10 English Wines You Need To Try

With English Wine Week now in full swing, we wanted to shine a light on one of England’s greatest exports: English wine! Gone are the days when English wine was considered to be a joke. Our wines, both still and sparkling, are now being embraced as some of the very best out there. Here are some great bottles from producers that really should be on your radar.

KENT

Springfield Chardonnay, Balfour Winery, 2020 (as seen on talkTV with Helena)

Balfour’s very first barrel-aged Chardonnay, this is a Chardonnay modelled on a white Burgundy, yet keeping that characteristic Kentish freshness. Creamy and with a hint of spice from the new oak barrels, there’s a ton of ripe, orchard fruit notes here, a smoky grapefruit note, a slick of moreish saline and a granny smith apple skin tang.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £25
Find here: Balfourwinery.com

SURREY

Broadwoods Folly, Rosé Brut, NV (as seen on talkTV with Helena)

This peppy pink made by the famous Denbies Estate and named after the mock gothic tower overlooking the vineyards, shows that English sparkling wine doesn't have to cost the earth to be good. Crisp and refreshing, this is a sherbety pink with notes of crunchy raspberry and rosehip, a touch of brioche and a quintessentially English lafiness on the finish. Its bright acidity and touch of flintiness would make this a winner with smoked salmon. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £15.99
Find here: Lidl

HAMPSHIRE

Hambledon Classic Cuvée NV (as seen on talkTV with Helena)

Established in 1952 by Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Hambledon is England’s oldest vineyard and can be found nestled in the home of Cricket at Hambledon in Hampshire. Their Classic Cuvée is again, a blend of all three traditional grapes, (56% Chardonnay, 27% Pinot Noir, 17% Pinot Meunier). Grapes are handpicked on the estate and this cuvée uses the 2017 harvest as a base with 20% reserve wines added, giving it the characteristic toasty richness that Hambledon has become famous for. Hambledon also does fantastic tours, tastings and events. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £34.99 (or £23.99 as part of a mixed 6 case)
Find here: Majestic

SUSSEX

Ambriel, English Reserve, Single Vineyard, Demi-Sec, NV (as seen on talkTV with Helena)

People can be sniffy about wines they perceive as sweet and the term ‘demi-sec’, which means ‘semi-sweet’, has been left somewhat in the eighties and early nineties. What’s wonderful about this demi-sec, which is a single estate wine made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes and made in the traditional method, is that when you taste it, you just perceive that extra dash of sweetness simply as fruit and flavour. This extra fruitiness beautifully counters the salt in cheese and is an absolute cracker with wedding cake! 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 11%
Price: £33.95
Find here: Corney and Barrow

others to try

OXFORDSHIRE

Doe Eyed Queen, Single Estate Vintage, English Sparkling, 2017

Where fine wine meets fashion, Doe Eyed Queen came from its founder Amy spending years exploring restaurants across London and realising the significant impact that the aesthetic appearance of a restaurant and its food had on taste. Amy wanted to create a wine that was as sophisticated and unique on the outside as the inside bottle. Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the 2017 vintage, it’s vegan, organic and sustainably made. Peachy and rich in flavour with notes of red fruit and brioche, it certainly tastes as good as it looks. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £40
Find here: doeeyedqueen.com

HAMPSHIRE

Hattingley Valley, Classic Reserve

Hattingley Valley winery is found in rural Hampshire where the first vines were planted in 2008 and the first wines released in 2013. Made by multiple award-winning female winemaker Emma Rice with 53% Chardonnay, 31% Pinot Noir and 16% Pinot Meunier grapes, the Classic Reserve is Hattingley’s most widely available and most loved wine. A non-vintage sparkler based on the somewhat challenging 2015 vintage, this is the wine that gives you a true flavour of the Hattingley house style: Golden with fine bubbles, elegant notes of brioche, nougat and a touch of oak with a characteristic hedgerow note on the finish.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £30
Find here: Waitrose

