In the world of English sparkling wine, it has always been the case that the producers were under pressure to bottle everything they could due to financial pressures or harvesting too little fruit. Krebiehl writes that now the times are changing and the producers now have an “industry that can no longer be described as fledgling”. This is due to “two record-breaking harvests in a row”.
She writes about Hambledon Vineyard, a relative newcomer to the market but with a focus on Non-Vintage blends. Ian Kellett at Hambledon says “We believe the reason that the world’s greatest sparkling wines are made in Non-Vintage styles is a qualitative factor rather than a volume-protection or mitigation exercise” and that the 2015 harvest “will have three years of reserve wine plus the harvest, so it’ll be a four year blend.”
Read the full article “English Sparkling wine: Forward and reserves” by Anne Krebeihl MW by downloading the PDF below.
