Plan your post-lockdown party with our wine expert’s picks of British fizz

EVERY celebration calls for a glass of bubbly, but if you’re planning post-lockdown parties, why not swap pricey French fizz for a flute of something closer to home. Sales of English sparkling wines are booming, with experts recently predicting production will double to 2million bottles annually over the next decade. Here, wine expert Helena Nicklin […]

EVERY celebration calls for a glass of bubbly, but if you’re planning post-lockdown parties, why not swap pricey French fizz for a flute of something closer to home.

Sales of English sparkling wines are booming, with experts recently predicting production will double to 2million bottles annually over the next decade.

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Here, wine expert Helena Nicklin pops the cork on her choice of the best-value belting British bubbles.

Lyme Block Brut Reserve: 7/10

(£16.99, Aldi)

Made by the Lyme Bay Winery in Devon, this floral fizz is delicate, leafy and spritzy thanks to some more unusual grape variet­ies.

It’s a good balance of citrus and toast flavour, which would pair well with seafood.

A delicious low-price wine.

Co-op Irresistible Eight Acres Spark­ling Rosé: 8/10

(£18, coop.co.uk)

Elegant, red apple and berry flavours with just the right amount of yeasty tang.

Made by a well-respected family winery in Maidstone, Kent, this is fresh, acidic and classy.

There’s a lot go­ing on, yet it is understated and refined. Great for BBQ.

Tesco Finest English Sparkling Wine: 7/10

(£19, tesco.com)

Pale gold with ripe apple, melon, pear, a tonne of citrus to freshen things up and additional quirky nuttiness for depth.

This dry, crisp sparkler from Kent has ling­ering apple and citrus flavours that would match beautifully with canapes.

Balfour 1503 Rose Oast House Cuvee: 9/10

(£20, Marks­ & Spencer)

With a little more weight and tex­ture, this rosé from Kent oozes summer pud­d­ing, hedge­row and wild strawberry flavours.

Soft and moreish, it would be delicious with a summer pudding or just solo.

Sainsbury’s Taste The Diff­erence English Sparkling Wine: 10/10

(£20.50, sains­burys.co.uk)

By the ren­owned Denbies in Surrey, this is top-notch and sophisticated.

Using all three Cham­pagne grapes it has beauti­ful brioche notes with ripe apple and pear flavours.

A fab fizz.

Asda Extra Special English Sparkling Wine: 8/10

(£21, asda.com)

Made with grapes from a Hampshire vineyard, this is easy-drinking and refreshing.

Crisp but not too tart, it is loaded with ripe fruity flavours and has a bal­anced finish.

Would match well with fish dishes. Delicious.

Ellercombe English Spar­kling Wine: 7/10

(£18, sainsburys.com)

Pure, pretty and crisp with green apple, citrus and delicate floral notes.

Made using classic champagne methods and grapes from vineyards around the South Coast.

A traditional champagne taste, with a British accent.

Morrisons Eng­lish Sparkl­ing ‘Grand Vintage’ Brut, 2010: 9/10

(£25, morrisons.co.uk)

Made from trad­i­tional Champagne grapes, each bottle has been stored for eight years to dev­elop very fine bubbles.

It explodes on your tongue, and tastes in­credible.

Com­­plex, toasty tang and lots of fruit.

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