Rathfinny Estate Blanc de Noirs 2018

Rathfinny has an enviable position on the sunny, south-facing slopes of England’s South Downs in Alfriston, Sussex. It has quickly made a name for itself as one of England’s finest wine producers. Blanc de Noirs is a sparkling wine made only from black /red grapes which in this case are Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and these wine grapes came from just one single harvest in 2018, which has been dubbed the vintage of the decade. Rathfinny has a style that is rich but precise with a fantastic, lean, mineral character. Seriously elegant and will keep for a while. Rathfinny is another great place for a vineyard picnic too!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £38.95 (or £36.95 when in a case of six) 
Find here: Lea & Sandeman

Wild Rose, Black Chalk, 2018

If a wine style can be described as ‘precise’, then Black Chalk are the masters of it. Made in tiny batches from grapes grown on the chalky soils of Hampshire and using the traditional method, this rosé is at once rich, crisp and pure. Think raspberries and strawberries with elegant effervescence and a brilliant balance of fruit and acidity. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £40
Find here: blackchalkwine.co.uk

KENT

Balfour Brut Rosé 2018

A renowned winery located on the Hush Heath Estate in Kent, the Balfour sparkling brut rosé was the first ever English wine to win a gold medal and the Trophy at the International Wine Challenge. This 2018 vintage wine is only ever made in tiny quantities from a single vineyard and it has a special story. The estate has belonged to the Balfour-Lynn family for three generations, but it was Richard and Leslie’s idea to plant vines at Hush Heath in 2002, with a view to making a pink sparkling wine like their favourite ever Champagne: Billecart Salmon Rosé. Their thinking was “If we can’t sell it, we’ll drink it”. But they did sell it and the rest is history. It’s a great place for lunch and a tasting with a lovely walk around the vines and the apple trees too. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £39.99 (£33.99 at time of publishing)
Find here: Waitrose

Balfour Blanc de Noirs 2018

Another stunning sparkling wine from the Hush Heath Estate, this Blanc de Noirs made from the superb 2018 vintage is a prime example of English sparkling wine at its best. It has notes of orange, citrus and pear and gentle notes of red fruits on the finish. Pair this with meaty fish for a match made in heaven!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £40
Find here: www.balfourwinery.com

English sparkling wine to celebrate the Jubilee

With the Platinum Jubilee around the corner, it feels ridiculous to reach for Champagne when we have properly world class fizz on our doorsteps. English sparkling wine has come of age with even the most ‘basic’ bottles now really packing a punch in terms of flavour and complexity. This is thanks partly to more and more stocks of ‘reserve’ wines, which is wine from previous vintages held back deliberately to add to more recent, non-vintage blends. These older, reserve wines tend to add the toasty, brioche and apple pie crust notes to sparkling wine that we have come to love in the traditional method of sparkling wine. Here are some top English sparkling wine picks that should be on your radar.

Hampshire

Hattingley Valley, Classic Reserve

Hattingley Valley winery is found in rural Hampshire where the first vines were planted in 2008 and the first wines released in 2013. Made by multiple award-winning female winemaker Emma Rice with 53% Chardonnay, 31% Pinot Noir and 16% Pinot Meunier grapes, the Classic Reserve is Hattingley’s most widely available and most loved wine. A non-vintage sparkler based on the somewhat challenging 2015 vintage, this is the wine that gives you a true flavour of the Hattingley house style: Golden with fine bubbles, elegant notes of brioche, nougat and a touch of oak with a characteristic hedgerow note on the finish.

Find it at Waitrose for £30 a bottle.

Hambledon Classic Cuvée

Established in 1952 by Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Hambledon is England’s oldest vineyard and can be found nestled in the home of Cricket at Hambledon in Hampshire. Their Classic Cuvée is again, a blend of all three traditional grapes, (56% Chardonnay, 27% Pinot Noir, 17% Pinot Meunier). Grapes are handpicked on the estate and this cuvée uses the 2017 harvest as a base with 20% reserve wines added, giving it the characteristic toasty richness that Hambledon has become famous for. Hambledon also does fantastic tours, tastings and events. 

Find it at Majestic for £34.99 (or £23.99 as part of a mixed 6 case)

Sussex

Rathfinny Estate Blanc de Noirs 2018

Rathfinny has an enviable position on the sunny, south-facing slopes of England’s South Downs in Alfriston, Sussex. It has quickly made a name for itself as one of England’s finest wine producers. Blanc de Noirs is a sparkling wine made only from black /red grapes which in this case are Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and these wine grapes came from just one single harvest in 2018, which has been dubbed the vintage of the decade. Rathfinny has a style that is rich but precise with a fantastic, lean, mineral character. Seriously elegant and will keep for a while. Rathfinny is another great place for a vineyard picnic too!

