Sparkling English Wine

Wondering what all the fuss is about? Haven’t tried a bottle of English fizz yet?

We have a special discount code for you for this weekend only: QUICK10

Simply enter this at the checkout to get 10% off your order (excluding delivery)!

Don’t forget to look at our recommendations and specials..!

For those who are not avid followers of the BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’, tonight’s episode showcases English wine!

The teams are charged with creating a new image for the English sparkling wine industry, designing a website and online marketing campaign, and perhaps even suggesting a generic name..?

With the The Apprentice’s wide following, we hope that to many people, who have until now been unaware, their attention will be drawn to the multitude of fantastic producers that are creating delicious wines in England.  - follow us and the #theapprentice and #apprentice trending…

See a sneak preview of the show here on BBC’s website. BBC 1 at 9pm. Don’t miss it!

We have compiled a Jubilee Celebration Pack including wines from a variety of top producers, large and small, to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee year.

With wines from six top producers spanning four counties: Dorset (English Oak Vineyard and Furleigh Estate), Hampshire (Jenkyn Place Vineyard), Sussex (Nyetimber and RidgeView Estate) and Kent (Gusbourne Estate), we’ve compiled a selection of two rosés, one blanc de blancs and three classic cuvées that offers any party a range of outstanding wines with which to celebrate…

This pack includes the recently released RidgeView Merret Victoria 2009 made using the saignée method rosé from 63% Pinot meunier and 37% Pinot noir worthy of our Queen! Also included are the Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2003, Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2007, Furleigh Estate Classic Cuvée 2009, Jenkyn Place Sparkling Rosé 2008, and the English Oak Engelmann Cuvée 2009.

Order yours here now for parties, or just to have a great selection of wines in your cellar!

A view over the beautiful vineyard towards the farm

To continue with our regular addition of new producers’ wines to what is becoming an exceedingly wide range of wines from sparkling wine producers throughout the UK, the most recent to be added is Furleigh Estate, based near Bridport on the ancient coast of South Dorset. A coast strewn with a remnants of bygone eras, notably dinosaur fossils. I remember years ago, playing in the rock pools of Kimmeridge and beyond, searching for ammonites and dino-claws. A few were found (not dinosaur claws) among the flint, slate and chalk that has eroded from the huge cliffs over time. These geological formations formed over hundreds of millions of years are what make the potential of vineyards in the South of England, such a reality.

Furleigh Estate are one of the many producers on the South Coast, who are able to take advantage of the geology, coupled with the (fairly) mild, subcontinental climate, and produce a superb range of wines. Pertinently for us, their Classic Cuvée 2009, which breezed through the expert blind tasting panel a few months ago to grace our site with its presence. It is an elegant and opulent wine with a lovely, bright appearance with a slight hint of pink and a good mousse. Refreshing, sweetly fruited with notes of strawberry, candied lemon peel, creamy Pinot noir fruit and underlying brioche give this wine a hugely inviting and attractive nose. The palate doesn’t disappoint. A well balanced and easy going wine, with dimensions of flavours of brioche and red fruit.

Rebecca and Ian in their blossoming vineyard

The estate is owned and managed by Rebecca Hansford and husband Ian Edwards, having purchase the property in 2004. Unlike a majority of the wine producers in the UK, Rebecca grew up at the estate on which they’ve planted, her father having sold the estate in the 1990s. Serendipitously, the property was back on the market when Rebecca and Ian were looking for a family home. Where better than somewhere you know already! And with room to build a vineyard.

8 years on, Furleigh have released their first sparkling wine which really impresses. From planting in 2005 and 2006, the vineyard has grown to 22,000 vines, mainly destined for sparkling bottles, with a range of still wines also being produced. In 2007, a purpose-built, top of the range winery was installed at the site, enabling the team to continue to manage the processes of getting their vines’ grapes, all hand-tended, into a bottle. Just this month, Furleigh opened the doors to their brand new cellar door and tasting room. Constructed on the footprint of the barn into which Rebecca helped to herd cows as a child, it seems only fitting that the enjoyment of the labours of the vineyard at Furleigh can take place in the same place…!

