Olly Smith’s Best British bubblies 

Olly Smith’s Best British bubblies

The Mail on Sunday’s drinks expert picks the home-grown fizz that pops his cork 

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference English Sparkling Brut 2015

Breaky Bottom Cuvée Koizumi Yakumo 2010, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference English Sparkling Brut 2015

Breaky Bottom Cuvée Koizumi Yakumo 2010 (12%), £36.95, corneyandbarrow.com

English excellence about as good as it gets. Characterful – downright exuberant – but with poise, class and quality, this is truly world-class wine grown on our very own doorstep. I’ve bought a case already.

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference English Sparkling Brut 2015 (12%), £20.50, sainsburys.co.uk

Get your nose in here for a heft of hawthorn. This fab fizz from Denbies (denbies.co.uk) is charged with bright zest, like a lemon in a lightbulb socket, and floral and peppery aromas. A dynamo of deliciousness.

Asda Extra Special English Sparkling brut 2015 (12%), £21, asda.com

Fragrant as cow parsley in full bloom, this hedgerow-scented supermarket superstar is luxuriant, moreish and well worth its price point. Zingy and resonant with a discreetly spicy hint, this is rich fine silk for a denim jacket price.

Balfour 1503 Foxwood Cuvée NV (11.5%), £17.50, coop.co.uk

Cracking value for buzzing bubbly that’s fruity and sharp as an apple spliced with a pineapple. Made by Hush Heath (hushheath.com), this Kentish beauty is fulsomely quaffable and the perfect refreshment for afternoon tea.

Tesco Finest English Sparkling NV (11.5%), £19, tesco.com

This smashing sparkler is as scented and vivid as a bluebell the size of an oak tree, as lithe and focused as a ninja. Floral, complex and delightfully crisp, it’s sheer refreshment that feels like a classic in the making.

Greyfriars Blanc de Noirs NV

Morrisons The Best English Sparkling Brut NV

Greyfriars Blanc de Noirs NV, Morrisons The Best English Sparkling Brut NV

Greyfriars Blanc de Noirs NV (11.5%), £30, greyfriarsvineyard.co.uk

This is a rich opulent fizz from the Surrey hills with a splice of citrus freshness that feels like a gracious surge of sheer class. If it’s a statement you want to make, this wine will do all the talking for you.

Morrisons The Best English Sparkling Brut NV (12%), £20, groceries.morrisons.com

Be first in the queue for this new batch. Expect fizz with energetic bubbles, very good depth, plenty of zing and a boost of briskness to your day. Pour this British bubbly with pride.

My latest blush crush 

I’ve bought several bottles of this stuff. You have to go to a branch of Vagabond wines in London to buy it either to take away (£18.95) or drink in (£29.95) but the trip is well worth it. Made in Battersea from English grapes, in the oldest fizz method around, this prime pink is what I poured for the crew of Saturday Kitchen after a recent show and it was a universal thumbs-up. Sip and savour its splendour.   

  • Fizz: 80 Joyful Cocktails And Mocktails For Every Occasion by Olly Smith (Ebury Press, £12.99) is out now. To order a copy for £10.39 until 28 July 2019,

call 0844 571 0640; p&p is free on orders over £15

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk