There’s something afizz in southern England, and it’s delicious and bubbly. With the requisite chalky soil and a climate that’s increasingly similar to France’s Champagne region, vintners have begun to produce sparkling wines of such a caliber that even the French have been caught off guard.

In a blind tasting in Paris in 2016, a Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine made in Sussex bested a Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs produced in Champagne. Such venerable Champagne houses as Taittinger and Pommery have invested in acreage on English soil in recent years. A preliminary protected designation of origin status has been awarded to Sussex, which, pending final approval by the European Union, will recognize Sussex wines as a global category, a la Chianti, Rioja and Champagne. … (continue reading)