This was my first time in Prosecco country. Prosecco is a phenomenon. It has come from almost nowhere to being one of the most visible of all sparkling wines (selling…
Two lovely wines from Gusbourne, one of England’s top wineries
New releases from Gusbourne, one of the top sparkling wine producers in the UK. Really impressive. Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2015 England 12% alcohol. 53% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 7% Pinot…
Central Otago (13) Akarua
Akarua is an important producer for Central Otago. In a region of small outfits, they are a reasonable size, and of late have been on a vineyard-buying spree. With winemaker…
Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2013
I was excited to try this new 2013 Blanc de Blancs from leading English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber, because it is the first vintage to feature wine from their Hampshire…
Vineyards of Hampshire tasting: some of England’s best sparkling wines on show
Last week, the vineyards of Hampshire held a tasting showcasing some of the top sparkling wines from this county. Of course, Hampshire is, as a county, a political boundary and…
Champagne Pommery’s English sparkling wine
This is the first English sparkling wine launched by a Champagne producer. It’s the result of a partnership between Champagne Pommery and Hampshire-based winery Hattingley Valley. The wine is named…
Gusbourne Brut 2014, one of England’s finest
This is the latest release of the Brut Reserve from Gusbourne, one of the UK’s top sparkling wine producers. 2014 saw an early budburst with good weather through to the…
The long-awaited first sparkling wines from Rathfinny, Sussex, UK
Today, after lots of anticipation, the first sparkling wines from Rathfinny were launched. It’s an ambitious project, and one that has been much talked about, and so it was great…
English wine is doing well, but four notes of caution…
It’s an exciting time for English wine, and in particular for English sparkling wine. The latest statistics from the Wine Standards Board show that in 2017 there were 1677 hectares…