It has been a challenging and disappointing year for most in many respects, but one thing that certainly hasn’t let us down is the wine. It’s traditional for us to do a festive rundown of the ’12 Wines of Christmas’, but with so many superb wines tasted throughout the year, it was next to impossible to narrow the selection down to just 12 wines.
So this year the team has worked together to select the Great British Wine ‘Class of 2020’. It’s a chance for all of us to look back and reflect upon the best wines of the year, covering still and sparkling wines from across England and Wales.
We’ll be revealing a new category each day for the first ten days of December – so do keep checking back to see if your favourite makes it to our list. If not, feel free to comment below with your favourites.
Menu – GBW Class of 2020
Day 1 | Classic Traditional Method
Our selection of the very best Traditional Method Classic blends of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier
Roebuck Estates Classic Cuvée 2014
Selected by John:
“I was taken by this wine the minute I opened it; it was one of the early stars of the year. Complex, exuberant and exquisitely textured.”
Simpsons Chalklands Classic Cuvée 2016
Selected by Stephen:
“Gloriously complex, rich and full, this wine is a triumph. There’s a notably long finish on this relatively young wine, and there’s power to add.”
Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2016
Selected by Hannah:
“If I had to pick an English Sparkling that was most like Champagne in style, this would be it. It’s packed full of autolytic notes. This has a whiff of Biscotti, some toasted bread crumbs and an energetic boost of citrus on the finish. I’d drink this on it’s own so I could soak up all those lovely bread notes.”
Langham Estate Corallian NV
Selected by Alex:
“This is excellent! Easily one of the best at the ~£25 mark. Low residual sugar (2g/l) works a treat – great purity and tension. Delicious.”
