The best sparkling wines for summer sipping: How to get champagne taste on a prosecco budget - including a new £12 winner at Aldi
Champagne taste on a Prosecco budget?
Look to France 's crémant regions – Loire, Alsace, Limoux and more – for traditional-method sparkle without the splurge. Over in Spain, Cava is also well worth exploring - once overlooked, it's seriously upped its game in recent years, with some excellent bottles on shelves from just £8. Further afield, sparkling wines from , Australia and Argentina can offer character, freshness and brilliant value.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Issue raised by confused Gen Z hotel guest leaves thousands feeling older than ever: 'What on earth is THIS?'
A young traveller's innocent query about a strange wall socket in their French hotel suite has triggered a wave of nostalgic panic online - with thousands admitting they felt 'older than ever' after reading it. The British hotel guest posted a photo of a wall plate featuring a small rectangular opening marked with the word 'Legrand' - a well-known French manufacturer of electrical fittings - and asked: 'What is this thing?' Sharing the image with a Euro coin for scale, the confused traveller added on Reddit: 'It almost looks like the sort of thing that you slide a security chain into - but it's nowhere near the door or windows. 'I'm British and travel fairly extensively, particularly on the continent, but I don't think I've ever seen one of these before.' To anyone born before the smartphone era, the answer was obvious: it's a landline telephone socket. The device was once a common fixture in nearly every home, hotel room and office around the world. But for younger generations, it's nothing short of a relic. 'Damn, that's hitting the getting old target really hard,' one user wrote. 'That's a phone socket for house phones. Not sure what the word is in English. Landline phone?' Another joked, 'I'm feeling older every day… That was the socket used to plug landline telephones. Welcome to the 20th century.' The socket in question is known in France as a 'prise en T' - a T-shaped telephone jack developed by the French postal and telecom service. Similar to the UK's BT-style plug or Australia's RJ11 ports, it was designed for analog landline phones before digital and mobile technology took over. Once a lifeline for everyday communication, landline phones have slowly fallen out of use over the past two decades, as mobile phones became more affordable and accessible. In Australia, the shift began in earnest in the mid-2000s. By 2010, mobile phones had already overtaken landlines as the primary form of communication. Today, fewer than half of Australian households maintain a fixed phone line - with most of those used by older residents or for emergency services. In 2022, data from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) showed that just 34 per cent of households still had a home phone service connected - and many of those were bundled as part of internet plans rather than used regularly. One commenter summed up the mood best: 'It's wild to think that kids today won't even know what a dial tone sounds like. We used to trip over cords in the hallway, now you barely see a house phone anywhere.' While telephone sockets like the one in the French hotel room are still technically functional - and may even connect to a working line in some properties - their presence today is more often decorative or leftover from another era. As one Aussie wryly put it: 'It's official. We're old. The landline is now a museum piece.'
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I'm an American who has lived in Sydney and Melbourne... many won't agree which city I think is better 'in every way'
An American has reignited an ongoing debate about which city is better in Australia after claiming Sydney is superior to Melbourne 'in every way'. Drew Mork, who has been living in Melbourne for seven months, said he'd spoken to more than 100 people and was shocked by how strongly locals felt about Sydney. 'They're like, "Oh Sydney's s***. Don't go there",' he said. 'A city is only as good as its people, and the Melburnians are bitter. No one wants to be happy - it's exhausting.' Mr Mork said locals had told him the NSW capital had 'better beaches', but the residents were superficial, as they only cared about money and early-morning runs to look after their 'body and appearance'. The American argued those were actually among the reasons he found Sydney so appealing. 'They're describing it to me like they hate it, but I'm like, that sounds freaking awesome,' he said. 'Sydney is unreal. It's just so much better in every way.' Mr Mork said his experience visiting Sydney was overwhelmingly positive. He said the people were 'so nice' and the iconic landmarks, like the Sydney Opera House, had to be seen to be believed. 'There's not a picture in the world that would do the Opera House justice,' he said. Mr Mork claimed the rivalry between the two cities was one-sided, arguing people in Sydney were far more relaxed about Melbourne. 'If you ask someone in Sydney about Melbourne, they're like, "Oh Melbourne's actually nice, but we just like Sydney so much better".' He said the appeal of each city came down to personal taste. 