It's time to toast home-grown fizz...
With English sparkling wine regularly knocking champagne off the top spot at blind tastings, there’s no reason not to drink local this summer. So join us in raising a glass to the very best English sparkling wine…
Best English Sparkling Wine
Berry Bros. & Rudd English Sparkling Wine by Hambledon
Made exclusively for the St James’s wine merchants by Hambledon in its Hampshire vineyard (incidentally the oldest commercial one in the UK), this was a bronze medal winner at the International Wine Challenge 2020. A bright and creamy drink, with hints of toasted nuts and brioche, it makes an ideal apéritif.
£25.95 per bottle, bbr.com
Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve NV
Perennially popular, the Classic Reserve NV shows off all the skill of Hattingley Valley’s head winemaker, Emma Rice (listen to her episode of the Great British Brands podcast here). Pale gold, with long-lasting bubbles, it combines aromas of green apples with creamy nougat, freshly baked brioche and delicate toasted notes from ageing in bottle.
£30 per bottle, hattingleyvalley.com
Nyetimber Classic Cuvee
This complex sparkling wine is filled a palate of sunshine: honey, almond, pastry and baked apples. It’s the ideal bottle to pop for any celebration.
Nyetimber has special wedding offers for orders of over 60 or 120 bottles, ranging from an engraved magnum to be enjoyed on the day, to tickets to the Nyetimber open day of your choice.
£37 per bottle, nyetimber.com/weddings
House Coren Boco
Unlike most other English sparkling blends, House Coren, a West Sussex-based vineyard, makes its Boco wine using the Charmat method, whereby the wine undergoes secondary fermentation in a sealed tank rather than a bottle, just like prosecco.
The result is a wine bursting with fruity flavours of peaches and ripe pairs, combined with the classic crispness of grapes grown in England.
£26 per bottle, housecoren.co.uk
Gusborne Blanc de Blancs 2016
Made exclusively from chardonnay grapes, this 2016 vintage delivers aromas of green apple and citrus, plus notes of buttered toast and Tarte Tatin, all with Gusborne’s signature minerality. The result is a rich yet delicate sparkling wine.
£59 per bottle, gusbourne.com
Chapel Down Brut NV
An elegant blend of four grape varieties from vineyards in Kent, East Sussex, Essex and Dorset, this non-vintage English sparkling wine is a multi-award winner.
£162 for six bottles, chapeldown.com
Camel Valley Cornwall Brut 2018
A silver medal winner at the International Wine Challenge 2021, this fresh and fruity sparkling wine from Cornwall’s Camel Valley has aromas of English hedgerows and a touch of honey. Served in Rick Stein’s and Nathan Outlaw’s restaurants, it’ll make a fabulous addition to your celebrations.
£29.95 per bottle, camelvalley.com
Hambledon Première Cuvée Brut
Proudly made in Hampshire, this sparkling wine has notes of lemon, orange blossom and white lily, as well as ripe apricot, white peach and baked red apple. A creamy, tart wine that feels like a celebration in a glass.
£45 per bottle, hambledonvineyard.co.uk
Ridgeview Blanc des Blancs
This light and bubbly English sparkling wine, which hails from Ridgeview’s Sussex vineyard, has classic lemon zest aromas alongside vintage-specific notes of peach, lychee and pineapple. It pairs wonderfully with oysters and scallops.
£60 per bottle, ridgeview.co.uk
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