The best of the rest
Bride Valley Crémant
Many shared my view of this Dorset sparkling wine—established by the late, lamented Steven Spurrier—as ‘gentle’ and ‘subtle’. With its unassertive mousse, this lovely wine echoes the understated elegance of its founder.
£29; www.bridevalleyvineyard.com
Sugrue The Trouble with Dreams Cuvée Brut
The Irishman Dermot Sugrue is one of the English sparkling wine industry’s most flamboyant and gifted characters. I have no idea to what ‘the trouble with dreams’ refers, although I could hazard a guess, but the wine has great finesse and ripeness. ‘Complex tones, full flavour’ noted another panellist.
£49; www.sugruesouthdowns.com
Exton Park Reserve Blend 32 Brut
This is another of the growing number of excellent English sparklers made in Hampshire. The grapes are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir: several, including me, found it ‘lemony’; other comments included ‘crisp’ and ‘fresh, with good balance’.
£39; www.extonparkvineyard.com
Biddenden Vineyards Gribble Bridge Sparkling White 2018
Here, we are back in Kent, for a wine made from a somewhat unusual mix of grape varieties, Pinot Noir, Reichensteiner and Scheurebe. One panellist detected aromas of ‘parma violets’ and a ‘leafy’ note; another, for contrast, found hints of ‘old leather armchair’.
£26.20; www.biddendenvineyards.com
Hambledon Classic Cuvée Sparkling
Hambledon in Hampshire could claim to be the birthplace not only of cricket, but also of English sparkling wine. The vineyard pioneered by Maj-gen Sir Guy SalisburyJones in the 1950s continues to make excellent, appley, citrussy, brioche-scented wine, ‘very satisfying’, I noted. Several others found ‘biscuity’ notes. £36; www.hambledonvineyard.co.uk
Camel Valley Reserve Brut
Situated in north Cornwall, Camel Valley is not England’s westernmost vineyard (that honour goes to Polgoon), but it is still an outlier. Bob Lindo planted vines here in 1989 and the results must have exceeded expectations. Several panellists found this Reserve Brut ‘on the lighter side, fresh and floral’.
£32.95; www.camelvalley.com nd
Nyetimber Classic Cuvée
Nyetimber is England’s closest approximation to one of Champagne’s grandes marques— producing well over one million bottles annually from 420 acres of vines. Unstinting investment from present owner Eric Heerema means quality is consistently high, across the range. I found this standard non-vintage blend clean and well-balanced, if not as characterful as some. Cleanness was mentioned in other tasters’ notes, together with ‘classic style’. £41.50; www.nyetimber.com
Herbert Hall Brut
This Kent-based producer is a relative newcomer, although Nicholas Hall farms grapes where his great-grandfather grew apples more than a century ago. I especially liked the greenish-gold glint of the colour and the focus on the nose; other panellists praised the ‘mouthfeel’ and ‘elderflower’ notes.
£39.50; www.herberthall.co.uk
Coates & Seely Brut Reserve
Here is yet another Hampshire operation, run by the high-powered team of Nicholas Coates and Christian Seely, who also manages to look after all the wine estates of the French insurance giant AXA. I’ve been consistently impressed by this, although it wasn’t the best bottle I’ve tasted. For others, it was ‘light and fresh’. £36.95; www.coatesandseely.com
Ridgeview Bloomsbury Brut
Based in East Sussex, Ridgeview is one of England’s largest producers, making upwards of some 400,000 bottles a year. The vineyard has never aimed for exclusive glitz, but rather for affordable high quality. I found this very pure and clean, a little sweeter than some; others detected notes of melon and citrus.
£34; www.ridgeview.co.uk
Denbies Whitedowns Cuvée Brut
Denbies, a spectacular estate on the south slope of the North Downs, was England’s first large commercial wine operation. It makes a lot of ownlabel wine for supermarkets, but has recently been raising its sights. ‘Delicate’ was one comment; ‘gentle and subtle’ another. Some panellists, myself included, found this somewhat bland.
£21.95; www.denbies.co.uk