Land of fizz and rosé
AN ENGLISH WINE WAS SERVED AT WIMBLEDON MAY BE THE DRINK MOST ASSOCIATED WITH WIMBLEDON (MORE THAN 280,000 GLASSES OF THE FRUITY GIN-BASED FAVOURITE WERE QUAFFED DURING LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIPS), BUT ENGLISH WINE PRODUCER BOLNEY WINE ESTATE (WWW.BOLNEYWINEESTATE.COM) SERVED UP AN ACE WITH ITS BOLNEY ESTATE PINOT GRIS 2016, PICTURED LEFT, WHICH IS ON THE WINE LIST IN HOSPITALITY FOR THE THIRD YEAR RUNNING. pear, and a creamy, slightly honeyed character, it’s also a double trophy and gold medal winner at the UK Wine Awards 2017. LET’S face it, one bottle is never enough and for your go-to summer sparkle, a magnum not only looks impressive but the wines taste better. The larger format (12 glasses on average, instead of six) enables the wine to develop more complex flavours, and going up in size makes a whole lot of sense if you’re entertaining friends or family. Luckily for us, John Lewis is championing the trend. Bolney’s Cuvee Rose and Blanc de Blancs (£60, 150cl), pictured left, is the first English magnum to be listed by the retailer. RANGE. Made from the three classic champagne grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir and meunier, The Society’s Exhibition English Sparkling Wine NV (£21, The Wine Society), left, is produced for them by Ridgeview in Sussex, who also collected a Gold at this year’s IWC Awards. ENGLAND’S OLDEST VINEYARD IS HOSTING ITS FIRST WINE FESTIVAL SUMMER, HAMBLEDON (WWW.HAMBLEDONVINEYARD. CO.UK) IN HAMPSHIRE IS SET TO HOST ITS FIRST WINE FESTIVAL, WITH TV WINE EXPERT JOE WADSACK HOSTING MASTERCLASSES AND THE CHANCE TO TASTE SOME GOLD MEDAL-WINNING FIZZ UP. Taking place in the picturesque village of Hambledon on Sunday, August 6, with events running from 11am-4pm, you can enjoy a wine tour, sample award-winning wines, feast on local Hampshire produce – or just kick back and relax with a glass of something delicious and enjoy the jazz band. WISTON Estate (www. wistonestate.com) in the heart of England’s rolling South Downs in West Sussex, romped home with not only a platinum medal in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2017, but also ‘Best in Category’ for UK sparkling white.
Described as ‘refreshing and