Sparkling wine makes a value great alternative to Champagne. Read on to find out more.

1. Sparkling wine shouldn’t be underestimated
   If you choose a sparkling wine, you will get all the taste and elegance of Champagne for a fraction of the price. Not convinced? Well consider this. At a recent Virgin Wines blind tasting, a £6.99 sparkling wine received four times as many votes as a famous name Champagne costing four times as much!
   
   
2. Sparkling wine to start
   Sparkling wine is a great choice for welcoming people to a gathering and it really helps get the party started. But try not to go overboard. If you are entertaining, it is likely that most of your guests will be drinking on an empty stomach, so to ensure that you don’t kill their appetites, serve just one or two glasses of sparkling wine per person. You may also like to consider serving sparkling wine with canapés.
   

3. Sparkling wine with food
   Like Champagne, sparkling wine is also great with food. Fish and chips, seafood and sushi are all a very good match for drier versions of sparkling wine, as the acidity of the sparkling wine works against the oils and fats in the fish. Slightly sweeter sparkling wines go well with fruit.
   

4. Serving Sparkling wine
   A sparkling wine needs just 45 minutes in the fridge before serving. Don’t be tempted to store it there any longer, as it will kill the taste and smell of the sparkling wine. Ideally, sparkling wine should be served in tall, thin flutes but otherwise, standard wine glasses will be fine.
   

To choose from a selection of sparkling wine, click here.