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English Sparkling Beats in Paris Blind Tasting By Peter Allen // April 20th 2016

nglish was on champagne. Half the tasters thought the Wednesday toasting a spectac- English wine was champagne. ular victory over the French “We couldn’t have expected the tasting to E version – as an elite group go so well,” said Matthew Jukes, the Brit- of Parisian experts said it was better than ish wine expert and author who organised champagne. the historic event, at Juveniles restaurant in A team from Britain’s Wine and Spir- central Paris, in time for St George’s Day, on it Trade Association travelled across the April 23rd. Channel and invited some of the biggest “In all my years writing about wine, I names in the Gallic restaurant and bar never would have believed that top French trade to a blind tasting. palates would take Many were convinced that some of the for Champagne – it really is immensely ex- UK-produced fizz was from their own citing,” Mr Jukes added after Wednesday’s country, and in most cases they preferred it tasting. to champagne. The English have always been great wine In the first tasting of its kind in Paris, drinkers, but it is only in recent years that those taking part said the English sparkling their own industry has started to flourish. wine was better in two out of three catego- It remains extremely small – accounting GUSBOURNE ries, and it drew with the champagne in the for around one per cent of the domestic 2011 GUSBOURNE other. market – but sparkling wine is doing par- Among the successes was a £40 bottle of ticularly well. Our goal with the roséis to allow 2009 Nyetimber sparkling wine produced ’s increasingly warm climate the wine to express natural in . Nine members of the 14 and its chalk soils are ideal for producing fruitfulness but at the same time to be interesting and ensure member panel thought it was better than a bubbly, and now the French are starting to longevity. We believe that using £65 bottle of Billecart-Salmon Grand Cru agree. predominantly red skinned grape champagne. “It is certainly impressive,” said Eric varieties ensures a roundness and GUS- When a £37.99 bottle of 2011 Riewer, President of the hugely influential red fruit character to the wine, BOURNE Rosé went up against a NV committee of the Gault Millau but the is important Ayala, Rosé Majeur from Champagne, nine restaurant guides. to retain freshness and longevity. preferred the Gusborne and five picked the Mr Riewer’s fellow panelists also in- —CHARLIE HOLLAND,

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cluded Mark Williamson, who opened the the same English wine was “very fresh, and lion bottles by 2020. world famous Willi’s Wine Bar in Paris in more fruity than French champagne. It’s Wine and Spirit Trade Association 1980. the first time I’ve tried it, and it’s a very nice Chief Executive Miles Beale said: “This is a Explaining how he had regularly served s u r pr i s e .” ground breaking time for English sparkling English wine to Paris bankers, Mr William- The growing popularity of English wine wine. son said: “They were astonished to discover led to a 40 per cent increase in applications “We should all raise a glass on St George’s it was not champagne.” to develop UK last year. Day to celebrate that we have successfully The experts’ view was echoed by ordi- Champagne giant Taittinger is among slayed the myth that English wine cannot nary Parisians who tasted the Nyetimber the speculators, buying 170 acres of compete with the best in the world.” sparkling wine. countryside at a former apple farm near Tamara Roberts, who runs the Rid- Jordan Huret, 32, originally from the Canterbury. geview wine estate, said: “I am delighted Champagne capital of Rheims, and his UK received a total of 365 awards but certainly not surprised that our Rid- friend Floriane Merzougui, 26, both said it in 2015, compared with 265 in 2014. This geview Bloomsbury was so well received by was “very nice.” figure included 46 gold medals, compared the French.” Ms Merzougui, an actress, added: “It’s to 25 the year before. “Our wines, like many other English spar- very fresh and light – I’d certainly drink it The production of English wine has seen kling wines, are of the highest quality and again.” record in the last two years, seeing reflect the unique climate and geology in Valerie Bucek, 28, and a sales executive an average of around five million bottles and around the South Downs National Park in the cosmetics industry, meanwhile said per year. This is expected to grow to 10 mil- where most of our vineyards are situated.”

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