England

On July 31st 2022, the England Women’s Team defeated Germany 2-1 in overtime to win the 2022 European Championship, finally ending 56 years of waiting for a trophy since the England men won the World Cup in 1966! 

To honor this historic victory, we’re delighted to offer some outstanding English Sparkling Wines, a category nearly as talked about in the wine world as the Lionesses’ win is in the sports world. There are currently over 600 wineries in the UK, and Digby prides itself on procuring the top juice in the country for its award-winning English fizz. After field trips to Napa Valley and Washington state, Trevor Clough and Jason Humphries began their quest to craft fine sparkling wine from the best sites of South East England, noting “We are obsessed with terroir and carefully selecting proven vineyards that produce some of the country’s top fruit.”

Fox & Fox is another award-winning English Sparkling wine including being Runner-up to Taittinger (!) as Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year in the 2020 Sommelier Wine Awards. The stunning vineyard is situated in the ancient hilltop village of Mayfield in East Sussex, amongst the rolling hills, woodlands and deep-cut ghylls of the Sussex High Weald. The vineyards were planted in 2004 with the classic Champagne varietals of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with additional small plantings of Pinot Gris. They have been producing wines since 2009 with an emphasis is on minimal intervention in the vineyard & light manipulation in the winery. The production levels are minuscule, as huge attention is taken to getting perfect fruit to the winery. When our colleagues in the UK have served them blind, experienced tasters have guessed that they are top level vintage Champagnes, and the overwhelming response has been one of shock and amazement when the source has been revealed!

Our team has tasted all the wines and happily recommend them as excellent alternatives to Champagne which is only rising in cost with each new release. We encourage you to make your own history, as did the England Women’s Football Team, and try your first English Fizz, or if you’re already familiar, revisit this exciting new frontier of Sparkling Wine!