Prosecco drinkers should buy their Christmas fizz on 22 December — here’s why

Sainsbury’s is warning shoppers that 23 December will be the busiest day for Prosecco purchases this year.

Sales of Prosecco are expected to reach fizzying heights two days before Christmas.

Are you a big fan of Italian fizz? Start stocking up now, Sainsbury’s warns, as sparkling wine purchases are expected to reach dizzying heights right before the start of Christmas.

Dubbing the day “Sparkling Saturday”, the grocer revealed that around 489,000 bottles of the Italian sparkler are bought in-store two days before Christmas, the highest surge of fizz consumption of the year.

The news comes after Sainburys opened a pop-up “Festive Fizz Bar” in London over the weekend, joining the likes of Morrisons, Waitrose and Tesco in dipping its toes into the on-trade drinks industry.

Prosecco accounts for around 65% of Sainsbury’s sparkling wine sales, while sales of the grocer’s own-label Prosecco range rose by 23% year-on-year.

Sainsbury’s head of beer, wine and spirits said that, while Champagne is still a top seller in the supermarket, alternative sparkling wine growth shows no signs of slowing.

“While Champagne sales peak at this time of year,” she said, “the alternative sparkling wine market is really booming.”

“Prosecco continues to be an area of strong growth for us but its rise has also opened Brits’ eyes to the breadth of sparkling wines out there.”