A very carefully selected wine tasted by us that either punches above its weight or is particularly worthy of recommendation.
A totally irresistible semi-sparkling rosé from our favourite Prosecco producer, La Jara, but in this case they use a little bit of the red grape, Raboso, to give the wine its lovely pale coral colour. It is dry on the palate and bursting with fresh strawberry notes reined in by the pithy bite of pink grapefruit. We think the packaging is simply beautiful and beautifully simple and we always have a bottle in the fridge in case of visitors as it’s the perfect conversation starter. 10.5% alc. Drink now.
"Prosecco of the Year" - Matthew Jukes, Weekend Mail The classic Venetian aperitif which will make your patio feel like the Piazza San Marco.
Fully sparkling pink Prosecco – a great idea for celebrations
If you are looking to Prosecco as an alternative to Champagne, this is the one to go for. The current bottling of the fully sparkling Brut is superb. Super fresh, juicy, sherbert; lovely bubbles. Decanter Magazine's top Proseccos by Ian D'Agata - "This high quality little producer a name to look for. Bright and fresh, with precise apple and apricot notes on the soft mouthfeel."
24 bottles price is £17.95 email for this - wine@swig.co.uk This is the kind of Cremant I've been looking for. I've tasted so many in the last two years that are just a bit concocted, with sugar masking the sins of under ripe and low quality grapes. This on the other hand is similar to Champagne Blanc de Blancs from the same kind of chalk soils you'd find in the Cotes des Blancs, but from Chablis, just to the North. It's refreshing and elegant, with fine bubbles, concentrated, yet slim, and a bit tauter than smart Champagne, as you'd expect from the cool North of Chablis, with notes of white flowers, and a touch of salinity and minerality that slakes the thirst nicely. It develops in the glass, taking on some weight. I came back to it the next day and it had fleshed out and taken on a bit of brioche aroma and flavours, and it was still remarkably pure. It's also a vintage Cremant, so it cannot fall back on other years or aged reserve wines to prop it up. It has to stand on it's own two feet. And the more I think about it, the more special it is.
The wine used by Her Majesty The Queen in 2015 to launch P&O’s Britannia cruise liner!
The new wave of Burgundy-oriented Champagne producers emancipated from selling grapes to the powerful negociants and huge Chamapgne names. Brocard-Pierre farm bottle specific vineyard sites rather than massive blends - one of only 2% of whom are biodynamic. Lovely citrus nose with some brioche richness.
‘Great discovery…exquisite…warm brioche…lovely richness’ "A sip is a proper sliver of luxury" - Victoria Moore (The Telegraph) Now made from 7 vintages, aged for a further 3 years in bottle. Collard-Picard is one of the great independent Champagne houses.
If there is one single winemaker you could pinpoint as having the greatest influence on English wine’s upturn in quality, it would be Dermot Sugrue, producer of some of the finest English sparkling there is. The Trouble with Dreams is his very special solo project. A Champagne blend from two of Dermot’s favourite vineyards in East Sussex. Four years on lees before disgorgement in 2017. A wine as rare as it is thrilling. AA