Find it at Lea & Sandeman for £38.95 (or £36.95 when in a case of six) 

Kent

Balfour Brut Rosé 2018

A renowned winery located on the Hush Heath Estate in Kent, the Balfour sparkling brut rosé was the first ever English wine to win a gold medal and the Trophy at the International Wine Challenge. This 2018 vintage wine is only ever made in tiny quantities from a single vineyard and it has a special story. The estate has belonged to the Balfour-Lynn family for three generations, but it was Richard and Leslie’s idea to plant vines at Hush Heath in 2002, with a view to making a pink sparkling wine like their favourite ever Champagne: Billecart Salmon Rosé. Their thinking was “If we can’t sell it, we’ll drink it”. But they did sell it and the rest is history. It’s a great place for lunch and a tasting with a lovely walk around the vines and the apple trees too. 

Find it at Waitrose for £39.99

See what else Helena has been tasting with talkTV here.

Pop Your Corks For English Sparkling Wines

Words by Aidy Smith

It’s no secret that English sparkling wines have continued to develop a solid reputation across the country over the past decade. With over 800 vineyards and 178 wineries calling the United Kingdom their home, we’re now at a point where English sparkles are no longer a ‘surprise’ but are becoming an increasingly embraced phenomenon. 

For the factually curious amongst us, let’s backtrack for a second and look at how far English sparkling wine has come. In 2010, they overtook still wine production in the UK and now sit at 64% of total output. Industry folks are now familiar with the style itself, but production rates are still a little unknown, so I decided to delve a little deeper.

I’d like you to clear your mind for a second and take a guess at how many bottles you think could be produced each year. Could it be 500,000? Perhaps 1,000,000 at a stretch? Well, the latest figures show that a staggering 10.5 million bottles were produced in 2019, a colossal increase from the 5.9m in 2017.

But why are our bubbles so good?

Let’s start with the biggest link, the soil. Millions of years ago various parts of England were in fact directly connected to Champagne and as you might have guessed it’s those parts which have the best reputation for producing our sparkles. The soils are full of chalk and rich with minerals giving the grapes a unique and distinct character.

Then there’s the temperature – a steady increase of warmer and drier summers over the years due to climate change has resulted in better vine growth, quality of grapes and has placed us at the sweet spot for producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – the 3 major grapes for both English sparkling wines and coincidentally, champagne too.

It would seem that the two have quite a lot in common, especially their production methods which see the same lengthy process of maturation, taking anywhere from 15 months to 2 years. But while champagne has sat atop the pecking order for as many years as one can remember, our crown jewel bubbles are beginning to knock them off their perch.

English wine in the world

Year on year we’re seeing an increase of awards and the highest-ranking medals being presented to English wine producers. In fact, to date, no other country has achieved accolades on such a consistent level during such little time.  We’re now at a point where English sparkling wine is continuously beating both Champagne and Prosecco in universal competitions and when placed in front of some of the most renowned wine experts for blind tastings, they always seem to come top of the pile. There have even been occasions where some of the most reputed and recognised names in the champagne industry have listed English sparkling wine as their top choice when battling the two varieties against one another in a blind competition.

So what should you look out for?

Our most cherished English sparkling wine seems to be produced mostly down south, so look out for those from Kent, Sussex, Hampshire or Surrey.  In terms of variety, much like your favourite champagnes, you can expect Brut (dry), one of my personal favourites being Hambledon’s Premiere Cuvée Brut. We also have a stunning range of rosé brut, of which you simply cannot miss a producer called Gusbourne. Jenkyn Place serves up a cracking Blanc de Noir with Hoffman & Rathbone producing a beautiful Blanc De Blanc. While produced a lot less, you may even find a Millésime or Demi-sec floating around too. 

Finally, one of the biggest misconceptions is that English sparkling wines are too expensive when in actual fact they can hold a similar value to champagne. Not only do the entry level English sparkling wines retail at around £25, their quality rivals that of even established champagne houses.

