Great British Food - Christmas 2025

Our mild climate provides excellent conditions for classic Champagne method grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – too. In fact, rising temperature on the continent are having an impact on the flavour of traditional French Champagne, which is changing. “If you look at France, most Champagne styles are now Brut, but they’re naturally getting richer,” reveals Jonathan, “while our climate means English sparkling wine is crisper and leaner. Freshness is key.” Finally, with more of us thinking about the environment and soil health, another advantage of choosing English sparkling wine is that the relative ‘newness’ of the industry Something special Though English sparkling wine is still a relatively young market, it’s one that will only continue to grow, Jonathan explains, with new vineyards springing forth each year, and even French Champagne houses investing in plots on British soil to get in on a slice of the action. So, what is it that’s putting our bottles on the map? For starters, our topography or terroir, which bears similarity to top growing regions in France. “We used to be attached to France, “Jonathan explains. “There’s chalk stretching from Monmouthshire all the way through to France, so we share that commonality. But we’re also seeing estates like Gusbourne growing successfully on clay. People are planting on different soils and it’s working.” POP THE CORK ON British bubbles English sparklingwine just keeps getting better – anddeserves a spot inyourChristmas celebrations W e have an insatiable taste for bubbles in this country,” says wine consultant and Great British FoodAwards judge, JonathanKleeman. “We drink asmuch Champagne in Britain as the whole of the US, which shows we have a healthy respect for high quality sparklingwine here.” If you plan onmaking fizz your celebratory drink of choice this Christmas, and you value sustainability and artisanal production, you cannot gowrongwith a fewbottles of English sparkling wine, Jonathan adds. means many producers have set out their sustainability credentials from the start. “Young producers have seen what’s happened in other places and the impact on soils, and how they’re having to rejuvenate vineyards,” says Jonathan. “Here, makers are often starting from the very beginning, and they’re able to be forward-thinking, putting good environmental practices in place early on.” While, unlike other countries, we don’t yet have growing regions, bar the Crouch Valley and Surrey Hills, fantastic wines can be found across the UK. The reason you should be buying English sparkling wine, he adds, is that more often than not you’re getting a vintage, rather than a non-vintage. “And at the moment, English sparkling is beating Champagne on price- quality. You’re getting everything you want from a Champagne, using the same methods, and most are aged longer on the lees. There’s a huge push here on producing the best of the best. UK producers know they can’t compete with large productions like Dom Perignon’s five million bottles a year, but they can focus on quality, and producing wines that give more of a sense of place. On the whole, English sparkling wines are consistently very, very good.” “You're getting everything you want from Champagne, with a focus on quality and sense of place” “ greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com 94