14 Best Luxury English Sparkling Wines You Should Try

Using the classic champagne grape varietals — chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier — Hambledon's English sparkling comes from Hampshire.

With notes of lemon, lime and stone fruit, our panel found this wine light and refreshing, with more ripe peach coming through on the palate. A subtle brioche element adds complexity that fully justifies the price tag.

No doubt you'll at least heave heard of Chapel Down. The Kentish vineyard is one of the biggest names in the biz (and the brand also makes a fantastic pinot noir gin).

For this classic brut style, grapes are hand-harvested, with testers picking out crunchy green apple and aromatic elderflower. But it’s the crisp lemongrass that makes this so well suited to pairing with fish and chips — effortlessly cutting through the rich, crunchy batter.

In a bid to outsmart climate change — and the rising temperatures that brings — all the major champagne houses have been on a mission to snap up the best plots on UK soil.

Pommery is the first to market with their English fizz, and what a beauty it is. It's got a farmyard funkiness which natural wine fans will love, with bright pops of uplifting green apple, and lively effervescence.

Made with 100% chardonnay grapes, this is a classic example of a blanc de blanc sparkling wine. Elegant and aromatic, you can expect buttered toast layering over refreshing lemon, lime and peach. The consensus was that this fizz was super sessionable — so well suited to long, lazy lunches.

You’ll be lucky to get your hands on this exclusive supermarket wine, which Waitrose makes in super limited quantities. Our testers felt it was another great example of a blanc de blanc, this time with bright citrus, toasted brioche and smoke adding complexity.

Made from a blend of vintages, sourced from Nyetimber’s Hampshire estate, the brand’s signature sparkling wine is wonderfully smooth and easy drinking. The experts felt that pairing it with seafood would help to bring out more of its thirst-quenching acidity — something to bear in mind when menu planning.

Our go-to when in need of a splash of sunshine-friendly bubbles, Ridgeview’s sparkling rosé has a delicate nose of summer fruits. The chardonnay dominates, bringing toasted brioche to the table and keeping any sweetness firmly in check. We’d serve this with everything from lobster, through to Eton mess.

And — fun fact — this was served to Barack Obama at the Buckingham Palace State Banquet. If it's good enough for Obama...

Building on the success of Chapel Down’s uber-popular classic cuvée, the Kentish vineyard has perfected their sparkling rosé, and at this price, we envision we’ll be drinking it all summer long. As with the classic brut style, grapes are hand-harvested, with testers enjoying light strawberry notes, crisp citrus and a biscuity finish.

You can also buy it by the case here if you think one won't be enough...

Next time you’re stocking up on the essentials, we recommend popping a bottle of this certified-organic sparkling wine into your basket too. Shunning unnecessary nasties is better for you and the planet, and the quality here is exceptional.

The panel found it rich yet refreshing, with notes of baked pastry, red apple and even an element of tropical fruit — think passionfruit, mango and nectarine.

Still not convinced that English sparkling can compare to your beloved French fizz? This is the wine to change your mind. Chardonnay dominates the blend, which brings with it a rich, buttery note, while crunchy green apple and lemon keeps every mouthful refreshing. It’s wines like this that are putting our homegrown fizz on the map.

Family-owned Hampshire winery, Hattingley Valley, has a range of wines, including still chardonnay and rosé. But the classic reserve is still the winery’s most popular blend — and our panel could see why. A true celebration wine, they enjoyed decadent notes of brioche, baked apples and refreshing lemon. Your guests will thank you for it.

Home to The Newt and Babington House, Somerset has long been a foodie hotspot for those in the know. Smith & Evans looks set to appeal to the same crowd with its Southwest-grown fizz.

Notes of fresh lemon and honeysuckle vie for attention alongside decedent brioche and honey in what is a pleasingly complex fizz. Perfectly dry, with lip-smacking acidity, it’s fast becoming our go-to aperitif.

With an alcohol content of just 10.5%, Sixteen Ridges offers a lighter daytime alternative to some of the richer wines on test. With subtle brioche on the nose, and a little pear and honeyed apricot on the palate, it’s best served well chilled.

Whether it’s that mid-week glass of wine (when you don’t want to open a whole bottle), or a picnic, The Uncommon make the best canned wine on the market.

The beautiful designs contain a fizzy white made from the bacchus grape grown across the Southeast of England. That means there’s citrus, pear and elderflower notes, fine bubbles and fresh acidity. A win for your palate, and the environment.