(TheTelegraph) - English sparkling wine is expected to be among the drinks of choice as the nation celebrates this Christmas and New Year.

Sales of English sparkling wine rocketed in 2015 with one leading supermarket reporting a year-on-year increase of 188 per cent.

New figures published by Waitrose revealed that customers were buying 80 per cent more English wine than they did last year.

It comes after renowned French Champagne house Taittinger confirmed it had bought land in Kent and was to make history by producing an English sparkling wine.

Waitrose, which stocks over 100 English and Welsh wines, has a market share of 60 per cent of English wine sales, compared to an overall market share for wine of just 7.7 per cent.

Pierpaolo Petrassi, head of wine buying at the supermarket, said: “Sales of English sparkling wine at Waitrose are up 188 per cent year on year, and we know that our customers will enjoy celebrating this Christmas and New Year with a glass of English sparkling wine.”

He added that the organisation had launched the second vintage of its own brut – made from grapes grown at its vineyard in Hampshire – and had been forced to increase the number of bottles it made to meet demand.

Confidence that England has become one of the world’s fastest-rising wine regions was bolstered by confirmation last week of Champagne Taittinger’s investment in the country.

Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, president of the renowned champagne house, told The Telegraph that the move was “symbolic” as it was the first time a Champagne name had invested in Great Britain.

“We’re doing it in a spirit of great friendship and because we believe we can produce a great sparkling wine in your great country,” he said.