Class of 2020 – Great British Wine Team Choices

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.

Day 9 | The Innovators

We’ve seen a huge amount of diversification from Great British wine, from celebration of Pinot Meunier through to Orange Wines and non-traditional sparkling production methods. Here are some of our top innovators.

Langham Pinot Meunier Sparkling 2017

Selected by John:

“Pinot Meunier is showing huge potential and versatility in England at the moment (just see Sam’s choice too). This was one of most exciting releases of the year for me, and shows just how distinctive and texturally exciting this grape can be. There’s still lots more to come from Langham too, so watch this space for more boundary-pushing sparkling wines!”

Westwell Field Blend 2018

Selected by Hannah:

“When someone ferments a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay together for a still wine, you think, hang on a second… but I later saw it somewhere in France too. Unfortunately, as much as I Google, I can’t find it. If you know about this, please send me a message. Anyway, back to the wine – aromas of juicy cherries and cranberries and that gunpowder smell that comes after popping a party popper. On the mouth, bright crunchy cherries and strawberries. An intriguing and fantastic wine to lure in the curious connoisseurs.”

Blackbook Controversy Pinot Meunier 2019

Selected by Sam:

“This wine is an exemplar of the experimentation taking place in England’s wine industry. It’s made from Pinot Meunier and gently pressed to produce a wine that is kinda white, kinda rosé but delicious regardless. Controversial? Maybe in France…”

Ancre Hill Orange Albariño 2018

Selected by Robbie:

“Difficult to compare to anything. Showing both skin contact and carbonic traits with neither dominating. The palate is surprisingly refreshing. It’s easy to be dismissive with its brash label, but this is a genuinely enjoyable drink.”

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