A Kent winemaker is celebrating after French consumers branded its sparkling beverage better than Moet Champagne.

Tenterden-based business Chapel Down went undercover in Reims, France, last month to carry out taste tests comparing its sparkling wines to leading champagne brand Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial.

Posing under the French label ‘Chapelle en Bas’ – a literal translation of Chapel Down – members of the public in the city, dubbed as the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, were invited to compare the two.

And a surprising 60% stated their preference for Chapel Down Brut over their native Moet during the tasting.

The English brand was praised for being ‘fresher’, ‘lighter’ and ‘more perfumed’ than its homegrown competitor, according to the winemaker.

Chapel Down Chief Marketing Officer Liam Newton spoke of his pride at the results.

He said: “The French know a thing or two about sparkling wine, with their centuries of winemaking heritage, so what better place than Champagne to sample our Chapel Down Brut?

“We are incredibly proud of the exceptional quality of our English sparkling wine, and it was great to have this affirmed by the French themselves.

“A 60% result like this propels us even further in changing the way the world views English wine.”

The taste test results come as the ongoing battle between the French and English beverages rages on, with diehard champagne fans claiming the drink has a better flavour and higher quality than its English equivalent.

It is thought Brits drink nearly three times more champagne and in research carried out this year, Perspectus Global found the French drink is still the drink of choice for celebratory Brits, with as many as 42% of customers making it their first choice pick.

Despite this, the wine producer, which is set to relocate to Canterbury after council bosses gave the £32 million project the green light, has become the country’s biggest sparkling wine maker in recent years.

The 790,000 bottles of sparkling wine the company sold last year represents 33% of the English wine market.

When the news was confirmed in April, Chapel Down chief executive Andrew Carter spoke of his desire to see production more than quadruple – with hopes of seeing up to 6 million bottles fly out of the factory by 2032.

And the firm reported exceptional growth in sales and profit during 2022, seeing a rise of more than 50% in sales compared to 2021.

As a result, Chapel Down’s net sales revenues grew 10% to £15.6m and gross profit leap to £8.5m - up from £7m the year before.

The taste test, which can be viewed here, comes as Chapel Down’s head winemaker Josh Donaghay-Spire issues his top tips for carrying out your own versions of the idea.

Mr Donaghay-Spire recommends taking note of what you enjoy and try to find wines with this feature in common, sharing with friends and trying before you buy.