BEST ENGLISH WINES

Wiston Estate Cuvée 2013 South Downs, £36, swig.co.uk; £32.95, wistonestate.com

Irishman Dermot Sugrue makes this barrel-aged blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier with notes of French toast, lemon curd and honey. His style is always electrifying, and this wine has searing precision.

Berry Bros & Rudd English Sparkling Wine 2013, Gusbourne Estate, £25.95, Berry Bros & Rudd

Gusbourne’s wines excited from the moment they arrived on the scene, in 2010. The producer has vineyards in Kent and Sussex, and makes this superbly creamy and refreshing chardonnay-based sparkling wine exclusively for Berry Bros & Rudd.

Nyetimber Rosé NV, £39.99,Waitrose; £44.99, or £39.99 in a mixed six, Majestic

Nyetimber is the standardbearer for the English wine renaissance, and its sparkling rosé is sublime. Carrying the scent of wild strawberries, cool chalk and raspberries, it has a tangy redcurrant thread darting through it like quicksilver.

Hambledon Première Cuvée NV, £42, waitrosecellar.com; £42, Berry Bros & Rudd

A sense of majesty and a rich complexity make this one of the most champagne-like of English sparkling wines. Made in Hampshire from grapes grown on chalk.

Camel Valley Pinot Noir Rosé Brut 2014, £29.99, Waitrose

An early pioneer and still a key player, Camel Valley in Cornwall is the first English sparkling-wine producer to be granted a Royal Warrant. This pink fizz is easygoing and fun.