Guests at "the world's largest champagne tasting event" might like to receive a gift hamper of the fizzy stuff as the annual gala has been reported as being "busier than ever".

The Banqueting Hall in Whitehall, London, played host to the spectacle, where fans of bubbly could sample up to three types of the drink laid on by each of the 70 champagne producers in attendance, the Times reports.

It was predicted that the participants would get through 10,000 bottles of the beverage on the night organised by the Champagne Bureau.

The newspaper recorded that people seemed too get a little more audible as the night went on and the effects of the tasting took their toll, with wine merchant Tim Kitchener-Smith admitting that he was in a "pretty good mood".

Earlier in the week, it was reported that Formula 1 racing drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli had celebrated the fact that both of their Lotus cars had completed the Bahrain grand prix with a few bottles of champagne.