Drinks of the Month

Wine of the week: Louis Pommery England Brut

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on June 2 2018 at 14:54

The standard of English sparkling wine is already high but I can’t remember being as impressed by a homegrown sparkling wine for a while as I am by this bottle. Of course you could argue that it’s not really English at all as it’s made by the team at Vranken Pommery in collaboration with Hattingley Valley in Hampshire.

Pommery is the first champagne house to release an English wine. They have already planted a vineyard in Hampshire but it won’t be productive until 2024 so they have had to source the grapes for this cuvée from vineyards in Hampshire, Essex and Sussex.

It has an elegance depth and finesse that some English sparkling wines lack with a lovely fine stream of bubbles. I’d be amazed if most people could tell it from champagne which is just as well as it’s in the champagne price bracket (£40 normally). However it’s on offer currently at Ocado at £26.66, and at Lea & Sandeman for £34.95 a bottle.

The only thing it lacks is a more stylish label but at least they’re not using the ghastly WineGB logo. It’s made in England so that’s what it says on the label.

Lovely as an aperitif or with some elegant seafood like langoustine ravioli. And a lovely wine to serve at a wedding.

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