Well, there you have it, the next time you’re looking for a bottle to celebrate or quite simply want a great glass of bubbles, give your native English sparkle a try!

Try These English Sparkles:

Black Chalk classic 2017, £38.99 from Vivino
Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée 2015, £100 from The English Wine Collection
Gusbourne Rose Brut 2016, £48 from Vivino
Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2018, £33.50 from Vivino
Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvée, £30 from Waitrose
Hambledon Vineyard Premiere Cuvée Brut, £45 from Waitrose
Hoffman & Rathbone Blanc de Blanc 2012, £52 from Hoffman & Rathbone
Hush Heath Estate Balfour Blanc de Noirs 2018, £40 Balfour Winery
Lyme Bay Brut Rose NV, £30 from Lyme Bay
Nyetimber 1086 Prestige Cuvée, usually £150 from Nyetimber
Rathfinny Blanc de Noir 2016, £34.50 from The Champagne Company
Ridgeview Bloomsbury NV, £22.49 (on offer) from Waitrose
Wiston Estate Cuvée 2015, £35 from Hennings Wines
Wiston Rose Brut, £28 from Waitrose

For more English sparkling wine recommendations, take a look at English Sparkling Wine to Celebrate the Jubilee or Your Wine Travel Guide to Kent.

The Best Places in the UK to Drink English Wine

Happy English Wine Week! We’re raising a glass to the finest homegrown pours by taking a tasting tour. Here are some of the best places to try wines made in the UK, this week, next week and beyond…  

The Wine Bar

Grays & Feather

The epic setting is reason enough to visit: in the heart of Covent Garden, Grays & Feather is sprawled across two storeys in Charles Dickens’s former 1860s publishing house. But the other draw of a visit to this wine bar? A succinct but superb by-the-glass vino list that lets lesser-known English producers shine. Order up a pour of quince-noted Forgotten Monarchy Cuvée, a fizz from West Sussex, or biscuity Herbert Hall Brut from Kent to start. Then, move on to Stopham Pinot Gris, all aromatic peach and spice, followed by juicy, cherried Sharpham Pinot Noir.

Location: Covent Garden, London
Website

The Restaurant

The Loch and the Tyne

What pairs perfectly with English wine? Fine British produce, especially when it’s been reared sustainably from local vegetable gardens and orchards. That’s what you’ll get at chef Adam Handling’s Windsor outpost, The Loch and the Tyne – the menu showcases seasonal asparagus, Jersey Royal potatoes and Ogleshield cheese, all washed down with a clutch of hand-picked English wines by the glass or bottle. Historic Windsor feels an apt setting for such a Great British feast, but if you can’t make it there Adam also has restaurants pouring English vino in London and Cornwall.

Location: Windsor
Website

The Online Tasting

The English Vine

You don’t even need to leave the house to celebrate English Wine Week. The English Vine runs Zoom wine tastings where, from £50pp, you can sample an array of British-made wines over an hour-long, expert-led session with your nearest and dearest. Once you’ve given everything an initial try – and learned about how it’s made – you can order by the mixed case, too (for example, The Ultimate British Wine Case is stuffed with Nyetimber sparkling and Chapel Down rosé, among other treats).

Location: Your living room!
Website

The Wine Shop

Hawkins Bros

Hawkins Bros knows its English wines inside-out – in fact, it stocks such an extensive range, if it weren’t for the expert-led recommendations that come with every shopping experience, you might have trouble choosing one. Pop into branches in the Surrey Hills and West Sussex for a tasting of everything from bubbly Bacchus-based sparklings to elegant Pinot Noirs, all vetted by the owners’ top palates for quality. Keep eyes peeled for winemaker-led events, too!

Location: Surrey Hills and West Sussex
Website

The Winery

Renegade London

If we’re being technical, much of what this urban winery makes is ‘British wine’ rather than ‘English’ – because they import some grapes from the EU. But that’s not a reason to discount it. Set in the heart of London’s Bethnal Green, Renegade is focused on making interesting, exciting wines from the best-quality grapes it can find, then putting its distinct stamp on them – to delicious effect. If you’re determined to get a taste of local this week, though, they can certainly oblige. Order up a quirky hopped English sparkling wine, a quaffable Bacchus Pet Nat, or an on-trend Orange Bacchus Wine, available for free UK-wide delivery.

