There’s a new welcome sizzle on the block…
Prosecco has been a favorite celebratory drink for many people across the country for years, but it seems there's a new sparkling wine that's growing in popularity.
Britons still consume 130 million bottles of Prosecco every year, and nearly 25% of Italy's sparkling wine exports are shipped to the UK.
However, one French sparkling wine is looking to challenge its supremacy – and no, don’t worry about your wallet, it’s not Champagne.
Sparkling wine comes from outside the Champagne region but is made using the same techniques as luxury spirits.
“Champagne will always be an icon in the sparkling wine world,” Waitrose wine buyer Alexandra Mawson told i News.
“But recent pressures on household finances mean consumers are looking to sparkling wine as a great value alternative.
“More and more people are now aware of this French sparkling wine, which is produced in the same way as Champagne but has a different price tag because it is made outside of Champagne and has less restrictive aging regulations.”
Crémant's popularity has surged, with Waitrose reporting a 51% increase in sales of the wine, while M&S's Bordeaux Crémant sales are 47% higher than normal.
Richard Halstead of the International Center for Wine and Spirits Research said that while Prosecco “still leads the way in terms of consumption”, trends were turning.
“There are signs that the category may not be doing well. Few see it as high quality or value for money,” he said of Italian exports.
Although Prosecco is a must-have drink for a night out in the UK, some shops appear to have started to stop selling the drink.
Luke Payne of Packhorse pub in Highfield, Derbyshire, revealed they had stopped serving prosecco and replaced it with sparkling wine.
“Sales are down and the other sparkling wine alternatives we have – English sparkling wine and Champagne – have gone up too much in price for people who want casual sparkling wine,” he said.
“So sparkling wine is the answer. It’s affordable for people but offers complexity and appeal rather than just straight fizz.
“We stock Cave de Marsigny Crémant de Bourgogne, which is a 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine from Burgundy that obviously has its own luxury connotations but doesn’t come with the same price tag as Champagne.”
If you want to try sparkling wine yourself, there are plenty of options in supermarkets.
Lidl offers Crémant Alsace for just £8.49 and Aldi offers Crémant du Jura for just £7, but you'll be lucky enough to find it in stock.
Sainsbury's sells Loire sparkling wine for £10.50 a bottle, and Waitrose sparkling white Burgundy for £15.99.
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