Freixenet, zero alcohol, Rosé sparkling, Spain
Low and none alcohol wines, beers and spirits have come a long way in recent years. Personally I prefer non alcohol beers. This on the other hand is not something I would drink again. On thd sweet side it has bubbles and a taste of something but nothing anyone could pin down. The best I could think of was the taste of sparking water, the taste of the carbonated process. Save the cash and go for a traditional fancy lemonade.
English sparkling wine is on the up. There’s good reason for this, it’s hard to get a bad bottle. With a changing climate, improved growing and wine making facilities the future is looking rosé.
We were invited to the launch of Oastbrook vineyards new sparkling rosé wine. There’s not many launches that feature Brazilian dancing.
The Brazilian dancers
Oastbrook vineyards new winery is not quite finished, the sides are on but there’s still the bottom part to be finished, insulation and heating to put in but you can see that in 6 months this will be a modern, up to date setup which is ready to produce award winning wine.
Oastbrook vineyards new sparkling rose wine
So what’s the rose like, subtle aromas of red fruit, sherbet and flavours that add a strawberry and cream taste with a dollop of yeast/brochure. I liked the fuller fruit flavours as it added extra to what champagne or Cremant rosé wine’s give you.
It’s a premium product at a premium price of £38 a bottle. They will sell it all but it’s a shame because at that price a lot of people will miss trying this excellent sparkling.
Did I buy any? Not of the sparkling as we had just picked up 6 bottles of Harrow and Hopes new vintage 4 days earlier. That sold out 6 weeks ago when placed our advanced order, but I did get 6 bottles of the Pinot Gris. At £100 for 6 bottles, on promotion that evening, it was too good an opportunity to miss. It’s one of my favourite white wines of all time.
Britain has a number of well known vineyards producing high quality wines, it also has less well known producers doing the same. Toppesfield vineyard is a lesser known vineyard. It has its range in some of the the Co-Op and Majestic stores and local outlets, it’s 2018 Bacchus is tasting better each month. This time it’s the sparkling Rose wine made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that I tried. This is their first vintage of traditional method sparkling wine and it’s a cracker. The lack of Chardonnay allows the other grapes to real shine. There are aromas of strawberry, hints of peach with creamy texture, eligate bubbles with fresh minerality on the taste buds.
There are notes of brochure, yeast and bread, but this is a dry, crisp, fruity, sparkling wine that is so much more enjoyable than most champagnes.
Toppesfield sparkling wine made in Essex, UK
English sparkling wine has come along way in recent years and this is a classic example of a method traditional sparkling wine. There are aromas of wild strawberry, red currant and yeasty notes and this comes through in the tasting. Although it’s a 2013, so 6 years old, it’s as fresh and vibrant as when it was released with so much to commend it. As good as any champagne, although it does have a champagne price. I’m a big fan of this wine although I’m not sure that Joey the cat was into it.
Court Garden 2013 English sparkling wine