Location: Bethnal Green, London
Website

The Pub

The White Horse

It’s not just swanky restaurants who serve up a good glass of English fizz – fine UK-made tipples are increasingly available in pubs, too. At this seaside stalwart in Brancaster, Norfolk, you can down three different varieties of award-winning Nyetimber fizz – the Classic Cuvee NV, Rose NV, or Blanc de Blancs – alongside best-ever oysters from the waterways beyond. And, as if that wasn’t already the ultimate in English food and wine pairings, afterwards you can sip a glass of Cobble Hill Bacchus, made from a nearby family-owned winery, while you devour a North Atlantic lobster drenched in garlicky butter.

Location: Norfolk
Website

The Hotel

The Idle Rocks

Boutique pad The Idle Rocks, tucked in the pretty Cornish coastal town of St Mawes, has a heavy English wine list for such a small stay – you can sip your way through Cornish sparkling rosés from Camel Valley, or the aromatic ‘Harlyn’ white blend from Trevibban Mill, or even their own-label ‘Lazy Lady’, all pretty floral notes (and made in conjunction with the same producer). Pull up a seat on the restaurant terrace, with its comfy chairs overlooking the picturesque harbour, and reflect over the Cornish scene as you work your way through a bottle. It doesn’t get more English than this… 

Location: Cornwall
Website

Wondering where you can get your hands on a bottle of some delicious English wine? Then look no further than Helena’s Top 10 English Wines You Need To Try and if you fancy fully immersing yourself in a British wine experience then check out these Best UK vineyard hotel stays!

6 Stunning Rose Wines For The Summer

As if we needed another excuse to drink more pink, it’s International Rosé Day on June 12th! As luck would have it, we’ve been bathing in the stuff all year already, so are well placed to recommend a few pretty pinks from around the world. You are welcome!

The Hidden Sea Rosé, Australia 2021

A gloriously unpretentious pink packed full of ripe fruit thanks to the blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and some good old Australian sun. What a mix! Even better, for every case of wine they sell, they pay to remove and recycle the equivalent of 60 x 500ml single-use plastic bottles from rivers and oceans. I mean, what better reason do you need to drink pink?

Find it at Sainsbury’s £9 here

Marius Rosé, Chapoutier, Pays d’Oc, France 2019

Marius takes us over to the South of France where this perky little number comes packed with refreshing notes of fruit salad, from white peach and strawberry to a touch of the tropics. Very easy drinking but elegant with it, from top producer, M. Chapoutier. 

Find it at Simply Wines Direct for £7.99 on offer! (usually £9.80)

Babylonstoren Mourvedre Rosé, Simonsberg, South Africa 2021

This South African pink made with the Mourvedre grape took me by surprise with its incredibly voluminous body and silky texture. Everything about this wine is perfectly together from its ripe peach and spicy notes to its refreshing, saline finish. Just gorgeous!

Find it a Wanderlust Wine for £14.90 

Maison No. 9 by Post Malone, Rosé, Pays d’Oc, France 2020

Created by famously tattooed musician Post Malone and named after his favourite tarot card, (we all have them, right?).  Maison No.9 brings together Post Malone’s love for the Mediterrnean lifestyle with his own unique style and messaging about overcoming challenges. The wine itself from the South of France is understated and elegant with notes of pineapple, peach and citrus. You’ll want to keep the bottle too as a piece of art. Available in larger formats too!

Find it at The Wine Caverns for £18.99. Coming to Tesco soon too. 

AIX Rosé Coteaux d'Aix en Provence

AIX is the failsafe rosé wine from Provence which, with every vintage, manages to bring to the bottle what we have all come to expect from the world famous region: Pale colour, super dry, saline twist and a hint of strawberries and cream. Definitely one for the parties too as it comes in ALL THe SIZES! Have fun. 

