The fizz bandwagon seems to show no signs of slowing, with sparkling wine sales in the UK rising year on year. Closer scrutiny reveals that Prosecco is slowing down marginally, whilst higher quality sparklers like Crémant are taking up the slack. Your average Prosecco is seen as an everyday wine, no different from buying a bottle of Pinot Grigio along with your weekly shop, whilst Crémant and English sparklers are the go-to when a glass of something a bit more special is called for. And yet the UK remains the largest export market for Champagne so clearly we are all bathing in bubbles…

Ca’ Bolani’s Prosecco is far from average with all the fruit coming from their own vineyards, a real rarity in Prosecco where the majority of winemakers buy in what they need. The advantages are obvious, not least in terms of stable prices and reliable quality.

The English wine scene is expanding at an incredible rate, with ever more interest from across the Channel; Taittinger are partners in a vineyard in Kent and Pommery planted 32 hectares in Hampshire only this year; the involvement of these Grandes Marques shows just how serious the potential is in the UK. Many commentators question whether there is a market for all the wine which is going to be made (there is a minimum lead time of eight years from planting to first release), but as exports are increasing rapidly they look to be set fair. Try some of the award-winning Ambriel from West Sussex if you remain to be convinced.

New to our list this year are two MCCs – nothing to do with the home of cricket in north London, but everything to do with Méthode Cape Classique, a formal designation for sparkling wine made in the Cape, following the traditional method with a secondary fermentation in bottle. The début wines, both white and pink, from Aristea confirm the huge potential of the area, particularly when harnessed by a scion of the oldest MCC family in the Cape, Matt Krone.