Drinks of the Month
Fortnum & Mason Sparkling Tea
As I’ve said many times I’ve yet to find an alcohol-free wine that is as good as its boozy counterpart but Fortnum & Mason's sparkling tea is a really good alternative to champagne.
While not cheap at £16.95 a bottle it’s a quality product which has been developed by their tea department in conjunction with Danish sommelier Jacob Kocemba of the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company who pioneered the idea of sparkling tea. It’s based on a blend of 8 different fine and rare teas including Chinese Green, Gunpowder Green, Jasmine Green, Darjeeling, Japanese Matcha, Nepalese Jun Chiya, Ceylon Greenfield and Chinese Silver Needles blended with grape juice and lemon juice and has a sophisticated passionfruit and other tropical fruit character without in being in any way cloying or sickly.
They recommend it as for picnics with smoked salmon or a pork pie (think I’d rather have an alcohol-free beer with that) but I reckon it’s perfect bottle to serve as a wedding toast for non-drinkers or to take to a dinner party host who doesn’t drink.
If you’d like be able to check out all the food and wine pairings on the site you can buy a bundle of credits here to access my premium content.
And/or for regular updates on what and where I’ve been eating, drinking and travelling sign up for my weekly newsletter Eat This, Drink That, Live Well.