Summary

English sparkling wine.

We all know it’s good. 

But how well does it age? And could this be the secret to unlocking even greater quality from what are already exciting wines?

We do our best to answer these questions and more with the help of several large glasses of very fine mature English fizz – and top winemakers Cherie Spriggs and Brad Greatrix (Nyetimber) and Corinne Seely (Exton Park).

We also hear the views of Clément Pierlot, cellar master at Champagne Pommery and its English offshoot, Louis Pommery England.

We explore what makes an ageworthy sparkling wine – busting a few common myths along the way. And talk about how best to get ahead of the game…

We recommend some of the finest examples of mature English fizz we can get our hands on – from the likes of Nyetimber, Sugrue South Downs, Hattingley Valley, Breaky Bottom, Wiston, Exton Park, Chapel Down and The Grange (see below for more). 

Along the way we discuss magnums, lees ageing, dosage, vintage, variety, yields, storage, balance – and the value of patience. 

What’s more, Peter gets called ‘Mr Humper Dumper’ by Susie and shares one of his more insightful tasting notes, which simply reads: ‘GIVE ME THE MAGS!’

Starring

• Cherie Spriggs, Nyetimber
• Brad Greatrix, Nyetimber
• Corinne Seely, Exton Park
• Clément Pierlot, Pommery
• Susie & Peter

Links

• Here’s a link to the online version of Susie’s piece on Ageing English Fizz in Decanter (for the PDF, see below)
• You can find our podcast on all major audio players: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon and beyond. The button below will redirect you automatically to this episode on an audio platform on your device.

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Wines

We recommend the following wines in this episode. They are a selection from the (stellar) line-up Susie recommends in her Decanter piece (for which, see below).

You can find full price and stockist details in the Decanter piece – or just use Wine Searcher to find where you can buy this wine where you are:

• Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2007 (magnum)
• Breaky Bottom Cuvée Gerard Hoffnung 2009
• Wiston Library Collection Blanc de Blancs 2010
• Exton Park Cuvée M Isaac 2011
• Sugrue South Downs Cuvée Boz 2015
• Hattingley Valley King’s Cuvée 2015
• Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée 2016
• Grange Estates The Grange Classic 2016 (magnum)

Susie in Decanter

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