Find it in magnum from Majestic for £27.99 (mix six price)

Gusbourne Pinot Noir Rosé, Kent, England, 2020

We couldn’t do pink without looking at England and shining a light on the fabulous wines we make nowadays (not that we can take the credit!). We’re proper fangirls and boys of Gusbourne as you know and this, their limited edition pink is particularly special. Made with 100% Pinot Noir, it’s crisp and elegant with notes of wild flowers, crunchy cherry and orange citrus peel. Just so pretty and every so slightly quirky in the best, most English of ways. 

Find it at Gusbourne.com here for £25

Want some more recommendations? Check out our recent piece on English wines, some of the best cocktail terraces in London or even the best canned wines for summer picnics!

The Best English Wines To Try This Summer

June has become a time where English wine is celebrated in all its glory here in the UK and as we gradually creep out of lockdown, there are even more reasons to celebrate it as many wineries open their doors for tastings, lunches, dinners and events. Don’t forget; English Wine Week also falls on the 19th - 27th June this year, so why not support the industry and celebrate by cracking one of these fantastic bottles - all from producers you really need to know. 

STILL

Bolney Estate Chardonnay 2020 (West Sussex)

Bolney Wine Estate in West Sussex is becoming well known both for its fantastic wines covering just about every style as well as for its status as an enviable wine tourism destination, thanks to its tasting tours, restaurant and experiences. Their still Chardonnay 2020 is a limited edition that shows off both crispness and texture, combining notes of lemon peel, apricot, lightly toasted brioche, baked peach and honeysuckle. It reminds us of a Premier Cru Chablis, but with a beautiful, British accent.

Find here: £24.99

Denbies Pinot Noir 2018 (Dorking, Surrey)

Planted in 1986, Denbies is one of the largest wine estates in the country and was one of the first on the wine tourism scene with its vineyard hotel and restaurants. Mostly famous for its sparkling wines, this still Pinot Noir is only made in exceptional years when the grapes are perfectly ripe. They get the proper French oak treatment for 17 months, no less. It’s really gorgeous, with enticing notes of dark cherry, cocoa and a waft of vanilla bean, plus a silky, elegant raspberry milk chocolate palate.

Find here: £22.50

BRUT SPARKLING

‘Brut’ is simply the French word for ‘dry’ in the world of sparkling wine. You will see it on sparkling wines from all around the world including Prosecco and English fizz. Here are two you need to try. 

Rathfinny Brut 2017 (South Downs, Sussex)

Rathfinny is rapidly establishing itself as a leading light for Sussex sparkling thanks to its incredible location on a south-facing slope in the South Downs. Here, the climate, chalk soil and aspect make it ideal for producing grapes for fizz. The Brut 2017 is a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay and has a quintessentially English note of tangy apple skin and lightly baked brioche. Lovely chalky texture too. 

Find here: £29.50

Exton Park Reserve Blend 32 Brut (South Downs, Hampshire)

Exton park is a 60-acre single vineyard located in the South Downs National Park divided into nine separate plots according to terroir and aspect. Since 2011, winemaker Corinne Seely has kept an extensive library of reserve wines in order to create what she describes as an ‘English Bollinger’, where most of the blend (80%) is made up of reserve wines rather than the base from the most recent vintage. This Brut is 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, has had 3 years on lees and uses 32 different reserve wines. Expect notes of apple pie, a golden weight and a cool, mineral core. Weighty and serious.

Find here: £39

BLANC DE BLANCS

Translated literally from the French, blanc de blancs means ‘white from white’, i.e. white wine made from white grapes. With Champagne, this always means 100% Chardonnay as it will also do for English Sparkling wine and many other fizzes from around the world, but not all of them. It’s a style known for making great food matches, especially with the likes of fish and seafood, from lobster and fish and chips, to sashimi and even cheese.

Rathfinny Blanc de Blancs 2017 (Alfriston, Sussex)

The 100% Chardonnay offering from ravishing Rathfinny down in Sussex, is a limited production of only 9,333 bottles, each aged for 36-months on the lees to give it a glorious, golden colour, a creamy weight and complex flavours of tropical fruit, white peach, blossom and a squeeze of lime. A serious wine that’s light on its feet, giving any blanc de blanc Champagne a run for its money. 

