Sparkling Wine News
2015 Oxford Wine Festival
The 2015 Oxford Wine Festival will take place at the world famous Oxford Union buildings on the 21st and 22nd August. The inaugural 2014 wine festival saw an attendance of over 1800 wine lovers, with visitors flying in from as far away as California and South Africa. The festival brings together many of the UK’s leading…
Gonzalez Byass UK welcomes Coates & Seely into their portfolio.
English sparkling wine producer Coates & Seely has announced a change in distribution in the UK, appointing Gonzalez Byass UK as exclusive distributor with immediate effect. Brainchild of long term friends, financier Nicholas Coates and Christian Seely. Coates & Seely was started with the clear objective of making England’s finest sparkling wines from Pinot Noir,…
The Harvest of Dreams – View from behind the Snips
I cannot now recall how long before the 2014 harvest it was that the word “dream” started to be used, but it was certainly weeks, if not months, before the first grape was picked. After the poor harvest of 2011, the abject disaster of 2012 and a reasonable crop in 2013, excitement built throughout 2014. Vines…
South African Sparkling Wine
South Africa’s first wine harvest began on 2nd February 1659. Those first few vines grew in the Company Gardens, now in the middle of Cape Town; today the main winelands stretch roughly 400 kilometres north and east of Cape Town; there are also irrigated vineyards along the banks of the Orange river in the Northern…
Sparkling Wine Sales up 15% to £541 million in past year
Sparkling wine is the fastest growing alcohol in Great Britain, with sales up 15% to £541 million in the past year. Over 115 million bottles of Champagne and sparkling wine were consumed in Britain last year. Consumers are enjoying more and more bubbly and that doesn’t have to just mean Champagne. 70% of the sparkling wine…
Belaire Rosé Fantôme
Southern French sparkling wine Belaire is producing a limited edition “phantom” luminescent bottle that glows in the dark. The label is made for their delicious Rosé and is the perfect bottle for parties after dark! Carefully aged before release, the Rosé blend is imbued with a delightful effervescence, resulting in a beautiful, deep red sparkling…
Sparkling Shiraz
Ever tried a sparkling red wine? It might sound unusual, but it’s becoming more popular due to its unique taste and great value. One particular variety is Sparkling Shiraz. This sparkling red is made from a dark grape variety and is produced in Australia, mostly in the inland and the South of the country. It…
Sales of English and Welsh wines are predicted to hit £100 million in 2015
Sparkling wine now makes up 66% of total wine production in the UK and is competing on the world stage shipping to more than 13 countries. Ridgeview wines based on the South Downs in Sussex has had its best year yet for overseas sales of its sparkling wine. It now exports to 12 countries making up…
Wiston English Sparkling Wine to be served at BAFTA Awards Tea Party
Award-winning Sussex wine producer Wiston Estate is delighted to have been chosen by BAFTA Los Angeles as the official Sparkling Wine for their BAFTA Tea Party, to be held in Beverly Hills, LA this afternoon Saturday 10th January. This prestigious annual event brings together some of the biggest names in film and television and offers a…