Langham to release England’s first ‘col fondo’ fizz

Langham Wine Estate in Dorset is to release what it claims is England’s first col fondo fizz this month, which has undergone its secondary fermentation in kegs.

Zig Zag is a blend of 50% Madeleine Angevine and 50% Chardonnay, and will be sold in 20 litre kegs to bars, restaurants and festivals to be served by the glass.

Langham’s winemaker, Tommy Grimshaw, believes the experiment is a first for a UK wine producer and is hoping that the funky, affordable fizz will attract newcomers to English wine.

“I was in a pub and saw Prosecco on tap and thought, I wonder if I could get a second fermentation to happen in keg; so, I did a trial of three kegs and it worked,” Grimshaw said.

“I wanted to create something that has the same care and focus on quality that applies to all of our wines. We think this is a way of making English wine fun and a little more accessible from a pricing perspective,” he added.

Forty 20-litre environmentally friendly KeyKegs holding 160 glasses of white and rosé frizzante-style English fizz will be available from Langham at the end of May.

The name Zig Zag is inspired by the the zig-zagging chalk on which Langham’s vineyards are situated. The estate’s two other cuvées, Corallian and Culver, are also named after the vineyard’s chalk geology.