A Hampshire fizz for VE Day celebrations

Looking for a fizz to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day? We have the ideal solution in the form of something fine and fresh that hails from a Champagne house with a vineyard in Hampshire.

As part of a project named Pinglestone Estate after the vineyard site in the south west, the English sparkling wine was the first to be released by a Champagne house, even though Champagne Taittinger planted vines in the UK ahead of Pommery, with the former house choosing Kent for its project.

However, Pommery opted to partner with Hampshire’s Hattingley Valley to use their facilities to produce its first English sparkler, allowing it to release a fizz employing grapes from established vineyards in this British county while it waits for its own plantation to mature.

And the quality of Pommery’s English sparkling is high, with the fizz one of the few to gain a Gold medal in last year’s Global Sparkling Masters by the drinks business.

It’s also widely retailed in the UK, carried by home delivery outlets such as Ocado, or, for something more immediate, a specialist independent wine retailer such as Lea & Sandeman.

What does it taste like? Expect some of the creaminess of Champagne with the freshness of an English sparkler, and the beautiful apple scents of a Hampshire orchard.

Brand: Louis Pommery England, NV
Source: Pinglestone Estate Limited, Hampshire, UK
Company: Vranken-Pommery
Winemaker: Clément Pierlot
Price: £30
Medal: Gold – The Global Sparkling Masters 2019

Of course, if you do want to stick with Champagne, then you should look no further than Churchill’s favourite house: Pol Roger.

You might struggle to keep up with the wartime PM’s consumption: according to Pol, Churchill drank two bottles a day.

Read more:

THE GLOBAL SPARKLING MASTERS 2019: RESULTS IN FULL

POMMERY FIRST CHAMPAGNE HOUSE TO RELEASE ENGLISH FIZZ