New World Sparkling Wine
With sparkling wine still a strong element of lists in all kinds of venues, right across the country, there are clear opportunities for New World producers to carve themselves a small slice of the fizz market.
And while ten years ago the quality was somewhat up and down, increasingly they’re producing the kind of wines that can do it, whether elegant champagne wannabes like the Chromy or board-pounding surfer-dude fizz like the Hunter’s pet-nat.
No surprise that Graham Beck was in the high-end medals again, either – it’s a regular fixture on our list.
From The Tasting Teams
‘South Africa was pretty great here, while Australia surprised with the quality from the mainland. It would depend on the restaurant, but there was some fun stuff to do by the glass here.’ Matteo Furlan, The Ritz London
‘There was good value here across the board from quite a few different areas. In the on-trade a lot of people are looking for that reasonably priced aperitif that’s more of a treat and a bit different to prosecco, but not as pricey as champagne.’ Sam Weatherill, Etch. by Steven Edwards
‘It’s interesting seeing different styles like this all together. There were some great wines here. Some were beautifully subtle.’ Angela Reddin, team leader
‘The quality level was much higher than general prosecco, and I didn’t baulk at the prices either. They’re great because they’re different.’ Angela Reddin, team leader