At least I had some decent grog to ease the pain…

The first four wines are pairs of the regular and non-dosage cuvées from two different Champagne producers – found myself preferring the unsweetened version on each occasion.

Champagne Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut Nature NV (£43-£51 Selfridges, Harrods, Jeroboams, Harvey Nichols, Waitrose Wine Direct)
An elegant, sleek, supermodel of a wine, dry and subtle but packed with flavours of nuts, green apples and dry (as in not sweet) caramel, and with a persistent, smoky, yeasty finish. The more I drank of this (and the worse the football became), the more I enjoyed it. S(+)

Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut NV (£28-£35 widely available)
Not as fine-boned as the Ultra Brut, but still elegant, with rounded backed apple and pineapple flesh, and a nutty yeasty finish. B+

Champagne Philipponnat Royale Réserve Non Dosé NV (£34.99 Harvey Nichols, Les Caves de Pyrène)
Full, wine-y style of Champagne, rich but bone dry, with aromas of flowers and bread dough, touches of Grannie Smiths and crystallised pineapple, and an elegant finish. S

Champagne Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut NV (£29.99 Selfridges, Oddbins, Les Caves de Pyrène)
Fuller is body , and with quite a firm backbone, but there’s also a wealth of honeyed raisin, pineapple and baked/ bruised green apple core apple flavour, with a creamy brioche finish. S(-)

Champagne Mumm Brut NV (£23-£30 widely available)
Young fresh style, not amazingly complex, but with a rich, satisfying fruit flavour verging on the tropical. B

Champagne Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV (£25-£35 widely available)
Softer and more rounded than the Mumm, but maybe not as concentrated, gentle, slightly yeasty finish. B(-)