11 English Sparkling Wines To Try This Summer

Tinwood Estate, West Sussex, £29

Since the first vines were planted in 2007 at the foot of the South Downs National Park, Tinwood Estate has quickly established a reputation for producing fine English sparkling wines, including estate brut, blanc de blancs and a popular rosé. The team recently released its 2018 vintages of all three varieties. Tinwood’s blanc de blancs is a delicate pale gold wine. With subtle tastes of honey and brioche, this is a refreshing sparkling wine with hints of citrus and white tropical. Tastes great on its own, or as a pairing with light canapés and shellfish.

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Albourne Estate, West Sussex, £28.95

Albourne Estate is a family-owned vineyard and winery overlooking the South Downs, just eight miles from Brighton. The team creates small quantities of award-winning still and sparkling English wine using sustainably grown grapes. We love its 2013 blanc de noirs – the beautiful rose-gold colour comes from the gentle whole bunch pressing of pinot noir grapes. Alongside extended on-lees ageing – which means extra maturing – this vintage is a rich, complex and full sparkling wine with hints of red fruit notes and raspberry, white chocolate and brioche on the nose.

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Chapel Down, Kent, £40

Chapel Down is set in the Kent countryside, close to the market town of Tenterden. Set among 22 acres of vineyards, this popular winery has excellent facilities for visitors including a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant and a shop stocking a variety of local produce. Of its wide selection, we love the rosé brut. A beautiful and delicate wine with fruity notes, on the nose you’ll fine fresh strawberries, cherries and redcurrants with background notes of shortbread. Crisp and fresh, this bottle works really well as an aperitif and pairs perfectly with light pasta dishes and fruit-based desserts.

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Gusbourne Estate, Kent, £59

This year, Kent wine producer Gusbourne Estate launched its blanc de blancs 2016, a vintage English sparkling wine. The bottle is characteristic of the producer’s award-winning blanc de blancs, made from 100% chardonnay grapes and with natural minerality on the palate. With a nose of citrus, pink grapefruit and pear, the 2016 vintage has hints of lemon, nectarine and green apple on the palate, alongside notes of toasted brioche, shortbread and hazelnut – making it an excellent choice for both puddings and celebratory toasts.

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Simpsons Wine Estate, Kent, £28.95

You’ll find Simpsons Wine Estate on the sunny, sheltered slopes of the North Downs of Kent, protected from the English climate by ancient woodland and anchored in chalky soils revered for both still and sparkling wine. The vineyard is best known for its great quality chardonnay and pinot noir-based sparkling wine. Its classic cuvée is a traditionally made sparkling wine: the first release was awarded a gold medal and a ‘Best in Class’ title at the 2019 Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships, and its current vintage is proving just as popular. Pale gold in colour, it has a mineral-y nose and is pleasantly citrusy – ideal for summer drinking.

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Bolney Wine Estate, West Sussex, £30.99

Bolney Wine Estate in West Sussex first planted its vines five decades ago. Now run by the original owner’s daughter, Sam, the team produces award-winning still and sparkling wines, from pinot noir and estate bacchus to classic English sparkling wine such as ‘Bolney Bubbly’ and blanc de blancs. The latter is a single-vintage, traditional-method sparkling wine. Gentle fruit and hazelnut aromas complement the smooth texture and creamy finish, making it match really well with shellfish, cheeseboards and smoked salmon.

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Hambledon Vineyard, Hampshire, £45

One of the oldest of the UK’s wine estates, Hambledon grows its grapes on a 200-acre vineyard using a gravity-fed machine that uses some pretty impressive technology. One of its most popular bottles is its première cuvée, which offers notes of confit lemon, orange blossom, white lily, ripe apricot, white peach and baked red apple. The finish develops a mineral, chalky quality – nodding to its Hampshire terroir. We love it for its sleek bottle and easy drinking.

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Ridgeview, East Sussex, £30

Ridgeview vineyard was planted in 1995. Situated near the pretty village of Ditchling in East Sussex, the winemakers originally selected three varieties of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier to match the cool climate of the South Downs. Now Ridgeview produces a range of full-flavoured sparkling wines. We love its Bloomsbury NV – which was the official wine served for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. With notes of citrus, peach and honey, this bottle pairs really well with crab, canapés and smoked salmon, making it an ideal sip for this time of year.

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Hattingley Valley, Hampshire, £19 

From its origins as a farm diversification project back in 2008, Hattingley Valley has grown to become one of the leading wineries in the UK. Based in rural Hampshire, the Robinson family operates the 500-tonne, eco-friendly winery. For something a little different, we love it’s ‘The English Lady’ bottle, a sparkling red made from pinot noir and pinot noir précoce. Elegant, delicate and bursting with red fruit character, this makes an ideal accompaniment to summer BBQs and Sunday roasts. It's very limited in production, so make sure to get it before it’s gone.

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Nyetimber, West Sussex, £43

Nyetimber uses only its estate-grown fruit to make its award-winning wines. Created using the traditional method of sparkling wine production, Nyetimber’s vineyards share similar characteristics with the best sparkling wine vineyards in the world, such as greensand and chalk soils and a climate which allows for the slow ripening of its grapes. Among the vineyard’s most celebrated sparkling wines, you’ll find the gold-medal winning classic cuvée multi-vintage, rosé multi-vintage and cuvée chérie multi-vintage. The former is a real favourite: a wonderfully complex and full-flavoured sparkling wine, it contains notes of ripe melon and stone fruits alongside subtle layers of honey and cream.

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Rathfinny Wine Estate, East Sussex, £39.50

Rathfinny Wine Estate was established in 2010 with the intention of producing some of the world’s best sparkling wine. Located near Alfriston in the South Downs, Rathfinny occupies a south-facing slope, just three miles from the sea: its climate, chalk soils and aspect make it an ideal place to produce its award-winning English sparkling wines. Rathfinny blanc de noirs 2016 is the second vintage of the team’s signature ‘Sussex Sparkling’, made predominantly from pinot noir grapes grown and hand-harvested on the estate. There is a limited production of this bottle, as the team sources the best grapes from across the vineyard to blend these wines, so get in there while you can. 

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