'If you're 19 and obsessed with drinking until 4am, you probably love Melbourne,' Mr Mork said. 'But if you're a business guy or you're a fitness person, hey, you've got to go to Sydney.' Mr Mork told Daily Mail Australia he had experienced more direct confrontations with Victorians in the past as well. The personal trainer said he'd given Melbourne a fair crack and had 'tried to make (it) work'. 'I love a lot of things about Melbourne, but I'd rather live somewhere where people aren't having a sook every day. Walking around in Melbourne as an American is like walking in a field of landmines,' he said. 'Everyone in Melbourne says Sydney folk are mean and judgemental but I believe they can't stand Sydney because people in Sydney are ambitious and tall poppy syndrome is peaking in Melbourne. 'When I went to Sydney, everyone was so welcoming and nice to me.' Social media users were divided, with some saying there were benefits and downsides to both cities. 'As an Aussie, I see it like this: Sydney is a day city, Melbourne is a night city,' one argued. 'If you like running, swimming, surfing, coffee outside - basically anything near water in the sun - then Sydney. But, if you like trendy dinners, alleyways, art galleries, small gigs and cosy indoor coffee then go to Melbourne. 'Personally I think both are great.' Some Melburnians were defensive about their city and suggested the American take a closer look at his own country. 'Calling Melbourne a s***hole, but forgetting how s*** your so-called country is. Go back there, nobody [is] stopping you,' one wrote. Others defended Sydney, arguing Melburnians were just 'jealous'. 'Melbourne is so boring!' one wrote.
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Your reservation is at risk': beware the Booking.com scam
You've booked the hotel and you're starting to look forward to your break when you get a message telling you to make a payment, or give your credit card details, to secure your holiday. It's come through the app, or in an email that looks legitimate, so you get out your credit card in panic and pay. As the summer holidays get into full swing many of us are primed to hear from travel providers – making it open season for scammers. One of many holiday-related frauds preys on customers who have booked somewhere to stay via the platform either via its website or app. In the UK, Action Fraud received 532 reports of the scam between June 2023 and September 2024, with victims losing a total of £370,000. It says that it is likely hackers are using phishing attacks against accommodation providers and then using the details to contact customers – sometimes via WhatsApp but often through the real platform. This means the usual things to look out for – odd email addresses, or texts, may not apply. Cases seen by Guardian Money have typically involved the theft of several hundred pounds. The global nature of the platform means it can happen to you wherever in the world you live, or plan to holiday. Regulators in countries including Australia have warned of the issue. said: 'Unfortunately, there is an increasing number of online scams targeting many businesses operating in the e-commerce space. With the rise of AI, cybercriminals are able to create increasingly sophisticated scams.' It said continually invested in cybersecurity technology, and incidents on the platform were rare. The message may say that your payment details need to be verified, or that there has been a problem with your card. It will try to make you panic by telling you your accommodation will be cancelled if you don't respond – it will probably give you a deadline to act by – usually a few hours away. There will be a link in the message for you to click on to give your card details. A separate scam also preying on would-be holidaymakers involves fake web pages which are used to trick people into downloading a malicious file that gives criminals full control of your device. The technology firm HP Wolf Security says scammers are emailing links to the pages and visitors are asked to accept cookies before they can see the full site – it is when they press 'accept' that the file downloads. A payment, or credit card details which the scammers say will just be used to pre-authorise or verify the card before your stay. They then charge it. Try not to panic about your holiday and don't respond until you've checked the message is genuine. advises: 'Always double-check the property's payment policies listed on the booking page or in your confirmation email. If there is no pre-payment policy or deposit requirement outlined, but you're asked to pay in advance to secure your booking, it is likely a scam.' If you are in doubt, contact customer service team and/or the accommodation provider directly. Be suspicious of any links you are sent. Genuine payments will be made on the app or website – you won't be sent to another site. Look out for common fraud tactics and giveaways. 'Scam messages often include urgent language and may contain spelling or grammar errors,' says. If you have put your card details into a site, call your card provider. You may need to block or cancel your card. also advises enabling two-factor authorisation on your account
