About English Sparkling Wine

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In the 1950s, English wine producers embarked on a journey to craft their own exquisite and unique bubbly. While the English fizz movement has been gaining momentum since the 1990s, it has truly flourished in the past five years. 

As a sign of gaining acceptance and momentum, even the French have taken an interest. In 2015, two of Champagne’s greatest houses, Taittinger and Vranken-Pommery announced they had bought plots of land in Kent, with the intention of producing English Sparkling Wine.

What conditions have led to the success of English Sparkling wine? 

• Craftmanship – English sparkling wine utilizes the same “Traditional Method” as Champagne and is primarily composed of the same three grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. 
• Climate – Due to global warming, southern England is experiencing the average temperatures Champagne would have experienced several decades ago, resulting in ideal temperatures for producing sparkling wine.
• Location – England has always had excellent soil for growing sparkling wine. In fact, the Paris Basin, the ring of chalk and limestone that lies underneath Paris and Champagne, dips underneath the Channel and re-emerges through much of Southern England. 
• Crisp Flavor Profile – English vineyards are further north than Champagne and usually reach cooler temperatures throughout the season, resulting in higher levels of acidity in the grapes, which translates into a crisp fresh flavor. Additionally, this means England has a slower ripening season, due to the lower temperature and sunlight levels, which allows the flavor profiles within the fruit to build up and further develop. 

These factors paved the way for the steady rise in high-quality British sparkling wine production. Amassing an impressive collection of international awards, the British wine industry has skyrocketed from being a gutsy and tenacious outsider to a champagne-beating cellar essential.