It was once de rigeur to serve champagne at any party worth its salt, that was until prosecco became the fizz of choice.

But now French crémant sparkling wines have muscled in on the party circuit and are challenging the domination of those two old favourites.

In the past two months Waitrose has seen its crémant sales increase by 28 per cent on last year, peaking on Valentines Day as shoppers opted for it as an alternative to other bubbly.

Now to meet demand the supermarket has introduced two new crémants to its range, Celliers des Dauphins Blanc de Blancs NV and a rosé, Mirabeau En Provence La Folie Rosé.

Rebecca Hull, Champagne and Sparkling Wine Buyer at Waitrose, said: "Traditionally, sparkling wines and Champagne were seen as the drink for special occasions, but now it's proving popular all year round thanks to fizz fans looking for a wider range of sparkling wines that are not only great quality, but affordable too.

"Crémant is a great alternative as it's well-priced and well-made. The fizz is made using the traditional Champagne method and over the last few month's it has been steadily increasing in popularity with sales up 72 per cent last year versus 2016, and sales up 28 per cent so far this year, with crémant proving particularly popular over Valentine's Day."