good choice if you're after a boozy sweet treat?
Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these champagne truffles ranked overall.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado
Selfridges Marc de Champagne Truffles
£15.99 for 105g (£15.23 per 100g)
At more than £15 a box, they're the most expensive champagne truffles we tested. So are these style Selfridges truffles worth splashing out on?
Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where these champagne truffles ranked overall.
Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Selfridges.
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What makes a great-tasting champagne truffle?
Our experts were looking for fresh-tasting, high-quality truffles with well-balanced chocolate and champagne flavours with a good level of sweetness. They said it was important that the flavours all worked in harmony – the alcohol should cut through without overpowering the cocoa flavour.
The highest-scoring truffles also had a generously filled smooth ganache centre with a good-quality chocolate shell that wasn't too thick.
Our panel felt that the standard of high-street champagne truffles had generally improved and some options really impressed them. But they did say that if you really want a step up, it's worth branching out to independent artisan truffles, which typically use higher-quality ingredients for a more premium flavour.
How we tested champagne truffles
We recruited a panel of four independent chocolate experts for our dark chocolate and champagne truffle taste tests.
We asked them to blind-taste and rate eight boxes of milk chocolate champagne truffles in September 2024.
We included supermarket own labels from Aldi, Co-op and M&S alongside branded options from Charbonnel et Walker, Hotel Chocolat, Selfridges and more. We were looking to include the most widely available options and a range of price points to find the best-value truffles.
Our expert tasting panel included (from left to right):
- Gabriella Cugno Award-winning pastry chef and chocolatier
- Amarachi Clarke Founder of bean-to-bar chocolate company Lucocoa
- Bharat Chandegra Chocolatier, pastry chef and Bake Off: The Professionals finalist 2024
- Aneesh Popat Founder of luxury artisan chocolate company The Chocolatier
The taste test was 'blind', meaning our experts didn’t know which brand they were trying. We asked them to taste each champagne truffle and rate it on appearance, aroma, taste and texture.
Each expert tried the truffles in a different order to avoid any bias. After all the products had been tasted, the panel discussed their ratings and agreed on a score for each one and which truffles deserved to be named a Best Buy.
Only once all the scores were finalised did we reveal the results.
At Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.
Looking for more luxury food and drink gift ideas? See our reviews of the best premium gin and the best champagne
Do champagne truffles contain alcohol?
Champagne truffles are usually made with Marc de Champagne, which is a spirit produced from pressing the skin and seeds of the grape that are left over from the wine-making process. It's concentrated and much stronger than champagne (usually at least 40% ABV) and is often used as an ingredient to flavour other products.
All of the truffles we tested use Marc de Champagne apart from Hotel Chocolat, which is made with real champagne.
Beware that the boozy kick in your truffles might not just be from champagne as some producers sneak in added extras to create a stronger alcohol flavour.
We checked the ingredients lists after our experts identified unexpected flavours and discovered that Charbonnel et Walker adds white rum to its champagne truffles, while M&S and Co-op's truffles both also contain brandy.
What are pink champagne truffles?
Pink champagne truffles are ideal if you're looking for glamorous truffles with a fruity twist. Pale pink in colour, they usually have a hint of strawberry flavour and can be made with either milk or white chocolate.
They're less widely available than regular champagne truffles, but big-brand versions include:
- Charbonnel et Walker Pink Marc de Champagne Chocolate Truffles (£19 for 135g) available from Charbonnel et Walker.
- Fortnum & Mason Pink Marc de Champagne Chocolate Truffles (£18.95 for 125g) available from Fortnum & Mason.
- Hotel Chocolat Pink Champagne Truffle Tin (£12.95 for 100g) available from Hotel Chocolat.
How to store champagne truffles
Once opened, store the truffles in an airtight container, in a cool place away from sunlight to keep them fresh for longer. It's also a good idea to store them away from strong-smelling foods to prevent them absorbing other odours.
How to buy more sustainable chocolate: find out about the ethical and sustainability issues associated with cocoa production, and which certifications to look for