Next week's English Wine Producers' annual tasting will feature a gold-studded Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA) masterclass led by award-winning wine consultant and SWA team leader Jade Koch, who will be showcasing seven stars of the English wine world.
Expect four sparkling white wines, including bruts from well-known producers Camel Valley and Gusbourne, plus the five-year aged Magna Carta Cuvée from Surrey's High Clandon Estate and Bluebell's Hindleap Blanc de Blancs 2011 from Sussex. The sparkling rosé comes from the debut releases of Henry Laithwaite, son of Tony Laithwaite, at Harrow & Hope in the Thames & Chiltern region
On the still front, Lyme Bay's Shoreline 2014 from Devon, an aromatically crisp Seyval Blanc/Bacchus blend with a touch of Pinot Noir, is followed by the Cornish Mena Hweg from Knightor, a Mosel-alike 7.5% Schönburger sweet wine.
'It's been an exciting year for English wine at the Sommelier Wine Awards,’ says competition director and Imbibe editor, Chris Losh, continuing: 'The medal count for home-grown sparkling wine has soared, from five in 2013 to 25 this year.
'Looking at the still wines, English whites are usually characterised by spring hedgerow aromatics, needlepoint acidity and a certain weightlessness. They're not, for sure, to everyone's taste, nor are they the cheapest wines. But they do have a certain uniqueness, and that makes them useful weapons in the ongoing somm war against tedious wine lists.'
Full SWA results are available at sommelierwineawards.com
The English Wine Producers Tasting is being held at One Great George St, in Westminster. To attend, please email mags@englishwineproducers.com for an invitation, or complete this form .
To reserve your seat at Jade’s Masterclass, 10.30am, please complete the booking form
