Jimmy's Best of English Sparkling Wine

Wine school founder Jimmy Smith is also a winemaker here in the UK crafting wines at his own winery, Beare Green Winery, and has huge experience tasting multiple wines across the UK wine scene. In time for the festive season, Jimmy has hand-selected his favourite sparkling wines so you can enjoy the exceptional high-quality producers during Christmas and New Years. The tasting will have a minimum of eight English sparkling wines from well-known producers such as Gusbourne and lesser-known exciting newcomers such as Leonardslee and Everflyht. A range of styles from Blanc de Blancs (100% white varieties), Blanc de Noirs (100% black varieties), Rose, non-vintage and vintage will be enjoyed on this decadent evening that's not to be missed. These really are wines that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Champagne.

English Sparkling Wine

The rise in quality – and volume – of English sparkling wine has been remarkable. But when you consider that the climate, grape varieties and soil types in parts of England are the same as Champagne, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the best English sparkling wines are very much their equal. These days, stories of English fizz beating Champagne in blind tastings are not uncommon.

Despite the English getting in on the fizz act back in the 17th century, it’s only really in the past couple of decades that the industry has flourished – there are now has more than 150 wineries in the UK, and thanks to better techniques and warmer temperatures, making good sparkling wine in this country is no longer a challenge. The fact that big-name Champagne houses have been buying up land on England’s south coast has not gone unnoticed, either. All this points to the fact that English sparkling wine is now a fitting part of any celebration.

Sparklers on tasting: TBC