English Sparkling Wine Is the New Champagne
by Siti Zawani
@ 18 Sep 2015
This year, England’s best bubbles picked up a bumper crop of 17 gold medals at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) and 81 assorted accolades at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Champagne producers may have little to be worried about when it comes to these English efforts flooding the market (for now), they should probably be concerned about the competition’s quality. Southern England’s maritime climate is morphing into a dual one that includes continental elements, just like Champagne. Aside from climate change’s helping hand, Hambledon holds several trump cards. The Hampshire-based winery has the same chalk soil as Avize, a Grand Cru village in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs region.
“Drinking English sparkling wine is becoming a tradition because they’re very well made,” says Danebury Vineyards’ Caroline Stevens. “Lots of English wineries have tried to beat Champagne and now they have, they simply have to continue what they’re doing. The future’s looking good.” Get educated about the shift in grape-growing here:
http://goo.gl/J25FqF
