Nyetimber Classic Cuvée
Nyetimber planted its first vines in 1988 and did more than anyone to show that English sparkling wine could stand next to Champagne. The Classic Cuvée is its signature wine.
Visit Our guide to Nyetimber
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English wine
Buy English wine: the bottles we would pick
You do not have to visit a vineyard to drink well from one. These are the English wines we would buy, from the famous sparkling estates to smaller producers in Kent and Sussex, with where to get each one.
Start with sparkling
Sparkling wine is what England does best, and these are the bottles we would open first: two famous names, a vintage Blanc de Blancs, and a Chardonnay-only wine from the South Downs.
Chapel Down Brut
The everyday sparkling wine from one of England’s biggest producers, and the easiest of these to find.
Visit Our guide to Chapel Down
Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs
Gusbourne makes only vintage wines, from vines first planted in 2004 on the edge of Romney Marsh.
Visit Our guide to Gusbourne
Rathfinny Blanc de Blancs
Made only from Chardonnay at the big estate in the South Downs near Alfriston.
Visit Our guide to Rathfinny
Where to start
- Your first English sparkling wine: Nyetimber Classic Cuvée or Chapel Down Brut.
- For a present: Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs, Rathfinny Blanc de Blancs or Domaine Evremond, all well known to anyone who follows English wine.
- Something pink: Balfour Brut Rosé, the wine Balfour is best known for.
- For everyday drinking: a still Bacchus, England’s signature white grape, such as Chapel Down Bacchus.
- Something red: an English Pinot Noir, light and fresh, such as Simpsons’ Rabbit Hole.
Prices and stock are checked every week against our partners’ listings, and a wine that sells out comes off these pages until it is back. Prices are for a single 75cl bottle.
Choose a style
Sparkling
What England is known for, made the same way as Champagne. White and pink.
Sparkling winesWhite
Crisp, aromatic and often better value. Bacchus is the one to try first.
White winesRosé
Pale, dry and fresh, mostly from Pinot Noir. Made for summer.
Rosé winesRed
Light, fresh reds, mostly Pinot Noir, from a few of the best estates.
Red winesRather taste before you buy? Most of these estates welcome visitors: see our vineyard directory, or a day tour from London that takes in two or three of them.
Want the background first? Read which English wines are winning the big awards, how English fizz compares with Champagne, and how England does against Prosecco, Marlborough and Burgundy.
Questions people ask
What is England best known for, sparkling or still wine?
Sparkling. Most of the leading producers make it the same way as Champagne, from the same grapes, and it is what English wine has won its reputation for. Still wines, especially Bacchus, are improving fast and are often better value.
Which English wine makes the best present?
A bottle from a well-known estate such as Gusbourne, Rathfinny, Nyetimber or Domaine Evremond. For someone who likes to visit, a tour voucher from our gift guide lets them taste at the vineyard itself.
Can I buy direct from the vineyard instead?
Yes. Most of these estates have their own online shops, and buying at the cellar door after a visit is one of the pleasures of a vineyard day out. Each vineyard in our directory links to its own website.