Great British Food - Christmas 2025

How to serve English sparkling wine Richer, more complex styles with higher percentages of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier benefit from being served at around 10-12 º C, while lighter sparkling wines which favour Chardonnay grapes are best at 8-10 º C. Make a show of these wines when you serve them at Christmas, telling the stories of the vineyards, and in turn passing on your appreciation to others. A lovely festive aperitif to start Christmas Day with a sparkle is to pour 25ml sloe gin or plum gin into Champagne flutes, topping up with English sparkling wine. Frosted blueberries or blackberries (made by dipping fruit in egg white and sugar) bring extra razzle dazzle as garnishes. 7award-winningBritishvineyards Choosing English sparkling wine is an investment, so you want to be certain you’re selecting the creme de la creme for your friends and family. Here are seven Great British Food Awards winners, as chosen by our expert judges. Turn to pages 128 to read about 2025’s champions. Terlingham Vineyard, Kent Award winners: 2021 Classic Cuvée Sparkling White, 2021 Classic Cuvée Sparkling Rosé, Bacchus Terlingham has practised sustainable viticulture from the very start of its journey, and the team are highly invested in the terroir, with a passion for bringing the beauty of the Kentish landscape and its surroundings to the bottle. Certified by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain, regenerative methods enacted here include cover cropping, promoting biodiversity, trying not to disturb soil where possible, and minimising interventions. All these things, alongside hand finishing bottles with paper-based labels, make Terlingham Vinyard carbon neutral. Ridgeview, Sussex Award winners: Bloomsbury NV, Fitzrovia Rosé Based in the South Downs, this producer is a leader in English sparkling wine, having helped to put it on the map over the last three decades since planting its vines. The family vineyard (now run by its second generation) specialises in cool climate viticulture, only using the best grapes, chosen for the balance they bring to the wine, handpicked at the peak of harvest, and pressed using traditional methods, combined with contemporary expertise. A certified B Corp, Ridgeview is a founder member of Sustainable Wines of Great Britain, using natural eco controls, cover crops, renewable energy, and state of the art water waste reduction systems. Gusbourne Estate, Kent Award winners: Blanc de Blancs 2018, Rosé 2019, English Rosé 2022 Since planting their first vines in 2004, it’s been the mission of the Gusbourne team to craft fine vintage wines purely from their own vineyards. Growing largely the Holy Trinity of Champagne grapes from Burgundian clones, production is small here, with a focus on growing the most flavoursome fruit, in a nature-led, low intervention way. The awards they’ve won speak volumes for the quality of the estate's wine. Bolney Wine Estate, Sussex Award winners: South Downs Vintage Release 2013 Founded in 1972, so much care and attention is put into growing with nature at Bolney. After all, the best soil will ultimately lead to the best-tasting wines. Prunings are mulched back into the ground, biofilters treat and recycle water, solar panels power many of the buildings, bottles and labels are 100% recycled, and waste wine and press juice is distilled into the estate’s gin and vermouth. Ashling Park Estate, Sussex Award winners: Sparkling Rosé This vineyard’s estate has strong links to victory in WWII, having previously been home to Lord Portal, who played a key role in the D Day landings. Post war it was transformed into a vineyard retreat, renowned predominately for its sparkling wines, growing classic Champagne grapes across 50 acres of prime loamy soil. Thorrington Mill Vineyard, Essex Award winners: Cuvée Brut Planting in 2018, it was a long-held dream of owners Mark and Polly to have their own vineyard. And the awards they’ve already achieved in a relatively small space of time for a wine business, are testament to their commitment. The site spans just 12 acres on the south-facing slopes of their family farm, from which the business takes its name – operating one of just three working tide mills in England. Busi Jacobsohn Wine Estate, Sussex Award winners: Cuvée Brut The family behind this vineyard were determined, while they were establishing themselves, to bottle only single estate wines, rather than blends. And they’ve managed to achieve their vision, having complete control over every aspect of the process. Much like single origin coffee or chocolate, their wines are very special indeed. 95 greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com ENGL I SH SPARKL ING WINE