Bubble Yum

English sparkling wine is giving bubbly a run for its money.

- WEETS GOH

In 2017, London’s 67 Pall Mall, a private members’ club in London for wine lovers and fine dining, held its inaugural Judgement of London – a blind tasting that pitched English sparkling wines against Champagne. The event came soon after British chef, restaurateur, and TV personality Marco Pierre White said that “only a numpty would buy English wine”.

Was White wrong? To ensure an even playing field, all the wines were chosen from similar retail price points to avoid comparisons between them and those from older vines in Champagne. And, while Champagne took first place in two of the three bubbly categories – Brut, Blanc de Blanc and Rose – the British sparkling wines held their own, taking second and third in each category and dominating the top three spots for Blanc de Blanc against their Gallic rivals across the English Channel.

Shifting Fortunes

While the abundance of chalky soil in the south of England allows the English to make quality sparkling wine, another important reason for its sudden proliferation in the past decade is climate change. England was previously deemed too cold to produce wines of outstanding quality. However, the average temperature in the region – where most of the country’s vineyards are located – has risen by 1 °C over the past 50 years. This means a climate much closer to that of Champagne’s, which faces the looming problem of becoming too warm.