A selection of English and Welsh red, white and sparkling wines recommended by the wine experts at Waitrose Cellar.
English and Welsh wine popularity is on the up and up, with sales increasing 40% year on year.
Although you may have heard of the likes of Chapel Down, Nyetimber and Ridgeview wines, there are more and more up-and-coming winemakers making their way into the spotlight.
Below are 10 of the best English and Welsh red, white and sparkling wines available right now recommended by Waitrose Cellar wine experts.
Sparkling Wines
1. Glyndwr Sparkling Rosé Brut – £19.99
Glyndwr is the oldest family-run vineyard in Wales. This fizz is made in the traditional method from a blend of Rondo and Seyval Blanc grapes. It displays delicate strawberry fruit overlaid by fresh biscuity notes.
2. Hush Heath Balfour Leslie’s Reserve NV – £24.99
Hush Heath Estate is privately owned and operated by the Balfour-Lynn family in Kent. Named after the producer’s wife, Hush Heath’s new Leslie’s Reserve uses a traditional-method to produce a delicious English sparkling wine made from the classic Champagne grape varietals: 40% Chardonnay, 55% Pinot Noir and 5% Pinot Meunier.
3. Squerryes Vintage Reserve Brut 2011 - £30.00, Exclusive to Waitrose
Squerryes is a large 2,500-acre estate in Westerham, Kent, an area of outstanding natural beauty nestled in the North Downs where the rock, soil and microclimate are ideal for the production of sparkling wine. The 2011 vintage is made from all estate-grown fruit and a blend of 45% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Meunier It has spent 36 months on lees before disgorging, to develop a fine biscuit complexity.
4. Castle Brook Classic Cuvée Brut 2009 - £32.00, Exclusive to Waitrose Cellar
From a vineyard run by the Chinn family, best known for producing Wye Valley Asparagus at Cobrey Farms in Herefordshire and a long-time Waitrose supplier of asparagus and rhubarb. All of the grapes come from Chris Chinn's five-acre vineyard on a steep south-facing slope on his Herefordshire farm.
5. Eastcott Meldon Brut Rosé 2013 – £25.00, Exclusive to Waitrose
The original Lower Eastcott Farm was established in the 16th century. Richard and Hilary Waller took over the remaining buildings and 12 acres in 2007, with a vision to create a new era for the farmland and buildings by planting a six-acre vineyard and building a modern winery. Success followed and their business flourished – they now make a range of fresh and fruity wine styles with real English character. This pink fizz has delicious red berry summer fruit pudding flavours and is a real regional gem.
6. Digby Fine English Leander Pink NV - £22.50, Exclusive to Waitrose
Digby’s Leander Pink is the official sparkling wine of the world renowned Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames. Each bottle sold supports Leander Academy to train young men and women who aspire to greatness. Digby achieves its fine quality through the refined art of blending. The grapes are grown in the chalky soil of Kent, Sussex and Hampshire by its world-class vineyard partners. Jubilant yet gracious, with an elegant pink hue, this fizz celebrates England’s most vibrant Pinot Noir with rich, aged Chardonnay and ethereal Pinot Meunier.
Red Wines
7. Glyndwr Red – £12.99
A home grown Welsh red wine is a rarity. After harvesting the red grapes from mature 25-year-old vines, this remarkable wine is then gently aged in new American oak barrels. The result is a complex and fruity red wine.
White Wines
8. Glyndwr White – £10.99
This Welsh white has been created by Susan & Richard Norris on their estate in Glamorgan. The wine displays delicate peach and gooseberry flavours. It's rich and smooth in style yet has a wonderfully refreshing feel.
9. Lyme Bay Shoreline 2014 – £12.99, Exclusive to Waitrose
Lyme Bay have supplied Waitrose with traditionally made West Country fruit wines from Devon's beautiful Axe Valley for many years. In 2010 they planted 26,000 vines, with the dream of making high-quality still wines, benefitting from their maritime climate and long, warm growing season. Their courage was rewarded with a superb 2014 maiden vintage, picking up a Decanter World Wine Awards Silver Medal in 2015. Intense and persistent on the palate, the grapefruit acidity is incredibly appealing against a lemon backdrop. Particularly aromatic and elegant.
10. Davenport Horsmonden Dry White 2014 – £13.99, Exclusive to Waitrose
Will Davenport's small organic estate in Sussex makes some of the very best English fine still wines. Will planted his first vines in 1994 and the business is still family-owned today. Trained at Roseworthy College in Australia, Will has worked in vineyards in Alsace, California and Australia. His mantra is to intervene as little as possible, and to make wine in the most natural, sustainable way he can. We love his softly aromatic Horsmonden white, with its subtle minerality and sophisticated style.
What English and Welsh wines do you recommend? Let us know in the Comments box below.
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