the times | Thursday October 15 2020 1GT 5
the table
vineyards planted ten years ago finally
come to fruition and start trying to get
their wine on to shelves and menus in
Britain. Waitrose, for instance, stocks
an astonishing 47 English sparkling
wines. This is where Taittinger hopes
McGrath will come in, with his
experience of selling top-end wines in
the UK. “We’ve got the skill in
distribution, we know how to build
brands,” McGrath says.
Shoppers are increasingly willing to
spend £30 on English sparkling wine,
believes Jamie Matthewson, the
buying manager of wine at Waitrose.
“Ultimately it tastes good. The British
consumer votes with their feet.” He
points out that English sparkling wine
has boomed in the past five years at
his supermarket, while sales of far
cheaper prosecco and cava have fallen.
Could Brexit throw a spanner in the
works, though? Le Sueur gives a little
Gallic shrug when I ask. “It’s a strange
decision,” he says of the Leave vote. It
may make hiring of workers far more
difficult, but it could help with exports.
Then he adds: “Us French think you
English are quite eccentric, but we also
think [Brexit] was a way for you to say,
‘We are free.’ You drive on the left, you
have your own money. For French
people, England is the country of
freedom and, for me, those bubbles are
part of that story. We are very happy
to invest here — you English drink the
most champagne in the world, outside
of France. It makes sense to be here.”
He is unlikely to be the last
Frenchman to be on the hunt for land
in England to plant grapevines.new French fizz is from Kent
COVER: GETTY IMAGES; BELOW: JAMES CLARKE FOR THE TIMESThe top 20 English wines By Jane MacQuitty
2019 The Society’s English White,
Gloucestershire, 11.5 per cent,
thewinesociety.com, £8.
Brilliant, bosky, English summer
garden-scented, floral, spritzy 2019
from Three Choirs; it’s the perfect
autumn aperitif.2019 Chapel Down Flint Dry,
Kent, 12 per cent, Waitrose,
£13.99; Booths, £12.
Tongue-tingling, tart, verdant,
chardonnay-led, fish-friendly
white, topped up with bacchus and
six other white grapes.2019 Finest English White, Kent,
11 per cent, Tesco, £
Hats off to Hush Heath, which
made this light, zesty, elderflower-
elegant, crowd-pleasing
chardonnay, bacchus and pinot
blanc blend. Vegan-approved.2019 Balfour Chardonnay-Ortega,
Kent, 12 per cent,
Marks & Spencer, £
Exotic, spicy ortega is England’s
answer to viognier, so lap up this
soft, peachy, easy-swigging, apple-
blossom white and rejoice.2017 Bolney Estate Dark Harvest,
West Sussex, 11.5 per cent,
Waitrose, £11.
Tangy 2017 — mostly rondo with
a dash of regent — bursting
with crunchy red fruit, from a
pioneering red wine producer.2018 Gusbourne Guinevere, Boot
Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, Kent,
12.5 per cent, gusbourne.com, £
A rich, leafy, nutty and appley, oak
barrique-aged, single-vineyard
Kent chardonnay.2018 Hush Heath Springfield
Chardonnay, Kent, 12 per cent,
hushheath.com, down to £18.
The long, hot, dry 2018 vintage
is our finest yet, and this
terrific, floral, orchard-blossom
chardonnay is a cracker.joic
E
ker. pro
White
Re d
2015 Brightwell Oxford Regatta,
Oxfordshire, 12 per cent,
Waitrose, £12.
Spot-on, consistently good Regatta,
made exclusively from the
dornfelder grape. Crammed with
mature, smoky redcurrant fruit.2018 Bolney Estate Pinot Noir,
West Sussex, 11.5 per cent,
Waitrose, £17.
Another triumph from Sam Lintner
of Bolney; this time it’s her zingy,
sweet red berry and cherry-laden
pinot noir. Great with mild game.2017 Sixteen Ridges Pinot Noir
Early, Worcestershire, 12.5 per
cent, tanners-wines.co.uk, £14.
An early-ripening pinot noir gives
this cool, juicy red some of
beaujolais’ mouthwatering, vibrant
raspberry pizzazz.2018 Sharpham Pinot Noir,
Devon, 11.5 per cent,
dbyrne-finewines.co.uk, £13.
In a warm year our most widely
planted flagship red grape is a total
charmer. So tuck into this soft,
velvety, red-plum mouthful.2014 Bride Valley Blanc de
Blancs, Dorset, 11.5 per cent,
Waitrose, £
A zesty, white flowers-scented
chardonnay fizz from wine writer
turned vigneron Steven Spurrier.Nyetimber Classic Cuvee,
West Sussex, 12 per cent,
thewinesociety.com, £
Creamy, smoky, lemon-brioche hit:
two thirds chardonnay, one third
pinot noir, a dab of pinot meunier.2013 Nyetimber Single Vineyard
Tillington, West Sussex, 12 per
cent, Harvey Nichols, £
Smouldering, quince and toasted
almond-rich prestige fizz that’s as
good as a luxury champagne.2017 Camel Valley Pinot Noir
Brut Rose, Cornwall, 12.5 per
cent, Waitrose, £29.
Bob and Sam Lindo’s absolutely
delicious, meaty, wild strawberry-
stashed pink sparkler.2018 Balfour Hush Heath
Estate, Luke’s Pinot Noir,
Kent, 12.5 per cent,
sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk, £
Tip-top 2018 Burgundian-styled
pinot; it’s a sensual, silky, Côte
d’Oresque, rose-scented star.2018 Gusbourne Boot Hill
Vineyard Pinot Noir,
Kent, 12.5 per cent,
fortnumandmason.com, £32.
Gorgeous, savoury, red-meat-
loving, mocha-scented pinot noir
from a truly great vineyard.2017 Camel Valley Cornwall
Brut, 12.5 per cent.
Waitrose, £27.
Fruity, honeysuckle and citrus-
fragrant, easy-sipping, seyval blanc
bubbly, topped up with chardonnay
and a dash of pinot noir.2019 Chapel Down Sparkling
Bacchus, Kent, 12 per cent,
majestic.co.uk, from £17.
Not the real méthode champenoise
deal, but this is such a fun, frothy,
fizzy, carbonated grapefruit and
elderflower party pop, who cares?Fizz
2019 Fortnum & Mason Bacchus,
Laneberg Wine, Gloucestershire,
11 per cent,
fortnumandmason.com, £15.
Who knew that grapes grown in
Gloucestershire could make such a
lovely, hedgerow-scented bacchus?