A celebration of prosecco, Champagne, cava and even sparkling red wine!

Whether you're celebrating a birthday, toasting the start of a new job or just fancy treating yourself - there's always something special about having a glass of <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/aisle/wine-prosecco-champagne/prosecco-sparkling-wine/910000975404" target="_blank">sparkling wine</a>. From <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/shelf/champagne/champagne/910000976112" target="_blank">Champagne</a> to cava and <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/shelf/prosecco-sparkling-wine/prosecco/1215512361769" target="_blank">prosecco</a> to <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/sparkling-wine/progrigio-sparkling-wine/910003039732" target="_blank">progrigio</a>, these top tipples are versatile, indulgent and super tasty.And according to Wine Buying Manager at Asda, Ed Betts - who has more than 17 years experience in the industry and holds a Wines and Spirits Education Trust diploma - he believes sparkling wines are made for celebrations.  He said: "There is so much choice in sparkling wines from dry to sweet and white to red and everything in between. There is also a guaranteed wine to suit most occasions, and there's always something to suit every budget. There is nothing like a glass of sparkling wine to spark a celebration."So with that in mind, here are three things you need to know about summer's finest drink - sparkling wine.<img alt="edddd__square" class="ci-image ci-original" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/edddd__square_GL?scl=1" style="width: 300px;">  <h2>1. There's so much choice</h2>From whites to rosé and reds too - Asda has bags of choice to pick from. Ed said: "We have around 30 Champagnes and 40 sparkling wines in our current range and most of them are white or rosé."For rosé lovers, there's the rather refreshing <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/sparkling-wine/spumante-rose-extra-dry/910002078395" target="_blank">Spumante Rosé</a>, which is filled with summer fruits, or for white wine enthusiasts, try party favourite, <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/sparkling-wine/marques-del-norte-cava-brut/910001352873" target="_blank">Marques del Norte Cava Brut</a>. Some of our sparklers are even award-winning too, like our moreishly sweet <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/sparkling-wine/asda-extra-special-asti-sparkling-wine/910001861097" target="_blank">Asti Sparkling Wine</a>, which scooped a silver award in the International Wine Challenge 2017 or our fruity <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/sparkling-wine/asda-extra-special-marques-de-portola-cava-brut-rosado/910002040596" target="_blank">Extra Special Marques de Portola Cava</a> which won a bronze in the same competition.  <img alt="prosecco-2" class="ci-image ci-original" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/prosecco-2_GL?scl=1">But for those who love their red wines, the Asda team have just introduced a new tasty treat into the range - the Italian sparkler called <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/all-other-grapes/solato-lambrusco/910002989159" target="_blank">Solato</a><a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/all-other-grapes/solato-lambrusco/910002989159" target="_blank"> Lambrusco</a>. "Forget what you may think of Lambrusco as this is a refreshing dry red wine," Ed said. "It's 11% ABV and goes brilliantly with dried meats." Or, if you're looking for a drink which doesn't carry a hefty price tag, look no further than our <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/prosecco/asda-extra-special-prosecco/80067215" target="_blank">Extra Special Prosecco</a>. Ed said: "It's another favourite of mine, as it's great quality at an amazing price." <h2>2. There are so many ways to drink it</h2>Sparkling wines taste great by themselves but they're also very versatile.Add some <a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/Prosecco-cocktails" target="_blank">sage and ginger</a> into your sparkling wine of choice, like <a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/Prosecco-cocktails" target="_blank">this</a>, and you'll have a simple, yet sophisticated cocktail in a flash. Or, by topping up half your glass with some refreshing orange juice you can pimp up your prosecco to make a mimosa.By adding some peach juice or nectar into the bottom of your glass, before pouring in sparkling wine, you'll make yourself a Bellini. And lastly, for those that love an Italian-inspired aperitif, try an Aperol spritz which is made with Aperol, prosecco and a splash of soda water. Simples!<img alt="mimosas__hero" class="ci-image ci-hero" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/mimosas__hero_GL?scl=1"><h2>3. They're all made differently and with different grapes</h2>With most sparkling wines being made in the three fashion hubs of the world (France, Italy and Spain), these tipples are one sophisticated drink. Ed said: "Prosecco is made from the Glera grape and comes from Italy, Champagne is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier and comes from the Champagne region in France. And cava comes from Spain." But it's not just the grapes which make prosecco and Champagne different. There are also differences in the methods of how they are made."Most Prosecco is made by making a still wine, then the wines undergo a secondary fermentation in a stainless steel tank. It&rsquo;s this secondary fermentation that creates the bubble. This process takes around 30 days.<img alt="prosecco__hero" class="ci-image ci-hero" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/prosecco__hero_GL?scl=1">"Champagne is made by a method called 'Methode Champenoise', this process is a lot more complicated. It starts with making a still wine from the three permitted varieties. The winemaker then blends these together to create the style of base wine they need. After this the wine is bottled and secondary fermentation takes place."After 12 months of ageing, the bottle is slowly turned upside down so that all the dead yeast is in the neck of the bottle. This gets flash frozen and removed. The winemaker can then add a mixture of wine and sugar." This is to top up the bottle and adjust the flavour of the wine.In January this year the <a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/article/british-fizz-sparkling-wine" target="_blank">UK wine industry applied for protected name status</a> for what's commonly referred to as 'British sparkling wine.' And it seems like there's not going to be any slowing down on the popularity of sparkling wines anytime soon. "The future is looking very good for sparkling wines," Ed said. "I think the market will see emerging trends such as red Lambrusco become more and more popular as people start to experiment with different styles. That said, Champagne and prosecco are going to continue to go from strength to strength."Make sure you pick up a bottle of sparkling wine at <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/aisle/wine-prosecco-champagne/prosecco-sparkling-wine/910000975404" target="_blank">Asda</a> or pop into your <a href="http://storelocator.asda.com/" target="_blank">local store</a> to see <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/aisle/wine-prosecco-champagne/prosecco-sparkling-wine/910000975404" target="_blank">the full range</a>.

Everything you need to know about sparkling wine

By ASDA Admin,6th July 2017

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