“OH it’s all just fizzy wine,” an old friend once proffered when discussing – briefly - the delights of sparkling wines.

In his mitigation, he was an unashamed beer and ale drinker, one of those stereotypical beardy, corduroy-wearing CAMRA members who “wouldn’t touch a drop of poncy stuff if he could help it”. (Only joking about the beards and corduroy, by the way. We here are partial to a good ale as much as the next man, or woman.)

But anyway, that statement, whether it was said in jest or not, resonated a little and so this column decided to put it to the test.

Basically, we got a bottle of Champagne, a bottle of Prosecco, and a bottle of Cava, and threw in a wildcard bottle too – namely a Montes Sparkling Angel, a lovely Chilean tipple by the traditional méthode champenoise using grapes from the less well-known region of Zapallar.

And we asked a few friends - all of whom quite enjoy a glass now and again but none of whom thankfully have an ounce of pretence - to blind taste each one and tell us if they thought it was Champagne, Prosecco, Cava or Wildcard.

The results, it is fair to say, were just as sparkling as the fizz.

Oh, and for anyone worried they may look a bit silly if they are ever to partake in a similar test and get stuff wrong, these responses should help you feel better.

To save any public embarrassment for our friends in question, we’re not going to use their real names.

Here’s a quick comedy rundown.

Jess and Katie thought the Prosecco was Champagne but a “little bit flat”. Mike and Andy thought the Wildcard was Champagne.

Andy, who had proudly declared there was “no chance” he would get the Champagne wrong, also thought the Champagne was Cava.

In his defence, Gemma and Josie likewise thought the Champagne was Cava. Matt thought it was the Wildcard.

Matt, oddly, also thought the Prosecco was the Wildcard. Mike thought it was Cava but a bit “too sweet”.

Josie thought the Wildcard (the Sparkling Angel, remember) was Champagne but “not sparkly enough”. Katie thought the Champagne was Cava and Cava the Wildcard.

Jess and Josie thought the Cava was Prosecco. Andy, amusingly, declared the Wildcard as well as the Cava to be Prosecco. Mike, not to be outdone, thought both the Cava and Champagne were Prosecco.

So there. What a mess.

Overall, Abbie was our winner – she got the Cava, Prosecco and Champagne correct, although she missed a full house when declaring the Montes Sparkling Angel was Champagne too.

Most of the others also got one or two tipples correct – namely Gemma (Wildcard and Prosecco), Katie (Prosecco and Wildcard), Jess (Prosecco and Champagne, which is a good job as she probably enjoys more of the stuff than anyone else), Matt (Wildcard), Josie (Prosecco).

That all suggests Prosecco is the most recognisable sparkler, amongst this cheery lot anyway. You can otherwise draw your own conclusions.

Two of our tasters, amusingly enough, ended with sparkling egg on face – poor old Mike and Andy. They weren’t happy. “Oh it’s all just fizzy wine anyway!”