Make it pop!
Traditionally reserved for revelry and celebration, sparkling wine is becoming a more casual drink
of choice; and with home-grown, English fizz finally enjoying the spotlight, the perfect glass of bubbly is always just around the corner.
While the 2020s haven’t got off to a hooting start (remember the Zoom calls, no-party rules, and endless desperate attempts at baking?), we have wasted no time seizing the day since the world got back on its feet. At least that’s the story told by the shipment volumes of sparkling wine — AKA the ultimate party starter — across the English Channel, which totalled over 28 million bottles in 2022 alone. Coincidence? We think not. As well as marking our new-found taste for fun and effervescence, our definition of celebration has changed too; making cracking open a bottle of bubbly acceptable whether it’s a big birthday bash or simply the end of a mildly stressful week.
But why is it that we’re accustomed to serving sparkling beverages on special occasions? The custom dates back to 10th century France when a wine variety made in the Champagne region was the staple of coronation festivities, as well as being served to visiting kings and queens who quickly developed a taste for the stuff. Even though it wasn’t the dry, fizzy libation filling our modern flute glasses (it was flat, somewhat sweeter, and still had a light pinkish hue) it was certainly good enough for the word to spread to the British Isles; and by the 16th century, English royals including Henry VIII and Charles V raced to claim vineyards in the area. But it was the accidental addition of the signature bubbles that cemented the drink’s prime spot in cellars across the country.
Although legend has it that the first sparkling wine was the deliberate invention of 17th century monk named Dom Pierre Pérignon, he originally saw bubbles as an unwelcome side-effect of his wine-making process and tried his best to eliminate them. As shiploads of the wine made their way to England in big barrels during the winter, they were decanted into corked bottles on arrival to keep until spring, which inevitably caused the liquid to fizz. Unwilling to waste the almost perfectly good wine, the Brits had no choice but to embrace the bubbles — and soon, no wine would be considered fancy enough without that satisfying cork pop.
Over the coming centuries, the continental rite of raising sparkling wine-filled glasses to toast newly-weds, celebrate royal coronations and ring in the new year became an inseparable part of English festivities. But after many unsuccessful experiments at cultivating home-grown grape varieties, it wasn’t until the 20th century when modern English viniculture really began to flourish. The very first commercial vineyard was planted at Hambledon Vineyard in Hampshire; and even though those first few decades still relied on hybrids like Seyval Blanc and German crosses like Müller-Thurgau and Bacchus to make the product palatable, they paved the way for the delicious English sparkling wine varieties we’re able to enjoy today. Now, the Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvée (p5) takes pride of place among the world’s finest sparkling wines at long last — even soaring above its French counterparts in the notorious Noble Rot blind taste tests in 2015. But we don’t like to boast.
Just like our new-found enthusiasm for sipping bubbly whenever the mood takes us, it seems that English sparkling wine is also making up for lost time in style. Today, a coupe of a local cuvée is just as appropriate for celebrating life’s big milestones like a birthday, an engagement or closing on a big business deal as it is for sipping on a casual Thursday night — making every moment worthy of that celebratory ‘clink’. In 2024 we’re over waiting for the right occasion to pop a bottle every time we fancy a nice glass of fizz. Whether it’s with the signature Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvée, the refined taste of Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne, the classic Bottega Prosecco, or with a can of The Uncommon English Bubbly Rosé Wine every moment is worthy of a celebratory ‘clink’ — so as we raise a glass to Virgin Atlantic on its 40th anniversary (with the Bottega Prosecco 40th Birthday Special Edition, of course), you can toast yourself for remembering your passport, and making it to the airport on time. Cheers!
PIMP YOUR PROSECCO
Looking for new ways to enjoy your glass of bubbly? From lighter juice mixes like the classic Mimosa to delicious liqueur spritzes, here are a few ways to zhuzh up your flute.
Juices and purees
Peach and orange are already a popular bubbly mixer; but have you tried pineapple, berry or pomegranate? Mix ½ your fizz of choice with ½ of any juice for a boozy breakfast treat.
Cordials and sodas
Fresh lemonade, cream soda, ginger beer or elderflower make beautiful additions to bubbly. Make it extra fragrant with rose, lavender or other herb infusions.
Liqueurs
Also known as a spritz, you can add a punch to your bubbly with Aperol, sloe gin, limoncello or a flavoured gin (we love Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin, p90).
Fruit
Fresh or frozen fruit will add a subtle flavour to your glass while making it extra pretty. Try anything from summer berries to plums, pineapple, blood orange or star fruit.