The bottle
The back story
In a year that has seen all sense of normalcy upended, why seek out the usual bottle of sparkling wine for your Dec. 31 celebration? In that spirit, we’re bypassing the bubbly we know best — Champagne, Prosecco and some California sparklers — and turning to merry old England.
While we don’t think of the country that gave us the Beatles, fish and chips and “The Crown” as winemaking terrain, it has a tradition that dates back to Roman times. These days, the English are increasingly being recognized as vintners of note, with at least 450 wineries spread throughout the land.
Nyetimber is among the most established and respected among them, having been releasing its wines — all sparkling — for nearly 30 years. It has won numerous awards along the way, including gold honors for two of its releases at the 2020 International Wine Challenge. The winemaker has also seen its sales surge, and is now producing more than one million bottles annually.
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So why England as a source of sparkling wine? Nyetimber brand spokesman Alec Robinson says the soil is favorable for the grapes it grows for its bubbly (and similar to the soil in France’s Champagne region). And the climate “sits in that sweet spot,” he says — not too cold, not too warm.
The resulting bottles, which start at $55 but can go as high as $200-plus for select releases, don’t necessarily win the bubbly wars in terms of price — that is, they’re not a value compared to Champagne. But Robinson says that’s not what Nyetimber, which takes its name from the Sussex manor that serves as its main home, is all about. “Quality is the paramount consideration,” he says.
What we think about it
Don’t get us wrong: We love Champagne — on New Year’s Eve or pretty much any day of the year. But we’ve been duly impressed with the Nyetimber bottles we’ve tried, in particular the Classic Cuvee, which has a nice mix of tanginess and toasty flavor with just a pleasing hint of sweetness (think baked apples, the brand says). It’s so similar to the French stuff, one might say you might as well stick with Champagne. But we like to think this has a character all its own.
How to enjoy it
Like all good bubbly, this is fine as a standalone sip. But the brand suggests lots of seafood options, including scallops and smoked salmon, for pairings. Whatever way you enjoy it — or any other bottle of bubbly — have a happy new year.
