ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE – THE RISE OF A SPARKLING REVOLUTION?

English sparkling wine has excelled in the last five years and is now a staple on many well-renowned wine lists including Simon Rogan’s two Michelin-starred L’Enclume. Showcasing English wines marries up with Simon’s ethos of using the best ingredients from local suppliers. With Simon’s farm-to-table philosophy, L’Enclume presents an innovative and distinctive culinary style which reflects the abundance and immeasurable quality of English produce, in particular the ingredients grown at Our Farm, Simon’s 12-acre farm in the Cartmel Valley. Dishes match perfectly with the wines and what better pairing than an English sparkling wine with local Cumbrian produce.

Although an issue of contention, the warmer climate in the UK has, in my opinion, helped influence the drastic rise in English sparkling wines. The seasons are changing, with freak summers like that of 2018 to the Beast from the East. Selfishly, this has led to a revolution in the growth of English Sparkling Wine.

The rising temperatures continue to make the south of England the perfect area for growing vines including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Meunier, alongside some slightly wilder grapes including Bacchus, Ortega & Dornfelder. There are currently 450 wineries across the England and Wales - vast number compared to the original number noted in the “Doomsday Book” of 1086. It was also the Brits who discovered the wonders of a second fermentation in the bottle, producing a sparkling fizz rather than the famous Benedictine monk, Dom Pierre Pérignon. An indicator of the recent success of English sparkling wines is the fact that a couple of very notable Champagne Houses (Taittinger and Pommery) are looking to plant vineyards around Kent and Sussex, the former already having done so at Stone Stile Farm in Kent.

There are more English Vineyards than I could possibly begin to mention on here. I spoke to a few of my favourites on the rising temperatures in the UK and the future of English fizz:

Exton Park

Exton Park is in Hampshire and concentrates on growing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier on the chalk of the South Downs. The chalk gives the wines an incredible depth, complexity and plenty of fruit character. “The big issues on the horizon will be for producers to secure more processing facilities (wineries), in order to manage all of the fruit in bumper years such as 2018,” says wine maker Corinne Seely. It seems that with rising temperatures, bumper crops are going to become the norm.

My favourite wine from Exton Park is their Brut Rose. A delicious blend of Pinot Noir and Meunier, that is pale salmon in colour with stunning aromas of fresh raspberries, wild strawberries and clotted cream. Hints of floral characters with rose petals, violets and a mouth puckering acidity with plenty of body too – this is a terrific aperitif.

Nyetimber

Another one of my favourite vineyards in Sussex is Nyetimber. I spoke to XXX at Nyetimber about their thoughts on the rise of English Sparkling wine and Global Warming, –

“The 2018 harvest in England was a milestone for both Nyetimber and the reputation of English sparkling wine as a whole. It will offer us both the quality and quantity to increase the awareness and reputation of wines produced in this country and proves the potential of England as a serious winemaking region, rather than just a cottage industry. This record harvest will help us meet growing international consumer demand as well as increase stocks of our reserve wine so we can maintain consistency and quality for years to come.”

Nyetimber is slightly unique in the sense that they don’t like to use any form of oak in their wines. As such the wines can come across slightly “reductive” in style which I personally enjoy. It gives a greater fruit expression and varietal character whilst retaining the sense of terroir. My favourite sparkler from them now is one of their newest wines - Cuvee Chérie. This Blanc de Blanc “demi-sec” is certainly one of a kind. The grapes that are used to make this wine come from Sussex and Hampshire. With 38 g/l of sugar one would expect it to be on the rather sweeter side, but its freshness and vibrancy enable it to work with an array of different foods or simply as an afternoon tipple.

Gusbourne

The Gusbourne Estate based in Appledore in Kent has gone from strength to strength over recent years. With heavy investment in the wine-making facilities and their “brand” as a whole, the wines themselves have certainly benefited from it all. Below are their thoughts on the rise of English Sparkling Wine;

“The English wine scene has changed dramatically over the last 5 years and I am sure it will continue to change in years to come. As the industry matures and our winemakers gain confidence, we will see increasing levels of diversity with different styles and expressions. Popularity of English wine will also continue to grow as we establish ourselves as producers of some of the world’s best sparkling wine.

We have unique growing conditions in England, and these are reflected in our wines. We combine a very long ripening period with cooler conditions, which means we are able to produce wines that are packed full of flavour, but still retain the vibrancy and freshness that makes English wines so exciting to drink.”

My favourite tipple from Gusbourne is their Boot Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. This richer full-bodied Pinot Noir is such a massive head turner, people are often surprised to know that this is English Red Wine.

The 2015 vintage of this wine is beautiful. The grapes were picked at optimum ripeness, then aged for 6 months in French oak. The warm toasty character, alongside those crunchy red fruit aromas of red cherries, cranberries and hawthorn lend this wine extremely well to a nice bit of game on a Sunday roast or perfect with some of those hardier cheeses at the end of your meal.

To conclude, English Sparkling Wine & Global Warming could possibly go hand in hand now. It is very clear that the wine scene in UK is still very much in its infancy, but (like most things in this world) anything can happen.

Cheers – and happy drinking!!!

Published in https://chefpublishing.com/ in September 2019