(CNN) -- If you are one of the many who plan to make bubbly part of the New Year's Eve 2000 celebration, food and wine experts say don't panic: Supplies will meet demand.

Approximately 300 million bottles of Champagne are expected to be opened around the world to ring in the new year. But wine experts say the industry has prepared for the demand, and the only selections predicted to be difficult to find are some vintage Champagnes and sparkling wines.

"I would say some of the better knowns like Dom Pérignon and Cristal, you know, some of the prestige cuvées, might be difficult to find," says Jean-Louis Carbonnier, director of the Champagne Wines Information Bureau.

A vintage sparkling wine is made from grapes from one specific year, making it different from a non-vintage wine, which is a blend, or cuvée, of grapes from two or more years. These vintage wines always carry a higher price tag and are made in smaller quantities, but the increase in demand has pushed the price on some up 10 to 20 percent since July.


Food and wine experts say some sparkling wines like this 1986 Cristal Champagne may be difficult to find as the end of the year approaches.

So experts say buying early is a good idea.

"I'm a scaredy-cat. Why not do it today? It's not going to go bad. Buy it, put it in your refrigerator, put it in your cellar and have it sit there and wait," says New York restaurateur Joe Scalice.

Carbonnier agrees. "There is no reason to wait until the last minute. I know very often this is what people do; they just wait until New Year's Eve and they go and they buy something.... But, you know, I think it is really a lot better to just buy it now and store it at home."

Even if you want to hold off in hopes that prices will go down, there will be Champagne. In states where 7-11 stores sell spirits, there will be a special French millennium Champagne at only $6.99 a bottle.

CNN Interactive Writer Sue Hoye, Financial News Corespondent Allan Dodds Frank and The Associated Press contributed to this report.