Foraging for champagne bliss

WHO doesn’t get excited at the thought of a deliciously chilled glass of sparkling rose? Whether it’s pale rose, copper pink or salmon-hued with bronze reflections, it’s a drink that promises a red berry nose, vivacity and freshness.

So how about enhancing that beautiful bouquet by adding a drop of dog rosehip syrup, or garnishing with a Douglas fir shoot? Foraged ingredients aren’t just the preserve of spirits, they can go wild for bubbles too.

“There’s a lot more freedom to experiment and innovate when it comes to making cocktails with champagne,” says Michel Parisot, chief winemaker at Champagne Devaux. “Unlike with more traditional spirit-based cocktails, you’re less bound by specific recipes.”

“This means there’s scope to try lots of different ingredients to see what works,” he adds, noting how Devaux’s Oeil de Perdrix Rose NV Champagne (£27.99,

Majestic) is fresh, floral and delicate, which makes it great for mixing with foraged ingredients.

Indeed, to encourage us to go harvesting for wild berries ourselves, Champagne Devaux have collaborated with expert forager James Wood, founder of Totally Wild (totallywilduk.co.uk).

From plants to hedgerow fruits, Wood takes us on a ‘forage’ of discovery with these recipes to try at home, and complement your favourite pink fizz...

Rose Hip Bellini

Ingredients: 25ml dog rose hip syrup (see below), sparkling rose.

How to make a syrup:

Forage a few handfuls of the desired rosehips/berries. Rinse then crush and sieve to separate the juice and pulp. Measure out two parts rosehip/berry juice and one

part sugar. Combine both in a pan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool before storing in a sealed jar and use within three to four weeks.

Method: Make dog rosehip syrup and add to a chilled champagne flute, then top with sparkling rose. What to know when

foraging: “Dog rose hip is normally found growing alongside blackberries in hedgerows and best harvested towards the end of the year, between September and January,” says Wood. “The flavour from these berries sits somewhere between sweet tomatoes and peaches, and can be used in recipes that usually call for either hence my use of it for a twist on a bellini blended with rose.”

Sea Bucks Fizz Ingredients: 3g Douglas fir, 25ml sea-buckthorn syrup, sparkling rose.

Method: Muddle the Douglas fir with the sea-buckthorn syrup, add to a chilled champagne flute and top with rose. Garnish with a Douglas fir Shoot. What to know when

foraging: “Douglas fir is found in most conifer woodlands. Being an evergreen, it can of course be found throughout the year. The shoots of this fir can impart a shocking and incredible citrus and clementine flavour, and make an attractive garnish as well.”