Find here: £39.50

Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2016 (Appledore, Kent)

Gusbourne is another need-to-know name in English wine as it continues to win just about every award going. 2016 was an exceptional year in England with all that sunshine and this resulting fizz from grapes grown in Appledore in Kent offers a heady mix of flavours taking in ripe citrus, pear and orange peel with subtle, toasty notes and a moreish salinity on the finish. Very elegant. We love it.

Find here: £59

SPARKLING ROSE

Langham Rosé 2017 (Dorchester, Dorset)

This elegant beauty from Dorset was the only pink English sparkling wine to be awarded a Gold Medal in this year's International Wine & Spirits Competition (the IWSC). Made with 54% Pinot Noir, 23% Pinot Meunier and 23% Chardonnay, it’s pale and pretty with a nose of fine strawberry tart decorated with other ripe, red fruits. Refreshing, pure and perfumed. Lovely!

Find here: £29.90

Exton Park Reserve Blend Rosé

Another in the Reserve Blend (RB) range, the Exton Park pink is extraordinary. Made with 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Meunier using 23 reserve wines and 3 years on the lees to give weight and complexity, this is a rich and textured pink that’s dry and savoury with notes of dried rose petal, peach and a hint of spice. Allow it to open up in your glass over time and you’ll be treated to a flavours that change subtly with every sip. 

Find here: £39

Roebuck Estates Rosé de Noirs (Petworth, Sussex)

Roebuck is a relatively new kid on the sparkling wine block and it arrived with a bang, winning a tonne of awards for its inaugural release. This is their first ever rosé, made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes from their stunning Roman Villa vineyard. With a delicate, rose petal hue, this is a classy, elegant wine with notes of red apple, hawthorn, cranberry and soft brioche. A lovely pink with its own personality and it has just won the trophy at the IWC this year!

Find here: £40

Hambledon Première Cuvée Rosé (Hambledon, Hampshire)

And now for something completely different; a very dark rosé made from 100% Pinot Meunier. This savoury fizz is full in body and flavour with notes of smoky strawberry, tobacco leaf and even a touch of grilled meat. With a fabulous texture and no added sweetness, this a great food wine and certainly one for a meaty barbecue in the sunshine. Hambledon established themselves early on as one of England’s top wine producers. Definitely a name to watch. 

Find here: £69.50

DEMI-SEC

Charles Palmer Demi Sec 2014 (Winchelsea, East Sussex)

When you want an elegant fizz with a lighter pudding or even a salty cheese, the Charles Palmer demi-sec has a little sweetness and a lot of personality. With 5 years spent on lees giving it those toasty, brioche notes, this Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend has got a good amount of age in its too, which adds to the complex and fruity flavour profile. Think apricot, apple and peach compote under a delicate crumble. It’s amazing with pavlova. The palace is also worth a visit and they have rooms! Ideal for after that long tasting tour when you forgot to spit...

Find here: £26

Want to know more about English wines? Check out this piece on The Best UK Vineyard Stays.

English Sparkling Wines to Rival Champagne: Names You Need To Know

Words by Helena Nicklin

This article produced by Helena was originally written for and published by Luxurious Magazine in January 2020.

You may have heard about the rise of English fizz; you may still be sceptical, but having kept a close eye on the industry over the last sixteen years, I can tell you that we’ve now, officially, nailed it. Our relatively new English wine industry has observed the successes and failures of hundreds of years of winemaking globally, waiting patiently until the time was right; until temperatures had increased just enough to put England on a par climatically with the world’s most famous sparkling wine-producing region. In some parts of the English south coast, the soils are almost identical to those of the Côte des Blancs in Champagne. Couple that with an almost identical climate in places, the same grape varieties, same ‘traditional method’ used, cutting edge equipment, experienced winemakers and vines that are finally coming of age and you’ll see precisely how we are now creating world-class bubbles to rival Champagne and in some cases, dare I say it, outclass it.

The best way to learn about wine is to taste it, so here are a few of the biggest names in English sparkling wine that you absolutely need to know, along with some of their more exclusive, limited-edition wine offerings to seek out.

