Nyetimber Cuvée Prestige 1086 rosé 2010

This sparkling cuvée comes from the most expressive plots of the Nyetimber estate, all estate-owned in West Sussex, in the south of England. This maritime vineyard enjoys a cool climate and slow ripening, ideal for the aromatic finesse and tension of great English sparkling wines.

Made using the traditional method, this cuvée combines a first fermentation in stainless-steel tanks with a second fermentation in bottle. After tirage, it rested for about five years on the lees, then continued to evolve under cork before release. This long ageing brings fine bubbles, autolytic depth and a silky texture.

This wine reveals notes of wild strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant, blackcurrant, blood orange, rose petal, dried flowers, pastry, gingerbread, toasted almond and chalky minerality. The broad, silky palate is carried by a fine mousse, lively, crystalline acidity and a delicately saline thread. The long, precise finish blends red fruit, sweet spices and toasty hints.

England, a country better known for its green landscapes and rainy climate than for viticulture, nonetheless has a booming wine industry whose reputation keeps on growing. Long regarded as a curiosity, English viticulture has established itself in recent decades as a source of very high-quality sparkling wines, even rivalling some Champagnes in blind tastings. English vineyards are mainly concentrated in the south of the country, in the counties of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey and Essex, each enjoying climatic conditions and soils particularly suited to certain grape varieties. Sussex is today England's most renowned wine region, famous for its sparkling wines made by the traditional method from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The chalk soils running through the region, a direct geological extension of the Champagne terroir, combined with an increasingly favourable climate, create ideal conditions for these demanding grapes. Kent, nicknamed the “Garden of England”, is home to some of the country's most established estates, producing both highly refined sparkling wines and still whites based on Bacchus, an aromatic grape variety that has become emblematic of the English style. Hampshire and Surrey, though more modest in terms of output, are gaining in energy and recognition, with innovative estates experimenting with traditional methods as well as international grape varieties suited to a cool climate. Essex, more continental, enjoys generous sunshine and low rainfall, which favour a slow, steady ripening of the grapes, essential to the elegance of sparkling wines. English wines, still produced in limited quantities but with remarkable attention to detail and rigour, are mainly consumed on the home market or exported in small volumes to discerning markets, making them true treasures for curious wine lovers eager to discover a new face of European viticulture. England is today a country where traditional know-how and climate innovation meet in the vineyard, offering a surprising, authentic and resolutely forward-looking wine experience.