Pernod Ricard has strengthened its position in the booming UK sparkling wine sector with a new sparkling wine in its Montana range.

Montana Brut (rsp £8.99) is a bottle-fermented Blanc de Blancs-style wine, which has been aged for 18 months. It will be available in Tesco from mid March, Thresher from mid April and Majestic from May.

"Montana draws on our company-wide expertise in premium sparkling wine," said Adrian Atkinson, wine development director at Pernod Ricard UK.

Atkinson is urging drinks retailers to maximise the potential of sparkling wines by offering chilled sparkling wines to encourage impulse purchases and to create eye-catching fixtures.

Sparkling wine is the fastest-growing category in the UK off-trade, up 9.8% to £246m [Nielsen MAT to 27 January 2007].

Pernod Ricard already has a presence in the category. Its Lindauer, Deutz, Campo Viejo and Jacob's Creek brands all include sparkling wines.

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