Wine Type: Sparkling Rosé

(2026) Produced from 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, this spent 36 months on the lees and was bottled with a modest 5g/l dosage. The colour has a tinge of copper, and there's a yeastiness and nuttiness - not always evident in pink sparkling wine - but then raspberry and hedgerow berries come through. The dry, quite savoury palate has hints of sour cherry and red berries, with plenty of acid showing a little bitter lemon. Nicely done.

(2026) Now on its sixth vintage, this is 100% Pinot Noir grown on the sandy, silty Redmoors vineyard. The wine spends a minimum of two years aging on the lees. Fine, delicate colour and bubbles, and the the nose has a raspberry and rose-hip, quite sherbetty brightness. In the mouth it is lively and yet a creaminess and strawberry bon-bon character adds softness, finishing alert and crisp, with a salty lick of acidity. A delicious rosé.

(2026) This vintage Cap Classique sparkling is made from 87% Pinot Noir and 13% Chardonnay, co-fermented, then cellared for six years before disgorgement. It was bottled with 5.5g/l of residual sugar. This opens in quite vivacious style, strawberry sherbet brightness with just a little redcurrant too. There's a freshness about the palate too, despite the long ageing, no doubt the low dosage adding to its fleet-footed style.

(2026) 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay plus Pinot Meunier, this has around 20% reserve wines. As well as being in Waitrose, the wine is being poured in BA 'Club World' at time of review and a percentage from sales supports the Leander rowing club. It's a lovely rosé, creamy and ripe with a hint of aromatic smokiness and a full, textured palate, rich with red fruits yet cut by precise acidity.

(2026) Established in 2019, London Clay is brand whose fruit for this wine came from the Crouch Valley in Essex, the name referencing the fossil-rich, clay soil found in the region. This is produced using the Charmat, or tank, method, so there's no longer ageing in bottle in a method that is quicker and cheaper. A delicate pale ruby in colour, aromas are of raspberry and something like an earthy, twiggy spice. In the mouth the effervescence is short-lived and the impression light and fruit forward. The wine is dry, with plenty of lemony acidity. It's easy drinking and though not complex, the quality is good.

(2026)

This beautifully packaged pink is a limited summer edition of Nyetimber's rosé. I am not 100% certain if it is the same wine as their regular N.V. rosé, also composed of estate-grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

This is mostly made from fruit of the 2022 harvest with 14% reserve wines from 2021. It was bottled with 9.5g/l dosage after three years resting on the lees. Its light to medium pink colour suggests fruitiness, and indeed raspberry and redcurrant run into pomegranate aromatically, with a hint of cedar and biscuit adding some depth. In the mouth the red fruit has a pulpy sweetness, but this really is beautifully balanced, citrus acid with a twist of bitter lemon or grapefruit giving quite a gastronomic, grown up personality that is still so easy to sip, and very appealing.

(2026) The pink partner to the Chenin Blanc pet nat, this is made from Grenache, and is quite toasty with intriguing aromas that run between strawberry and something exotic - maybe persimmon or passion fruit, red fruits too. A satisfying wine with a touch of earthiness and gentle sparkle.

(2025) A cheerful, tank method French fizz composed of 33% Cinsault, 27% Grenache, 27% Syrah and 13% Carignan it is at the upper end of Brut with 12g/l of residual sugar. Fresh strawberry and floral aromas have a little creaminess. The palate is certainly sweet and easy-drinking. A party fizz for festive frolics.

(2025) The Rosé bottling of 1086 is a blend of 72% Chardonnay and 28% Pinot Noir. Despite having been aged on the lees for over 60 months it is remarkably fresh and zippy. Small red fruit like redcurrant and rose-hips mingle with delicate floral highlights and a hint of brioche and vanilla. It pours with a lively and persistent mousse, a dosage of 9g/l giving it enough easy charm, but the spine of acidity and clarity of fruit is lovely, sweetness and a gastronomic berry tartness freshening the finish.

(2025) This extraordinary wine is part of Gosset's 'Compte d’Age' occasional series. With no set pattern of releases, the wines are selected by the Cellar Master for extremely long ageing - in this case a minumum of 12 years on the lees - as unique, one-off creations. This deep amber-pink wine is made by assemblage, vinifying 8% as red wine before blending. The result is a singular Champagne, with low dosage and abundant earthy, truffly, almost gamy savoury character, the nose immediately suggesting a dry and gastronomic wine with just a glimpse of taut, small red berry fruit. The Seville orange bitterness on the palate is a wonderfully grown up aspect, with much more of the truffle and sous-bois character of an aged red wine. And yet the acidity is quite dazzling, shimmering with a bright citrus zest that defies the logic of what is being tasted. There is massive cut and clarity to the aged flavours to make for a wine as intriguing as it is enjoyable. Remarkable stuff, though most certainly a wine for contemplation (and food) rather than easy gratification.