Britain’s best-kept sparkling wine secret
When it comes to buying fruit and vegetables, we all know home-grown is better. But when it comes to wine, how often do you reach for a British bottle?
We may not be at the apex of the wine-producing world but, as a nation, we produce some fantastic wines that are slowly beginning to get some national and even international recognition.
A key stumbling block to the popularity of English wine has been the association with “British wine”, such as QC Sherry, from the 1960s and 1970s.
Most of the time the only link these “British” wines had to the United Kingdom was the factories in which they were physically made. The actual product was derived from fresh or concentrated grape juice from anywhere in the world. QC Cream, as it is now known, is still available but legally unable to call itself Sherry as it wasn’t made in the Jerez region of Spain either. Thankfully, wines like these are largely a thing of the past.
In my opinion, these inferior products have unfairly tarnished the reputation of wine produced in England or Britain.
As a proud Scot, I love English sparkling wine. Not only that, I prefer it to a great deal of the more popular and widely distributed fizz currently available.
In southern English vineyards near the coast, winemakers take advantage of chalky limestone soil makeup and the correct climate for grapes to reach a suitable level of sugar content. With a guiding hand from international experts where necessary, there is no reason why their wines cannot be superb.
The standard and high quality of the sparkling wines that I have tasted recently are excellent and I will be, perhaps controversially, serving them at the Christmas table this year.
It will take a great deal of time before the crown slips from the head of Champagne as the go-to celebratory drink but I think there is room for a new contender. These elegant and crafted English beauties will give it a good go.
English Sparklers to try this Christmas…
Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2018 – £38.75 from The Whisky Exchange
Exton Park, Blanc de Noir, Hampshire – £31.99 from Winebuyers.com
Henners Brut NV, Herstmonceux, East Sussex. -£27.30 equiv. from North and South Wines