Olly Smith’s Best British bubblies
The Mail on Sunday’s drinks expert picks the home-grown fizz that pops his cork
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 (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