One of the best known brands in the English wine industry, Nyetimber, based near Pulborough, West Sussex, have this week launched a whole new re-branding campaign. Following over 20 years of using the same labelling and branding, Nyetimber’s owner Eric Hereema, has decided to modernise and refresh the brand.

New labelling for Blanc de Blanc, Classic Cuvée and Rosé wines

With their new branding (above), which breathes new life into an already hugely popular range of wines, Nyetimber are set to take 2012 by storm. And what a year to do so with the Queen’s Jubilee and the London Olympics. This new label moves away from the old world, classic, Champagne house-style branding and brings an almost 1930s Art Deco, English-ness into the fore.

The new labels subtly denote the different blends with different colour neck collars (Blanc de Blancs = silver; Classic Cuvée = blue; and Rosé = pink), and the Rosé also has a pink foil. Here at Sparkling English Wine, we’re really liking the new labels: Clean, precise, simple and modern. We’d love to know what you think.

Nyetimber's new logo

With over 450 acres of vineyard, Nyetimber are by far the biggest producer in England, and as such have built a great reputation for consistently producing some of the top wines in the country. We are pleased to have a wide range of Nyetimber wines from as far back as the 1998 Blanc de Blancs up until the Rosé 2007. Over the years, Nyetimber have scooped all manner of awards including the IWSC “Best Worldwide Sparkling Wine” and the prestigious “Champion of Worldwide Sparkling Wines” at the Bollicine Del Mondo, Italian world sparkling wine competition in 2009.

With winemaking team Cherie Spriggs and Brad Greatrix now at Nyetimber over 5 years, their expertise and skill is showing in the wines that have been made under their management, with the 2007 Rosé being the first wine released made from start to finish by the the duo. The imminent release of the 2008 Rosé looks to be reaching the high standards expected by followers of the industry-leading vineyard. The new labelling is an extension of this great brand, its focus on the future and its longevity.

Let us know what you think of the new labels…!

Meonhill Wines vineyard looking toward the Solent...

We’re pleased to announce that Meonhill Wines are the next producer to hit the site following our last tasting panel.

Perched on top of the South Downs between Winchester and Petersfield, Meonhill Wines vineyard is ideally located to take advantage of not just some of the most amazing views the south coast has to offer, but the fantastic chalky soil that is geologically an extension of the same chalk in Champagne. Not only does the soil match, but the winemaker, Didier Pierson, has a Champagne-house himself too…

The Chablis vine training system

Vineyard practices employed by Didier include the training of vines very close to the ground, using Chablis (for the Chardonany) and Cordon de Royat (for the Pinot noir) training systems. These offer the vines quick access to soil nutrients and ground heat. The fairly steep slope on which the vineyard sits protects the vines from what gets most vineyard managers in England quaking in their muddy boots, late frosts. The cold air simply falls down the slope into a very deep basin well beyond the extent of the vines. Pests like rabbits, deer and badgers are protected against by a strong and (almost) impenetrable fencing around the perimeter.

The Meonhill Réserve NV

Creating a superb NV wine based on a 50:50 split of Chardonnay and Pinot noir, Didier uses many of the same techniques he applies to making similar wines in France, including hand-riddling and disgorging.

The end product is an opulent golden coloured wine with a good bead and delicate mousse. The nose offers up aromas of red fruit and peach, and delicious tones of yeast, nuttiness, honey and caramel. In the mouth the wine is dry, weighty and has a balanced acidity. It has biscuity flavours, following the obvious autolytic nose, and has an assured length with an almost chalky finish.

With the arrival of a serious English sparkling wine made by a Champagne producer, it just proves what we’ve known for a while: England makes excellent wine. And at a competitive price. The Meonhill Réserve NV retails at £24.75, and is worth every penny.