This week marks English Wine Week, celebrating the booming English wine industry and the ever-growing top-quality blends coming from English vineyards.
Amongst them, sparkling wine is where the region is really producing some delicacies. Due to changing, warmer climates, South Easterly regions of England in particular now support vineyard conditions comparable to the French Champagne region, with English sparkling wines showcasing an exquisite balance of acidity which comes from our cooler climate, with vibrant fruit notes and a distinctive minerality.
The high ceilings of Somerset House’s Pennethorne’s bar make for a perfect spot to sample some of the best English wines.
So, in honour of English Wine Week, we spoke to sommelier Stephanie Robertson. With a decorated Michelin star background, Robertson is Head of Wine at Restaurant Associates and has recently been shortlisted for the Wine & Spirit Ambassador Award at this year’s Cateys awards, for a guided tasting through some of the very best. What better way to toast English Wine Week?
Sommerlier Stephanie Robertson personally worked with The Bolney Estate to create the sumptuous North Downs Classic Cuvée.
Over a glass or three within the elegant Pennethorne’s bar at Somerset House, Robertson shared with us her picks of some of the best English sparkling wines to try.
“Popping a bottle of champagne should sound like a sigh,” Robertson advises, as we delve in.
We taste the Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Brut, which comes from one of the most well-known English wine houses. Established in 1988, Nyetimber’s Sussex vineyards enjoy geology and soil on a par with some of the world’s most renowned sparkling wine regions. Made with three champagne grape varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – this gives a smooth finish, with less acidity than some other English wines.
The Hattingley Classic Reserve is made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier and Pinot Précoce grapes.
We also try the delicious Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve: a classic Champagne blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, with an added Pinot Précoce grape, too.
“Because we’re in the UK, and we don’t have those strict laws as they do over in Champagne and the rest of Europe, we can actually play a little bit,” Roberston tells us, “this particular grape variety does very well with our climate, so why not? It’s only a very small percentage, but I believe it gives a finesse, a bit of jazz, to the wine.”
The Bolney Estate North Downs Classic cuvée is a rather special English sparkling wine.
But, for us, the highlight of this tasting is the The Bolney Estate North Downs Classic Cuvée which primarily comes from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, for a nuttier, Champagne-like taste. The delicate, almost biscuit-like finish comes from being fermented in the bottle, just like Champagne, Robertson explains. She knows this all too well: the sommelier personally worked with The Bolney Estate for six months to create it.
It’s particularly acidic, in a delightful way. “The one big indicator for English sparkling wine is the high acidity, and that comes from the cooler English climate than in Champagne,” says Robertson.
To try The Bolney Estate’s North Downs Classic Cuvée, plan a trip to stylish Pennethorne’s bar in Somerset House, Liberty London orGlyndebourneopera house, in the Sussex countryside, as the special wine is exclusive to Restaurant Associates’ establishments, where it’s the house sparkling wine.
After a taste, we’d agree that it’s well worth a trip – for English Wine Week, and beyond.
A new gin is challenging convention by bringing mathematics into the distillation process. Aureus Vita, or Golden Way of Life, is the creation of chemist-turned-master-distiller John Hall, founder of Trevethan Distillery, who has applied the Fibonacci sequence – the golden ratio that governs many forms in nature and art – to every stage of production.…
Monkey 47, the premium dry gin distilled in Germany’s Black Forest, has announced the launch of its Distiller’s Cut 2025 expression. The annual small-batch release is known for incorporating a rare 48th botanical, sourced from a different corner of the world each year, into its already complex 47-ingredient recipe. For this 2025 edition, the distillery…
As the evenings draw in and the air turns crisp, it’s time to swap chilled spritzes for something with a little more depth. Autumn is all about slow dinners, cosy gatherings, and bottles that bring comfort and character to the table – and these pours are the perfect companion to any cosy night in. From…
The Luxe Review 
This week marks English Wine Week, celebrating the booming English wine industry and the ever-growing top-quality blends coming from English vineyards.
Amongst them, sparkling wine is where the region is really producing some delicacies. Due to changing, warmer climates, South Easterly regions of England in particular now support vineyard conditions comparable to the French Champagne region, with English sparkling wines showcasing an exquisite balance of acidity which comes from our cooler climate, with vibrant fruit notes and a distinctive minerality.
So, in honour of English Wine Week, we spoke to sommelier Stephanie Robertson. With a decorated Michelin star background, Robertson is Head of Wine at Restaurant Associates and has recently been shortlisted for the Wine & Spirit Ambassador Award at this year’s Cateys awards, for a guided tasting through some of the very best. What better way to toast English Wine Week?
Over a glass or three within the elegant Pennethorne’s bar at Somerset House, Robertson shared with us her picks of some of the best English sparkling wines to try.
“Popping a bottle of champagne should sound like a sigh,” Robertson advises, as we delve in.
We taste the Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Brut, which comes from one of the most well-known English wine houses. Established in 1988, Nyetimber’s Sussex vineyards enjoy geology and soil on a par with some of the world’s most renowned sparkling wine regions. Made with three champagne grape varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – this gives a smooth finish, with less acidity than some other English wines.
We also try the delicious Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve: a classic Champagne blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, with an added Pinot Précoce grape, too.
“Because we’re in the UK, and we don’t have those strict laws as they do over in Champagne and the rest of Europe, we can actually play a little bit,” Roberston tells us, “this particular grape variety does very well with our climate, so why not? It’s only a very small percentage, but I believe it gives a finesse, a bit of jazz, to the wine.”
But, for us, the highlight of this tasting is the The Bolney Estate North Downs Classic Cuvée which primarily comes from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, for a nuttier, Champagne-like taste. The delicate, almost biscuit-like finish comes from being fermented in the bottle, just like Champagne, Robertson explains. She knows this all too well: the sommelier personally worked with The Bolney Estate for six months to create it.
It’s particularly acidic, in a delightful way. “The one big indicator for English sparkling wine is the high acidity, and that comes from the cooler English climate than in Champagne,” says Robertson.
To try The Bolney Estate’s North Downs Classic Cuvée, plan a trip to stylish Pennethorne’s bar in Somerset House, Liberty London or Glyndebourne opera house, in the Sussex countryside, as the special wine is exclusive to Restaurant Associates’ establishments, where it’s the house sparkling wine.
After a taste, we’d agree that it’s well worth a trip – for English Wine Week, and beyond.
Aureus Vita: Chemist turned distiller applies Fibonacci golden ratio to create perfect gin
A new gin is challenging convention by bringing mathematics into the distillation process. Aureus Vita, or Golden Way of Life, is the creation of chemist-turned-master-distiller John Hall, founder of Trevethan Distillery, who has applied the Fibonacci sequence – the golden ratio that governs many forms in nature and art – to every stage of production.…
Monkey 47 gin Distiller’s Cut 2025 special adds Fleur de Sel from French salt marshes
Monkey 47, the premium dry gin distilled in Germany’s Black Forest, has announced the launch of its Distiller’s Cut 2025 expression. The annual small-batch release is known for incorporating a rare 48th botanical, sourced from a different corner of the world each year, into its already complex 47-ingredient recipe. For this 2025 edition, the distillery…
What to drink this Autumn: The ultimate sips for every occasion
As the evenings draw in and the air turns crisp, it’s time to swap chilled spritzes for something with a little more depth. Autumn is all about slow dinners, cosy gatherings, and bottles that bring comfort and character to the table – and these pours are the perfect companion to any cosy night in. From…
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