HERBERT HALL

Six of the best from ENGLAND

Much is made of the strata of chalk soil that hosts the vineyards of Champagne, that runs under northern France and the Channel to re-emerge in Kent and Sussex as the Downs, and many of England’s vineyards cling to that very chalk soil. But, crucially, we have the climate, on the very margins of where grapes can be persuaded to ripen, to produce the tart base wines that are ideal for high quality sparkling wine production. All that, the classic grape varieties and much expertise and even more enthusiasm has propelled England to the forefront of the sparkling wine world. In this case we've got wines from five different estates, all with something to say on the subject, and the case includes a couple of cheeky rosés because we do it so well.