Jenkyn Place Blanc de Blancs 2015 – Hampshire

If you’re looking for quintessentially English charm, Jenkyn Place, owned by the Bladon family in the North Hampshire Downs, has it in spades. While the family has been making wine with the classic Champagne grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) since their first vines were planted in 2004, this ‘blanc de blancs’ (with sparkling wines, this usually means made with 100% Chardonnay) is the very first Chardonnay-only wine, thanks to the exceptional quality of the harvest; they didn’t want to blend it! Think ultra-fresh citrus balanced by ripe orchard fruit and shortbread notes with rich, creamy bubbles. An elegant English rose of a wine. RRP £38 from www.jenkynplace.com

Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2014 – Kent

As far as awards go, Charlie Holland, winemaker for Gusbourne, has been cleaning up over the past few years. Gusbourne’s wines are consistently excellent with a tell-tale purity that sets them apart from their peers. The blanc de blancs is the flagship wine of the estate, made with 100% Chardonnay and aged for at least forty two months on its lees (the dead yeast cells leftover from fermentation) to give biscuity notes and a rich, creamy texture. This 2014 has an incredibly complex palate packed full of candied fruit and notes of hazelnut and baked apple with a refreshing, mineral core. Fabulous. RRP £59 Gusbourne Website

Hattingley Valley King’s Cuvée 2013 – Hampshire

Another much-loved, family-owned winery in Hampshire that since the very early days have also been winning countless awards. The winemaking team lead by Emma Rice, often like to use a bit of oak for added spice, texture and toastiness and this extremely limited release is no exception. A blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, the wine was barrel fermented and then aged in oak, giving it a weighty feel and a palate rich with sweet spice, waxy lemon peel and fragrant, red apple skin notes. Will age beautifully. RRP £80 Hattingley Valley Website

Harrow & Hope Blanc de Noirs 2015 – Buckinghamshire

This bijou, family-run winery is still pretty new (just 7 years old), but wine has been in the blood of winemaker Henry Laithwaite his entire life. After travelling the world learning how to make it, Henry and his wife Kaye decided to settle back in England, finding an ideal spot in the Chiltern Hills to create their own world-class fizz. While still young, these wines have caught the attention of the top wine writers for their elegant purity and exceptional ageing potential. ‘Blanc de noirs’ means ‘white from black’, i.e. white wine made with black (red) grapes only, and while the 2015 is starting to open up now, with its cool minerality and tangy, red fruit notes and spice, if you lay it down for another year or so, you will see it truly blossom. RRP £38 from Harrowandhope.com

Pink English Fizz

Ambriel Rosé 2014 – Sussex

There’s something unique about the wines from Ambriel – a relative newcomer on the English wine scene. Based on the sunny South Downs in Sussex, Wendy and Charles Outhwaite have swapped a hectic, legal life for a slice of countryside heaven, complete with tiny sheep (ouessants) who graze between the vines during the winter. Ambriel bubbles have the class of champagne with an undeniable English accent thanks to a slightly unusual way of making sparkling wine, using skin contact rather than blending red wine with white. The result for The Ambriel Rosé 2014 is vibrant, ripe and juicy wine, packed with wild strawberry fruit and a moreish leafy aroma. Wendy describes it as ‘an English garden party in a glass’ and I wholeheartedly agree. I had to double-check the price as it’s worth twice this… RRP £26.95 from Corney & Barrow

Hambledon Premiere Cuvée Rosé – Hampshire

Hambledon, to my mind, have been leading the charge in Hampshire, if not the whole of England, with richer styles of sparkling wines that have been grabbing headlines. Having released their elegant, classic cuvée rosé last year to great applause, this year’s offering is a quirky, very limited edition of pink made with 100% Pinot Meunier – the grape that even in Champagne is usually only used in blends and even then, only in small quantities. Deep pink, almost red in fact, with an intriguing, smoked meat quality balanced by ripe, morello cherry notes, this sparkler is bone try with a wonderful sappy texture and toastiness. Beguiling and unique, you could easily match this with meat dishes too. Grab a bottle if you can find it! RRP £69 from Hambledon Vineyard Website

5 Reasons to Love English Wine

Today, it’s the Big English Wine Good Friday! Here are 5 reasons to get into the swing of things, warming up for tonight #TheBIGEnglishWineGoodFriday…