English Sparkling Wine

13 sleeps to go …

Yes, Christmas is just around the corner and the kids are half way through the advent calendars.  However, there are still plenty of shopping days left to stock up on the Christmas goodies. Most of us do like to include some bubbles somewhere through the festive season and this year English Sparkling Wine seems to be causing a bit of a stir.

These Sparkling wines that are being produced on our doorsteps really do have something to offer. Of course, Champagne and Prosecco alongside other famous names will always be something to enjoy but maybe we should all consider trying something a little closer to home.  It is important in today’s economic climate that we offer our support to local grape growers, wine producers and vineyards just like we offer our support to other local businesses.

English Sparkling Wines have recently performed excellently at the International Wine Challenge, with three home grown sparklers winning Gold medals at the 2013 competition.  One of these winners was Classic Cuvée 2009 from the Furleigh Estate, Dorset, England, average price per bottle £25. Available from Four Walls Wine Company. Another winner was Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2008 from Gusbourne Estate, Kent, England, average price per bottle £28.99. Available from South Downs Cellars. We are now looking at production soaring from around one million to five million bottles with the demand for English Sparkling Wine currently exceeding the supply.

Decanter magazine have also recently commented that ‘The message for wine drinkers is simple.  If you have money to buy champagne but choose to spend it on English Sparkling Wine instead you can be confident of getting something at least as good if not better.’

So, with all this publicity surely we are should be convinced to give it a go. I have been looking around at prices and there are a lot of offers available at the moment.  Free delivery and special offers on a case seem quite popular with most companies. One local sparkling wine to Enjoy Discovering Wine is Mill Down Brut 2010 by Hambledon Vineyard, Hampshire, England available for £24.99 from Fareham Wine Cellar. Another currently on offer at Majestic (buy 2 bottles save 1/3 – £23.98 each) is Classic Cuvée 2004 by Nyetimber, Worcestershire, England.

Method of Production

Most English Sparkling Wines do have slightly higher prices than still wines but when we consider the effort that goes into production and storing it is an understandable expense.  Made by a traditional method our bottles of bubbles go through a much more labour intensive process than a still wine.  They will start life as a still wine which will then be bottled with additional sugar and yeast added, which allows a second fermentation to take place which sees a slight increase in alcohol but it also allows those bubbles that we love to be trapped in the wine and create sparkle and fizz.  The wine will then be left to age for months or possibly years, the yeast that is present in the wine will begin to eat itself and this process accounts for the yeasty characters such as biscuit and toast to be present. The final stages of production will be the tricky process of removing the dead yeast from the bottle, top the bottle up with some wine and possibly some sugar, and there you have it, a bottle of sparkling wine.

When we really think this process through and consider the time and the skill involved to make these wines it is very easy to see how the price will be higher than a still wine, however, the end result is without doubt worth the wait (and the price).

Have you tried any of the wines featured in this blog? We’d like to hear your views – post your comments on our Facebook page or show your choice and tag us on Instagram.

Helen Evans