Some sparkling wines are made by the same method as champagne or from the same grapes but others are completely different. Here are details of the wines they tasted.

Cava Reserva Brut, down from £6.99 to £4.99 for July from Marks & Spencer
Cava is the Spanish answer to Champagne and this one is matured for longer than most (hence reserva), dry and delicious. Excellent buy.

Prosecco Ca’Rosa,£7.49, Oddbins
Prosecco is the hip Italian sparkler made from grapes of the same name. Very light, floral and ‘feminine’.

Lindauer Special Reserve, about £9, Waitrose
Top-of-the-range sparkler from New Zealand. Gorgeous stuff very akin to Champagne. Lindauer consistently does exceptionally well in comparative tastings of sparklers from around the world.

Asti Spumante, about £5 from Sainsburys
Asti is made in Northern Italy from sweet Muscat (or moscato) grapes and is genuinely grapey and unashamedly sweet and frothy. Essential to drink when very young; this is the best-seller from Sainsburys so doesn’t hang around on the shelves and fulfils that objective.