Bubbling over: worldwide cava sales reach historic highs

Winemakers in Catalonia have reason to pop open a few celebratory bottles - 2010 marked a record-breaking year for sales of the region's cava sparkling wine. Over 244 million bottles were consumed around the world last year, an 11-percent increase on 2009.

Although Spain was the country that drank the most of that total (95.6 million bottles), 60 percent of 2010's record-breaking output was sold abroad, with Germany uncorking 41 million bottles and the UK 32 million.

But it was triumphs in the US, where sales grew 18 percent to 17.5 million bottles, and France, the land of champagne, that gave regional winemakers the most pride. "French consumers are great connoisseurs of sparkling wine," said Gustau García Guillamet, president of the Cava Regulatory Board, which recorded the figures. "That it is our sixth market and continues growing with so much force [French exports grew 15 percent] is no mean feat."