sparkling wine
Brits are big consumers of champagne, with the UK being the largest export market for champagne. This may be set to change with english sparkling wines winning numerous awards and getting more and more publicity. Most english sparkling wines are made from chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes and are planted in soil that is remarkably similar to that in the region of Champagne.
For Rosé sparkling wines please visit the rosé wine page.
Ridgeview are long considered to be one of the top two sparkling wine makers in the UK (along with Nyetimber) and the Ridgeview Cuvée Merret Bloomsbury is this Sussex vineyards signature wine. With a crisp, elegant finish this wine can be drunk now or kept for 2 - 3 years.
View prices for Ridgeview Cuvée Merret Bloomsbury 2006, available by the bottle and case.
Chapel Down are the largest producer of english wines, and the Chapel Down Non-Vintage Brut is a traditional-method sparkling wine made from a blend of Rivaner, Reichensteiner and Pinot Noir grapes. Chapel Down were the first English winery to win a gold medal for sparkling wine in the International Wine Challenge, setting a high standard for other English producers! This wine is made in the same way as Champagne and is a fantastic, local alternative.
View prices for Chapel Down Brut NV Traditional Method, available by the bottle and case.
Nyetimber vineyard was developed to create wine that can compete directly with the Champagne made just across the Channel. Their popular 'Cuvee Classic' is a blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, whereas their 'Blanc de Blanc' is 100% chardonnay. Nyetimber sparkling wine has been described by wine expert Oz Clarke as "Exactly what classic champagne is supposed to taste like".
View prices for Nyetimber Cuvee Classic, available by the bottle and case.
Denbies, an english vineyard based in Surrey, put a few french noses out of joint with their award winning sparkling wines, including the Greenfields Sparkling Cuvée and the Whitedowns Bottle Fermented Cuvée which has spent two and a half years on its lees adding richness and roundness to the wine.
View prices for Denbies Whitedowns Bottle Fermented Cuvée 2004, available by the bottle and case.
Bookers Vineyard Blanc de Blanc 2001 is made in the same method as Champagne, with the same grapes grown in amazingly similar soil but on a much smaller scale and of course, over here in the UK. Drink something produced with care rather than from a huge production line. If you need more convincing, this wine won a Silver medal in the 2006 International Wine Challenge.
For Rosé sparkling wines please visit the rosé wine page.