Olly’s finest English fizz
It’s Father’s Day and the start of English Wine Week – a perfect excuse to pop a bottle of homegrown bubbly! For years, I’ve been buying more English fizz than Champagne for year-round sipping because I believe in the rising quality of our vineyards and the world-class talent in our wineries. And it shows in the glass. If there’s a vineyard near you, pop along this week and get tasting – visit winegb.co.uk for more.
OLLY’S PICK OF THE BUNCH
COL FONDO 2018 (12%), £22, littlewaddonvineyard.co.uk. Fragrant, summery, scented and peachy. Fabulous, easy fizz from Dorset.
LANGHAM CULVER (12%), £27.50, langhamwines.co.uk. Cow parsley in an apple orchard! Scented, dreamy and simply scrumptious.
EXTON PARK RESERVE BLEND RB 23 ROSÉ (11.5%), £39, extonparkvineyard.com. Peaches and strawberries in effervescent perfection. Hampshire’s greatest hit!
THE BEST ENGLISH SPARKLING GRAND VINTAGE 2010 (11.5%), £18, Morrisons. My top English supermarket sparkler, with refreshment, complexity and a bargain price.
WINE OF THE WEEK
GUSBOURNE BLANC DE BLANCS 2016 (12%), £59, gusbourne.com. Stellar Kent fizz that tastes like big-name bubbly and beyond. Ethereal, rich – a festival of finesse.
This article was originally published in YOU Magazine, Mail on Sunday, 20th June 2021 – Prices, stockists and vintages correct at time of publication.
