Top 10 English sparkling under £30
See our top 10 English sparkling wines under £30 to enjoy this summer, including the Platinum and Gold medal winners from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2018...
Affordable English fizz for summer
Perfect for picnics, barbecues and dining al fresco — English sparkling wines have become one of the nation’s favourite ways to mark an occasion. Figures released in 2017 highlighted a 76% sales increase in the UK over the previous five years.
See below for our pick of 10 English sparkling wines to bring to the party this summer, including the Platinum and Gold medal winners from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2018.
See all UK DWWA medal winners
Top supermarket wines: DWWA medal winners
See Susie Barrie MW’s premium English sparkling wine recommendations
In September 2017, it was reported that English wines make up over half of the UK Government’s cellar purchases.
Top 10 English sparkling wines for summer:
Updated June 2018
Camel Valley, Pinot Noir Rosé Brut, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, 2015
97
DWWA 2018 Platinum Medal: Lovely nose with peachy fruit and crunchy red berries. Elegant yet bursting with concentration this has superb purity from start to finish and rounds off with a persistent mineral note.
2015
Camel ValleyCornwall
Henners, Reserve Brut, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom, 2010
97
DWWA 2018 Platinum Medal: Honey, mushroom, and ripe apple, this really benefits from the additional age. The acid profile makes this distinctly English, and is complemented effectively with good texture and softness.
2010
HennersEast Sussex
Digby Fine English, Brut, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
97
DWWA 2018 Platinum Medal: Toasty, nutty and biscuity on the nose with some evolution evident. The palate is generous but maintains tension with bright acidity, precise green apple fruit and savoury marine notes. Long and intense on the finish.
Digby Fine EnglishHampshire
Ashling Park, Brut, West Sussex, England, United Kingdom
95
DWWA 2018 Gold Medal: Focus and precision on the nose, full of personality and vigour. The mousse is persistent and the texture light and poised. A decent dose of autolytic complexity on the finish.
Ashling ParkWest Sussex
Exton Park, Rosé Brut, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
95
DWWA 2018 Gold Medal: Interesting nose with herbal notes and delicate red fruit. Vibrant and clean with good tension and well-defined flavours. Long and vinous on the finish, showing rich fruit and floral complexity.
Exton ParkHampshire
Booths, English Sparkling Brut, England, United Kingdom
92
Produced by Ridgeview Estate for Booths, this is an excellent example of what English sparkling is all about: fresh and zesty with ripe white fruit aromas and a touch of brioche on the nose from the lees ageing. The Pinot Noir & Meunier bring texture, richness and complexity and it's balanced out by the finesse and elegance of the Chardonnay. Enjoy with canapés for the perfect aperitif now, but this will also cellar well for the next year or so.
Booths
Sainsbury's, Taste the Difference English Sparkling Brut, England, United Kingdom, 2011
91
Produced by Denbies for Sainsbury's, this has a bready nose with lovely clean, fresh lemon and dough flavours in the mouth. There is a chalky acidity, not as tart as some, and the wine is well balanced with a stone fruit and honeycomb richness coming through on the finish.
2011
Sainsbury's
Balfour Winery, 1503 Foxwood Classic Cuvée, Kent, England, United Kingdom
90
The year 1503 was when Hush Heath Manor in Kent (home of the Balfour-Lynn family who own this wine estate) was founded. Exclusive to the Co-op, this blend uses grapes from Hush Heath's newest vineyard, planted in 2002, for a fresh, fruit-forward style. It is a well-made wine with a fresh, fine mousse and crisp acidity. There's lemon balm, white flower and green apple notes plus a hint of red berry fruit on the tight palate.
Balfour WineryKent
Chapel Down, Brut, Kent, England, United Kingdom
88
This stalwart fizz always offers reliable drinking, and this new-release NV is from 2015 base wine. The grapes (42% Chardonnay, 13 % Pinot Blanc, 4% Pinot Noir and 4% Pinot Meunier) are sourced from vineyards in Kent, Essex, Sussex and Dorset, and the wine is aged on its lees in bottle for up to 24 months before disgorgement (in January 2018). It features nutty aromas and a layered palate of fresh apple and citrus fruit.
Chapel DownKent
