English sparkling wine English wine is at last being taken seriously, with sparkling wine gaining the most critical acclaim. Here's why you'll be hearing more about English bubbly in future...

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On sparkling form French interest

English wine versus champagne What to look for

Not so long ago, English wine, like English food, was considered a bit of a joke. Not any more. Thanks to warmer growing seasons, a rapidly accelerating understanding of winemaking, plus sheer determination on the part of English winemakers, English wine - particularly sparkling wine - is coming into its own.

Wine fact

English sparkling wine cannot be called 'Champagne', even if it’s made from the same grape varieties and made by the exact same method as Champagne. In the European Union, a wine labelled as 'Champagne' can only come from the Champagne region of France.

Champagne’s reputation may outshine that of English sparkling wine, but in good - that is, warm - years, English sparklers made by top producers certainly give Champagne a run for its money. English sparkling wines have outperformed their French rivals in a number of respected wine competitions. At the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London in June 2005, a panel of expert tasters, tasting the wines blind (that is, with their labels covered) awarded the Trophy for ‘Best Sparkling Wine’ to an English wine called Merrett Bloomsbury (the 2002 vintage), made by RidgeView Wine Estate in Sussex. The wine beat sparkling wines from 55 countries, including France.

In June 2004, the Consumer Association’s Which? magazine held a blind tasting of 17 English sparkling wines. Also in the tasting was a Champagne that had come top of a Champagne tasting held by Which? a couple of years before. Three English sparklers gained marks that were superior to the Champagne and four equalled the score earned by the Champagne. The top wine was Nyetimber’s Classic Cuvée 1996 (made in Sussex); second was Chapel Down’s Pinot Reserve (from Kent) and third was Cuvée Merrett Cavendish 2000 from RidgeView in Sussex.

The performance of English sparkling wine hasn’t gone unnoticed by the French. For years, rumours have abounded that big-name Champagne producers are ‘soon to be’ buying up land on the English side of the Channel.

To date, however, just one Champagne producer from France, Didier Pierson and his English wife Imogen, has bought land in the UK (in the Meon Valley in Hampshire). However, Julia Trustram Eve, spokesperson for English Wine Producers, the marketing association of the English wine industry, reports that ‘there may be something in the pipeline’ early in 2007, with a major Champagne house on the lookout for English grape-growing land.

With or without the French, plantings of English vineyard are increasing. According to Trustram Eve, 500 acres were planted to vines between 2005 and 2006, "a substantial part of which will be used to make sparkling wine".

The climate of southern England is similar to that of Champagne. Both are considered ‘cool’, making them better for sparkling wine (which requires wine with higher amounts of acidity) than for still wine. As well as climate, parts of southern England have the same chalky soil type that’s found in the Champagne region.

In addition, the best English sparkling wines tend to be made from the same grape varieties that are used to make champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier - although some English wine producers can and do use other varieties.

English sparkling wines don’t necessarily taste like champagne, even if made from the same grape varieties. They have a freshness and exuberance all their own. The best ones have an intense, fresh aroma, often reminiscent of elderflower, and a clean, crisp flavour, which makes them ideal for summer drinking

As the revival in British cooking gathers steam, English wines are beginning to share some of the culinary limelight. Many supermarkets now stock English wines and a growing number of restaurants are featuring English wines on their wine lists. Treat yourself next time you see one - you'll be pleasantly surprised.