Wine tasting: English sparkling wines have their moment

If you're shopping for bottles of bubbly for the festive season you'll not be short of choice. But there's one under-the-radar varietal that is worth exploring: English sparkling wine.

Britain now has more than 400 vineyards and 124 wineries. Most of the vines are planted in the warmer southern counties in West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent and Hampshire - and their sparkling wines are in hot demand and garnering awards.

English sparkling wines have been compared to champagne, but only wines from the Champagne region in France can legally have that name. The wines tend to have vibrant primary fruit on the nose, and acidity will be on the high side. Champagne, in contrast, is more complex due to the focus on blending. Wine writer Jancis Robinson summarises the difference as such: "Most English fizz is now very well made, and attractively dry and zesty. But very little has any real complexity since producers cannot afford to age it very long."

In terms of volume, there is no competition. Champagne produces more than 300 million bottles a year compared to England's three to four million bottles.

Locally, English sparkling remains a very niche product, but they are steadily trickling in. One vintner that is making headlines is the Kent-based Gusbourne Estate, founded by Andrew Weeber. He uses the traditional method of in-bottle second fermentation, with wines aged at least 22 months on lees to add complexity. Gusbourne, a royal celebration sparkling wine, was served at Buckingham Palace for receptions to mark the Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics.

Gusbourne Sparkling Rosé 2010
Made from a blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. Salmon pink in colour. Fragrant strawberry, red fruit on the nose. Medium body with berry fruit, refreshing acidity and a long finish. HK$287