Made from a blend of Champagne grapes on Hattingley's south-facing vineyards, this is made in the traditional method and spends 21 months ageing in bottle before release. Supremely well-balanced, with a fine, creamy mousse, it's subtly toasty and ripe, with floral hints and notes of ripe peach and brioche.
Buy this if...you want a slightly more local alternative to Champagne.
Britain's best value bubbles? This English sparkling wine is seriously good value, especially since it's the vintage cuvée. Hampshire vies with Champagne here in very stately style. Outstanding fizz that, at this price, doesn't demand a special occasion to open it; how about this Friday?
Simon Robinson established Hattingley Valley in 2008 with a 28 acre, south facing site in Wield, a beautiful corner of east Hampshire. The winery was completed in 2010, the first in the UK to be solar-powered, and the first commercial release was launched in 2013.
Director and winemaker Emma Rice is assisted by Jacob Leadley, both of whom trained at Plumpton College and Will Perkins who is studying there. 25% of the blend was barrel fermented in three-to-four year old white Burgundy barrels. The wine spent 8 months in tank and barrel on its fermentation lees. The wine was transferred to bottle and spent 21 months ageing on its lees with a further four months on cork after disgorging.
England's south-east corner, with its marginal climate and chalky soils is catching up with (and in some cases surpassing) Champagne with some world-class wines produced in the classic Champagne method from the same grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The Hattingley vineyards are located in Wield, east Hampshire, on a total of 60 acres of south-facing slopes deemed ideal for the production of grapes.
What a splendid bubbly fresh green fruit flavour, a great price from Rude Wines, enjoyed with my sister.
A classic French dish which is surprisingly versatile with different styles of wine. We'd stick to a crisp, mineral white or classic English fizz which won't overpower the delicate seafood and will cut through the creamy sauce.
We had you at lemon and butter didn't we? Head for dry whites with citrus flavours which will pair well with the lemon in the dish and provide a foil for the salty capers. Hattingley Valley's Classic Cuvee really does the trick.
A delicious smoked haddock together with rich, creamy lentils needs a wine with plenty of fruit concentration and structure to stand up to the contrasting smoky, earthy and creamy notes. For weight and body, try English sparkling wines made in the classic Champagne Method.