FORGET pricey French champers – pop the cork on top British bubbly instead.
An English sparkling wine has been named the world’s best fizz by the International Wine Committee, beating rivals from across the Channel for the first time.
The Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs Magnum 2016 from Sussex will set you back £50 a bottle, but there are loads of value homegrown alternatives, with prices starting from £9.99.
Blur bassist and foodie Alex James, who also makes his own Britpop Brut English Sparkling (£22, alexjames.co), today samples a selection and gives us his verdict.
Specially Selected Bowler and Brolly Sparkling Wine of England, £9.99, 75cl, Aldi
THE French champagne houses have spent hundreds of years and vast fortunes very cleverly establishing champagne as a luxury product.
Opening a bottle epitomises glamour and symbolises celebration – just look at the way it’s sprayed around on Formula One podiums.
James Bond is never happier than when he’s ordering the fizz. Who’d have thought he might one day be asking a waiter to send over the Bowler and Brolly instead of the Bolly?
This comes in an elegant bottle, although it was a struggle to get the cork out – and trust me I’ve opened enough bottles to know.
Once I’d got in, the liquid was bursting with golden colour, bright flavours and hints of marmalade.
Perhaps not subtle enough for 007’s refined palate but still great, maybe mixed with orange juice at breakfast.
VERDICT: 3/5
Asquith Gardens Traditional English Sparkling Wine, £17.27, 75cl, Asda
I HAVE to say I’m incredibly impressed by the overall quality of the wines we tried, particularly for their prices.
Aged in barrels for five years, this one is described on the label as “traditionally English” and I agree.
It really goes to show English sparkling wine has come a very long way in a very short space of time.
It is dainty and impressive, full of fizz and biscuity brilliance and would brighten up any occasion, from a birthday breakfast of champions to making a toast.
British sparkling wine is great with food too, and this would be fab with traditional fish and chips.
The pleasing acidity of English fizz is what you need to cut through the oiliness and the bubbles will give your palate a gentle cleanse, inviting another mouthful and making the last bite as good as the first.
VERDICT: 4/5
Taste the Difference Ellercombe English Sparkling Wine, £22, 75cl, Sainsbury’s
NICE bottle. Nice label. Nice liquid. It’s delicate but refreshing, with lovely notes of fresh bread. A really moreish mouthful with a whisper of apple.
If you wanted to up the Englishness all the way to 11, you could add a wild hedgerow blackberry to your flute.
We should be celebrating as these are the golden years of our winemaking.
We have the perfect climate and the right soil for growing the chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes used in sparkling wine and now we have winemaking expertise to turn those grapes into a premium product.
Plus, land in south east England – where most UK vineyards are – is a tenth of the price of land where champagne comes from, so costs less to produce.
This is exceptionally good value – although I prefer my Britpop fizz for the same price. But then I would say that!
VERDICT: 4/5
Chapel Down A Touch of Sparkle Rosé Wine
£17, 75cl, Majestic (£13 on offer, Ocado)
THE inventor of the sturdy glass bottle crucial to champagne production was an Englishman called Sir Kenelm Digby.
His containers were originally used for making cider and being strong enough to withstand the pressure generated by bubbles of carbon dioxide were adopted by French monks. Over hundreds of years the art of making sparkling wine was perfected and dominated by the French.
I’m staggered by the range of tastes and aromas of these English sparkling wines available at comparatively affordable prices in supermarket aisles.
There are no duds in the line-up and everything I’ve tried here had something to offer.
This one, while crisp and refreshing, is somehow reminiscent of strawberries and cream. It really got my mouth watering and would make a perfect aperitif.
VERDICT: 4/5
Kingscote Sparkling Wine, £18, 75cl, Tesco
AS far back as the 1700s, champagne was given to French royalty in a very early example of influencer-style marketing.
Tesco’s bottle comes in at less than 20 quid, but I have to say it looks every bit fit for a King.
The bottle opens with a satisfying “fssst”.
Quick aside – the French consider popping corks somewhat vulgar and prefer to ease it out gently, and I have to say that I’m with them here as you do not want to spill any of the contents.
There’s nice mousse on the pour, lovely golden colour, mesmerising delicate bubbles and lots of lively bright apple on the tongue, ticking all the boxes.
This is absolutely the real deal, and I think anyone, anywhere would be delighted to be presented with a bottle.
VERDICT: 4/5
The Uncommon English Bubbly Rosé, £5.99, 250ml, drinksupermarket.com
I ENJOY all the etiquette around wine – sparkling wine in particular – but rules are sometimes there to be broken.
In one of my favourite scenes in my all-time favourite film, The Blues Brothers, the heroes go to a stuffy restaurant, order expensive champagne and then appal the sommelier by quaffing it from goblets instead of flutes – heaven forbid!
Quite what snobs will make of an English sparkling wine that comes in a can was enough to get me tittering even before I tried this.
It’s billed as dry, pale and audacious and it is all of those things.
It doesn’t quite have the finesse of the other wines in this line-up and is more reminiscent of prosecco-style wine than a barrel-aged méthode champenoise job. But it’s bright, breezy, cheap and cheerful.
And you don’t even need a glass.
VERDICT: 3/5
Denbies English Sparkling Bacchus, £15.95, 75cl, denbies.co.uk
I LIKE the name – because of course Bacchus was the god of wine – and the label, which has more gold elements than a billionaire’s bathroom.
It promises a “delicate aromatic and floral fizz” which, I realised when I read it, was exactly what my day had been lacking so far.
Pleasingly effervescent as it slides into the glass and is surprisingly complex on the nose, with heaps of peach and passion fruit.
It has a lot to say for itself on the tongue, too – all of which I found myself agreeing with.
In fact it’s hard to argue with this fizz at all. It takes a highly skilled winemaker and a fair crop of grapes to bring you something this snazzy for 16 quid.
You’d struggle to find anything to match this quality at this price point in France. Winner winner, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
VERDICT: 5/5
Bramble Hill English Sparkling Wine, £14, 75cl, Marks and Spencer
AN eye-catching bottle full of busily bubbling gold liquid.
It’s perfectly sound and quaffable, while perhaps lacking the subtlety and sophistication of some of the other barrel-aged wines I tried.
A splash in the gravy certainly wouldn’t go amiss if you’re having chicken, but I’d be most tempted to use this one for making cocktails.
Sparkling wine always goes well with orange juice for a bucks fizz, or mix with peach juice for a classic Bellini.
Black Velvet, which is a 50/50 mix of Guinness, and sparkling wine, always hits the spot. Add a dash of Ribena and you’ve got a blackcurrant velvet – and you’re in business.
My favourite is an Italian speciality called a Sgroppino.
Pop two scoops of lemon sorbet into a blender, add a slug of this and a dash of vodka and whizz it.
VERDICT: 3/5
