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.
English sparkling wine has come of age. Popping corks to celebrate two decades of production, Gusbourne recently held a unique tasting of 13 vintages from the last 20 years, including an extremely rare sampling of its 2006 bottling. The idea behind the retrospective was to examine the evolution of its sparkling wines, vineyards, and winemaking…
Monkey 47 has revealed oyster mushroom as the unusual 48th botanical in its latest limited-release Distiller’s Cut gin, bringing savoury umami notes to its traditional Black Forest spirit. Now in its 16th year, the annual Distiller’s Cut sees Monkey 47 search for a Species Rara: an exceptional ingredient that adds a new dimension to its…
Christmas is coming, and Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram are ready with a new collection of spirits advent calendars, with 30ml wax-sealed drams behind every door. The calendars cover everything from classic Scotch and Japanese whisky to gin, rum and vodka, and the vast majority of the included spirits are new for…
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.
Beyond Champagne: Why Gusbourne Is leading England’s sparkling wine revolution
English sparkling wine has come of age. Popping corks to celebrate two decades of production, Gusbourne recently held a unique tasting of 13 vintages from the last 20 years, including an extremely rare sampling of its 2006 bottling. The idea behind the retrospective was to examine the evolution of its sparkling wines, vineyards, and winemaking…
Monkey 47 Distiller’s Cut 2026 adds oyster mushroom to gin recipe for savoury umami twist
Monkey 47 has revealed oyster mushroom as the unusual 48th botanical in its latest limited-release Distiller’s Cut gin, bringing savoury umami notes to its traditional Black Forest spirit. Now in its 16th year, the annual Distiller’s Cut sees Monkey 47 search for a Species Rara: an exceptional ingredient that adds a new dimension to its…
Whisky, gin, rum or vodka? We reveal the best spirits advent calendars that countdown to Christmas
Christmas is coming, and Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram are ready with a new collection of spirits advent calendars, with 30ml wax-sealed drams behind every door. The calendars cover everything from classic Scotch and Japanese whisky to gin, rum and vodka, and the vast majority of the included spirits are new for…
Share this: