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Times
30-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Times
Six of the best wines to serve at a wedding
W edding season is upon us, and my inbox is filling up with requests for which wines to serve. It's a stressful time, so have some fun with it — buy a few bottles and organise a little pre-wedding tasting. Here's my advice: Set a budget and stick to it. For most guests the wine is not the main event, so don't overthink your choice. You want something safe and crowd-pleasing that at the same time looks good on the table. For the reception, crémant (France's 'other' sparkling wine) is your friend. Drier than prosecco, it is smart enough to keep any snobs happy. M&S's Étoile de Timberlay Crémant de Bordeaux (£10) would be my pick, with enough biscuity brioche notes to pass as the real thing. Nobody will complain if you serve champagne, but go for a lighter style such as Henriot Brut (The Wine Society, £35) or, better still, drink local and opt for an English sparkling wine. Nyetimber is perhaps the most recognised estate. For the wedding feast, again look for wines that are a touch lighter in texture and alcohol. The golden rule is: serve something fruity and easy to drink, and this applies as much to a winter wedding as a summer one. Avoid heavy malbecs and zinfandels. For whites, try sauvignon blanc, chardonnay without too much oak, soave and chenin blanc from South Africa. For reds, pinot noir from the southern hemisphere or perhaps a juicy gamay. Tesco's non-vintage Église Saint-Jacques Bergerac (£7.75) is an excellent all-rounder with enough succulent fruit to satisfy the most discerning of guests. • The Sunday Times Wine Club's 10 best bottles this summer France (13.5%) The Wine Society, £13.50 This vibrant burgundy has enticing appley aromas and tastes a lot pricier than it is. France (14%) Lea & Sandeman, £13.50 Here's a classic, well-priced bordeaux with seductive notes of cassis and dark fruit. A perfect red for gatherings. Italy (13.5%) Waitrose, £16 A gorgeous summer wine showing sangiovese at its best. Has a lovely black cherry character. • How to start a wine cellar — and drink well for less France (12.5%) Majestic, £17 A serious alternative to champagne, this has summery notes of apple and pear, with a zesty finish. France (13%) Berry Bros & Rudd, £16.50 Everyone at a summer wedding will relish this light, elegant rosé. France (12.5%) Tanners, £49 Pol Roger is a staple at royal weddings. With its lovely rich flavour, what better way to raise a toast? • How can you tell if wine is corked? 33 wine questions answered New Zealand (13%) £23 The Kiwi answer to red burgundy is sleek and stylish, with an abundance of silky ripe berry. This is a perfect option for spoiling your guests at the wedding feast.
The Irish Sun
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Raise a glass to English Wine Week with these bargain bottles – including a new strawberry wine perfect for Wimbledon
WE don't really need an excuse to crack open a bottle come the weekend, but English Wine Week (June 21-29) is a more than good-enough reason. Sales of English sparkling have surged 187% since 2018, as people have realised how good they really are - with many outperforming their champagne rivals in taste tests. Roebuck, Bolney, Nyetimber... these English vineyards are becoming household names, and they're often to be found on supermarket shelves at excellent prices. Whether you prefer a sparkling, rose, red or white, our own vineyards have it covered. 6 Pay a visit to one of England's beautiful vineyards for a tour and tasting Credit: Supplied We love the fact you can also visit the vineyards easily for the day - grab your best girls or your guy and enjoy a fun day of tasting the best of British in glorious countryside. So, to accompany your summer of staycationing and British sport, these English Wine Week bottles are just the ticket. READ MORE IN FABULOUS 6 Pick up this English fizz for almost half price this English Wine Week Credit: Aldi To celebrate English Wine Week, Aldi is offering its Winemaster's Lot English Sparkling Wine for just £9.99 - that's 44% off its usual £17.95 price tag (available June 19-25). Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: 'English Wine Week is a great moment to showcase the quality of British winemaking." You can also pick up cracking Specially Selected English Bacchus, £7.99 - a riot of passionfruit, gooseberry and rose petal some have called a true taste of a blooming English hedgerow. And Aldi's Specially Selected English Pinot Noir Rose, £8.69, makes the perfect choice if you're looking to supply the booze for a summer wedding or gathering. Most read in Fabulous 6 Don't Feed The Ponies Billy has to be our favourite wine name Credit: Sandridge Barton Talking of reds, if you're a fan of chilled red wine - a massive trend this summer - you'll love Devon-based winery Sandridge Barton's In fact, what's not to love about a wine with a name like that (which comes from a campaign across Dartmoor National Park to stop people feeding the wild ponies, FYI)? Blending flavours of tart red berries, red apple and blackcurrant and cranberry, it's a light red at the higher end of the budget at £21.50 - but 25p will go to Dartmoor Preservation Association. 6 Nyetimber's English sparkling is the creme de la creme Credit: Nyetimber You've probably heard of Nyetimber wines - and for good reason, as yet again the winemaker recently picked up an award for its English Sparkling at London Wine Fair's Battle of the Bubbles, where Nyetimber was the first British producer to release a prestige cuvee back in 2018, and it's now served to first class passengers on British Airways flights. Obviously, it's a little pricier than most at £145 a bottle, but the same vineyard's And if you fancy a trip to an award-winning winery, book in for a 6 This strawberry wine is like summer in a glass Credit: Lyme Bay Winery With the Wimbledon Tennis Championships starting on June 30, the smell of strawberries is definitely in the air, so we were excited to discover this treat from the family-run The new The perfect picnic wine! 6 Tesco is your one-stop shop for English wine this summer Credit: Tesco Finally, if you're doing your big shop in Tesco, be sure to check out its fantastic line in English Wines, starting from just £4.75 a bottle. Graham Nash, lead product development manager at Tesco says: "Last year, our Tesco Finest English Sparkling Brut was our bestselling English wine, though English still wines continue to improve." Try the And fans of a rose will find Tesco Finest English Rose, £12.50, rather moreish, plus it's made by father and son winemaker Balfour Winery. And if cash is tight, The Straw Hat White, £4.75, is a fun British option. Wine expert shares her view on Aldi's Whispering Angel dupe WINE culturist Amelia Singer hails 'The Chassaux et Fils Rosé' as a "really savvy move from Aldi". Here, she gives Fabulous her verdict... Sainte Victoire is my favourite part of Provence to find personality filled yet great value Rosé. Thanks to the altitude of the Sainte Victoire hillsides, the grapes get exposed to plenty of sunshine during the day but their ripeness is moderated by cooler evening temperatures. This enables the wine to brim with intense, complex fruit which is balanced by elegant acidity and herbal finesse. I am delighted that Aldi are highlighting an actual area of Provence as quality and flavour profiles can vary greatly – however I always know with Rosé from Sainte Victoire that I will not be disappointed. Amelia Singer's podcast,
Scottish Sun
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Raise a glass to English Wine Week with these bargain bottles – including a new strawberry wine perfect for Wimbledon
Pick up a bottle of English sparkling for under a tenner! POP A CORK Raise a glass to English Wine Week with these bargain bottles – including a new strawberry wine perfect for Wimbledon WE don't really need an excuse to crack open a bottle come the weekend, but English Wine Week (June 21-29) is a more than good-enough reason. Sales of English sparkling have surged 187% since 2018, as people have realised how good they really are - with many outperforming their champagne rivals in taste tests. Advertisement Roebuck, Bolney, Nyetimber... these English vineyards are becoming household names, and they're often to be found on supermarket shelves at excellent prices. Whether you prefer a sparkling, rose, red or white, our own vineyards have it covered. 6 Pay a visit to one of England's beautiful vineyards for a tour and tasting Credit: Supplied We love the fact you can also visit the vineyards easily for the day - grab your best girls or your guy and enjoy a fun day of tasting the best of British in glorious countryside. So, to accompany your summer of staycationing and British sport, these English Wine Week bottles are just the ticket. Advertisement 6 Pick up this English fizz for almost half price this English Wine Week Credit: Aldi To celebrate English Wine Week, Aldi is offering its Winemaster's Lot English Sparkling Wine for just £9.99 - that's 44% off its usual £17.95 price tag (available June 19-25). Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: 'English Wine Week is a great moment to showcase the quality of British winemaking." You can also pick up cracking Specially Selected English Bacchus, £7.99 - a riot of passionfruit, gooseberry and rose petal some have called a true taste of a blooming English hedgerow. Advertisement And Aldi's Specially Selected English Pinot Noir Rose, £8.69, makes the perfect choice if you're looking to supply the booze for a summer wedding or gathering. 6 Don't Feed The Ponies Billy has to be our favourite wine name Credit: Sandridge Barton Talking of reds, if you're a fan of chilled red wine - a massive trend this summer - you'll love Devon-based winery Sandridge Barton's Don't Feed The Ponies Billy. In fact, what's not to love about a wine with a name like that (which comes from a campaign across Dartmoor National Park to stop people feeding the wild ponies, FYI)? Advertisement Blending flavours of tart red berries, red apple and blackcurrant and cranberry, it's a light red at the higher end of the budget at £21.50 - but 25p will go to Dartmoor Preservation Association. 6 Nyetimber's English sparkling is the creme de la creme Credit: Nyetimber You've probably heard of Nyetimber wines - and for good reason, as yet again the winemaker recently picked up an award for its English Sparkling at London Wine Fair's Battle of the Bubbles, where 1086 by Nyetimber 2010 pipped prestige cuvées including Dom Perignon to the top spot. Nyetimber was the first British producer to release a prestige cuvee back in 2018, and it's now served to first class passengers on British Airways flights. Advertisement Obviously, it's a little pricier than most at £145 a bottle, but the same vineyard's Classic Cuvee Brut comes in at a much more affordable £30. And if you fancy a trip to an award-winning winery, book in for a tour and tasting at the Nyetimber Estate on the South Downs, £50 per person. 6 This strawberry wine is like summer in a glass Credit: Lyme Bay Winery With the Wimbledon Tennis Championships starting on June 30, the smell of strawberries is definitely in the air, so we were excited to discover this treat from the family-run Lyme Bay Winery in picturesque East Devon. Advertisement The new Lyme Bay Winery Strawberry Wine, £12.79, tastes wonderful served chilled or as a spritzer with lemonade, prosecco or soda water. The perfect picnic wine! 6 Tesco is your one-stop shop for English wine this summer Credit: Tesco Finally, if you're doing your big shop in Tesco, be sure to check out its fantastic line in English Wines, starting from just £4.75 a bottle. Advertisement Graham Nash, lead product development manager at Tesco says: "Last year, our Tesco Finest English Sparkling Brut was our bestselling English wine, though English still wines continue to improve." Try the Bolney Lychgate Bacchus, £12.50, made in the heart of Sussex, if you like a lemony, floral, fresh white. And fans of a rose will find Tesco Finest English Rose, £12.50, rather moreish, plus it's made by father and son winemaker Balfour Winery. And if cash is tight, The Straw Hat White, £4.75, is a fun British option. Advertisement Wine expert shares her view on Aldi's Whispering Angel dupe WINE culturist Amelia Singer hails 'The Chassaux et Fils Rosé' as a "really savvy move from Aldi". Here, she gives Fabulous her verdict... Sainte Victoire is my favourite part of Provence to find personality filled yet great value Rosé. Thanks to the altitude of the Sainte Victoire hillsides, the grapes get exposed to plenty of sunshine during the day but their ripeness is moderated by cooler evening temperatures. This enables the wine to brim with intense, complex fruit which is balanced by elegant acidity and herbal finesse. I am delighted that Aldi are highlighting an actual area of Provence as quality and flavour profiles can vary greatly – however I always know with Rosé from Sainte Victoire that I will not be disappointed. Amelia Singer's podcast, 'Ameliarate Through Wine', which pairs celebrities' personalities, core values, and careers with wine. Available on Apple & Spotify.
The Sun
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Raise a glass to English Wine Week with these bargain bottles – including a new strawberry wine perfect for Wimbledon
WE don't really need an excuse to crack open a bottle come the weekend, but English Wine Week (June 21-29) is a more than good-enough reason. Sales of English sparkling have surged 187% since 2018, as people have realised how good they really are - with many outperforming their champagne rivals in taste tests. Roebuck, Bolney, Nyetimber... these English vineyards are becoming household names, and they're often to be found on supermarket shelves at excellent prices. Whether you prefer a sparkling, rose, red or white, our own vineyards have it covered. 6 We love the fact you can also visit the vineyards easily for the day - grab your best girls or your guy and enjoy a fun day of tasting the best of British in glorious countryside. So, to accompany your summer of staycationing and British sport, these English Wine Week bottles are just the ticket. To celebrate English Wine Week, Aldi is offering its Winemaster's Lot English Sparkling Wine for just £9.99 - that's 44% off its usual £17.95 price tag (available June 19-25). Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: 'English Wine Week is a great moment to showcase the quality of British winemaking." You can also pick up cracking Specially Selected English Bacchus, £7.99 - a riot of passionfruit, gooseberry and rose petal some have called a true taste of a blooming English hedgerow. And Aldi's Specially Selected English Pinot Noir Rose, £8.69, makes the perfect choice if you're looking to supply the booze for a summer wedding or gathering. Talking of reds, if you're a fan of chilled red wine - a massive trend this summer - you'll love Devon-based winery Sandridge Barton's Don't Feed The Ponies Billy. In fact, what's not to love about a wine with a name like that (which comes from a campaign across Dartmoor National Park to stop people feeding the wild ponies, FYI)? Blending flavours of tart red berries, red apple and blackcurrant and cranberry, it's a light red at the higher end of the budget at £21.50 - but 25p will go to Dartmoor Preservation Association. 6 You've probably heard of Nyetimber wines - and for good reason, as yet again the winemaker recently picked up an award for its English Sparkling at London Wine Fair's Battle of the Bubbles, where 1086 by Nyetimber 2010 pipped prestige cuvées including Dom Perignon to the top spot. Nyetimber was the first British producer to release a prestige cuvee back in 2018, and it's now served to first class passengers on British Airways flights. Obviously, it's a little pricier than most at £145 a bottle, but the same vineyard's Classic Cuvee Brut comes in at a much more affordable £30. And if you fancy a trip to an award-winning winery, book in for a tour and tasting at the Nyetimber Estate on the South Downs, £50 per person. 6 With the Wimbledon Tennis Championships starting on June 30, the smell of strawberries is definitely in the air, so we were excited to discover this treat from the family-run Lyme Bay Winery in picturesque East Devon. The new Lyme Bay Winery Strawberry Wine, £12.79, tastes wonderful served chilled or as a spritzer with lemonade, prosecco or soda water. The perfect picnic wine! 6 Finally, if you're doing your big shop in Tesco, be sure to check out its fantastic line in English Wines, starting from just £4.75 a bottle. Graham Nash, lead product development manager at Tesco says: "Last year, our Tesco Finest English Sparkling Brut was our bestselling English wine, though English still wines continue to improve." Try the Bolney Lychgate Bacchus, £12.50, made in the heart of Sussex, if you like a lemony, floral, fresh white. And fans of a rose will find Tesco Finest English Rose, £12.50, rather moreish, plus it's made by father and son winemaker Balfour Winery. And if cash is tight, The Straw Hat White, £4.75, is a fun British option. WINE culturist Amelia Singer hails 'The Chassaux et Fils Rosé' as a "really savvy move from Aldi". Here, she gives Fabulous her verdict... Sainte Victoire is my favourite part of Provence to find personality filled yet great value Rosé. Thanks to the altitude of the Sainte Victoire hillsides, the grapes get exposed to plenty of sunshine during the day but their ripeness is moderated by cooler evening temperatures. This enables the wine to brim with intense, complex fruit which is balanced by elegant acidity and herbal finesse. I am delighted that Aldi are highlighting an actual area of Provence as quality and flavour profiles can vary greatly – however I always know with Rosé from Sainte Victoire that I will not be disappointed. Amelia Singer's podcast, 'Ameliarate Through Wine', which pairs celebrities' personalities, core values, and careers with wine. Available on Apple & Spotify.
Forbes
04-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
English Sparkling Wine Gains Altitude In British Airways Cabins
A bottle of Nyetimber English sparkling wine, part of the airline's new premium in-flight drinks selection. English sparkling wine, once a curiosity outside the United Kingdom, is now reaching new heights—literally. British Airways has introduced a rotation of English sparkling wines, including limited prestige cuvée bottlings, to its First and Club World cabins on all long-haul flights. The move reflects both a strategic shift and a broader confidence in the quality of English sparkling wine. Tim Jackson, the airline's Master of Wine, says this is not a temporary trial. 'As the nation's flag carrier, we are always looking at ways to champion originality and British provenance, and serving English sparkling wine across our long-haul network is a key example of that,' he says, via email. British Airways has offered English sparkling wine in First Class for more than a decade. The addition to Club World, its business class cabin, began in 2023. But British Airways is also now the first airline to serve prestige cuvée English sparkling wines onboard. The decision to now include prestige cuvée expressions—rare, extended-aged bottlings made from top vintages—signals how far English wine has advanced. 'A prestige cuvée is an exceptional wine made using the best grapes from outstanding vintages,' Jackson says. 'Only a handful of English wine houses produce prestige cuvée wines, which is still a relatively new phenomenon in England and a growing accolade across the wine industry.' Sales of English sparkling wine have risen as much as 187%, from 2.2 million bottles in 2018 to 6.2 million in 2023, according to WineGB. In 2023 alone, the U.K. produced 21.6 million bottles of wine, the majority of which were sparkling. Despite this upward trajectory, the industry faced challenges in 2024 due to adverse weather conditions, leading to heavy crop losses. Nevertheless, the overall expansion and increasing recognition of English sparkling wine underscore its rising prominence in both domestic and international markets. The U.K.'s wine industry at large now encompasses more than 1,000 vineyards covering 4,209 hectares—a 123% increase over the past decade. He attributes this recent ascent to a combination of geology, climate and winemaking ambition. Southeast England's chalk soils, similar to those in France's Champagne region, have helped produce wines that are increasingly winning international attention. 'There are a few elements that distinguish prestige cuvée wines from other English sparkling options,' Jackson explains. 'This includes the highest quality fruit, the skill and ambition of the pioneering British producers themselves, who have realized England's potential and craft wines of prestige cuvée quality, as well as an extended ageing process, meaning the wines have extra time to develop depth, texture and creaminess.' These selections are more than symbolic. The wines are served in the challenging environment of a pressurized cabin, where air dryness and reduced pressure can diminish aroma and alter perception. Jackson and his team accounted for these variables when curating the list. 'At altitude, cabin dryness reduces flavor perception while the reduced cabin pressure can make bubbles in sparkling wine larger,' he says. 'We therefore look for wine that has great depth of flavor and fine bubbles at ground level, so we know that it will taste great at altitude too.' Passengers' views are also part of the equation. British Airways uses surveys, direct feedback and focus groups to monitor and adjust its onboard selections. 'Feedback confirmed the popularity of English sparkling wine when we first introduced the program over two years ago in Club World,' he says. The airline's latest offering includes a rotating list of English sparkling wines that change every three months. The current slate includes rosés, timed to match seasonal menus and anticipated demand. The selection process is blind, with quality as the guiding criterion. 'All our wine selections undergo blind taste testing, where the quality of wines from these producers stood out in the tasting,' Jackson says. 'This means our customers will now be able to enjoy original sparkling variations from pioneering English wine houses at 35,000 feet.' This initiative is part of British Airways' broader effort to promote domestic producers and align its onboard offerings with its national identity. 'Showcasing British originality is an integral part of our offering,' Jackson says. 'That's why we are weaving our British Original positioning throughout every step of the customer journey, which also forms an important part of our £7 billion ($9.2 million) investment plan.' He also draws a historical link to the drink's origins: 'Since it was an Englishman, Christopher Merret, who first wrote the method for creating sparkling wines in 1662, English fizz is a sparkling example of British originality.'
