(Telegraph) - Sales of sparkling wine will overtake those of Champagne for the first time ever this year, as Britons trade down from expensive bubbly to cheaper Cava and Prosecco. Champagne sales have fallen by a third since the start of the credit crisis as people cut back on spending on luxuries. Meanwhile sales of cheaper sparking wines have risen by over 50 per cent, according to research by Mintel. A quarter of Britons say Champagne is too expensive to buy regularly, while a fifth say that the drink is an “unnecessary indulgence” in the current economic climate.