Brace yourself for British bubbly

Those who love wine with bubbles are having a moment. Producers around the world are crafting really delicious sparkling wines. Excellent quality wines are made, of course, in France’s Champagne district, in the U.S. and in Italy, as well as Australia and New Zealand. But in England?

In August, for the first time in the Society of Wine Educators’ history, a seminar was held about sparkling wine produced in England. In September, a number of British wineries were mentioned with accolades in a Wall Street Journal article by wine journalist Will Lyons.

It’s clear that the movers and shakers in the world of wine have discovered British sparkling wine, and it’s a pretty good bet that in the next few years, you will, too.

While Britain has long been a center of both wine education and consumption, the country has not been noted for production. That is changing.

Sarah Malik, associate professor at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, gave the British sparkling-wine presentation at the Society of Wine Educators to an audience of enthusiastic wine educators from around the world. Malik noted that her interest was piqued by the growing presence and popularity of home-produced sparkling wine on wine and grocery shelves in England.

As the wines aren’t widely available in the U.S. just yet, acquiring a wide selection for the seminar was challenging. But Malik is confident these wines will arrive in the Charlotte market in the next few years.

Particularly in Southern England, the climate and soils are quite similar to those found in the famed Champagne region of France, making the production of sparkling wine a good bet. With cool and rainy weather, the production of still wines in England can be challenging, but that climate is good for sparkling wines.

Often the grapes planted are the same varieties used in Champagne: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The method used to produce the wines is the complex traditional method, also used in Champagne. Malik notes that British wines are noted for taut acidity and floral aromas.

Champagne is often expensive. In her presentation, Malik pointed out that the bubbles market has room for well-made sparkling wines at a moderate price. Savvy British producers see the potential for their wines in this window.

With 2015 looking like it will be a great harvest in England, it may be that it won’t be long before we see British wines on our supermarket shelves.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Brace yourself for British bubbly."