Champagne -under attack in the UK

Champagne wine sales are well down in the UK and Prosecco sales are on the up. Prosecco is a competitor to Champagne mainly on price. You can get a bottle for around £10. It is not my favourite white dry or extra dry sparkling wine but I am not going to disparage it.

Most Presecco is made in stainless steel tanks by the Charmat method where secondary fermentation is made in the tank not in the bottle. The wine simply cannot match the quality of a Cava let alone good Champagne or English Sparking wine. The DOCG Prosecco which is of better quality is made by the tradition method like Champagne and Cava. So, if you see it for the same price as the standard fare snap it up.

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/global_search/home.jsp?bmForm=global_search&GLOBAL_DATA._search_term1=prosecco

It is produced in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of North East Italy. Like Turkish wine it is becoming trendy to drink it in the UK, especially in cash strapped times. Despite the slight economic growth none of the extra wealth seems to have filtered down to the middle classes; no wonder Champagne sales are falling and are set to fall further with the dire economic reports from France.

Prosecco is used to make the famous Bellini cocktail.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Bellini-Cocktail

Do Not use Champagne as this will ruin the wine. Always use standard Prosecco.

Even though Presecco is relatively cheap, I see no reason to slosh it down with cod and chips on a Friday night . All sparkling wine should be used for a special occasion or when meeting absent friends or family again. To drink sparkling wine on a daily basis would mean that the wine will lose it allure . However, Winston Churchill used to have his Champagne bottled by Pol Roger in special pint sized bottles for almost daily consumption - oh well he deserved it.

My wife comes from Champagne so we know producers who produce very good wine for a reasonable price. We won't be drinking Prosecco or Cava for that matter on numerous occasions unless we suddenly become broke.