It's Valentine's day, let's get fizzical!
Champagne has long reigned unchallenged as the world's premier sparkling wine, perennially seeing off cava, sekt, Prosecco and other bubbly local champions. Now as a Scot, I carry no torch for English sparkling wine. Yet it is undeniable that in the 20 or so years that I have followed wine, the quality of English sparkling wine has improved at breakneck speed. There are now some seriously good examples out there. Could we have reached a turning point? Could English sparkling wine now be mounting a real challenge to its cross-channel cousins?
As bubbles are the virtually official drink of Valentine's Day, we're having a bubble-off: it's Champagne versus English sparkling wine. And in further deference to the day, we've made all our bubbles pink; it's a rose-tinted bubble off.
In the home corner we have native born Sussex champions Nyetimber (Pulborough) and Rathfinny (Alfriston); from across the water we have classic labels Bollinger and Gosset (both domiciled in salubrious Ay). It could get nasty before it gets nice but this being the 14 February, you know everything is destined to end in love and kisses. /NT
Offered subject to confirmation; available now online and in the shop
