This year, the iconic Whispering Angel celebrates its 20th birthday - and what a twenty years they have been! When Bordeaux producer Sacha Lichine bought the Provençal property that would become Château D’Esclans back in 2006, not even he could have foreseen how one rosé would change the wine world in the way it has. Provence has a lot to thank him for - and he has a lot to thank the agency that helped him design the look! But did you know that Whispering Angel is just one of seven wines in the Esclans stable? They’re all pink and all offer something a little different. Here’s what you need to know:

Caves D’Esclans & Château D’Esclans

There are two tiers to the Esclans business: Caves D’Esclans and Château D’Esclans. Caves D’Esclans makes the more accessibly priced, commercially friendly wines in higher volumes, where grapes are sourced more widely from vineyards across the Esclans valley and Côtes de Provence appellation rather than being entirely estate-owned and grown. These are The Pale, The Beach, Rock Angel and the world’s bestselling Provençal rosé, Whispering Angel.

The Pale, £16.50 (£12.50 mix 6) Majestic

This is Esclan’s entry-level rosé and it’s still rather smart. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle (aka Vermentino) and Syrah grown in the Var part of Provence, this is your aperitif pink: crisp and dry with subtle grapefruit and red fruit notes.

The Beach, £13.75 on offer (was £17.75) Waitrose

A slight step up in quality, the Beach hails from Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, where wines are a little more glacial and mineral than the plusher wines of Côtes de Provence. This cuvée made with Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah also boasts impressive sustainable credentials.

Whispering Angel, £23 Waitrose

A classic Côtes de Provence blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle and Syrah, this famous cuvée is elegant and fresh, with riper notes of white peach and strawberry with a pleasing saline core.

Rock Angel, £24 on offer (was £28) Waitrose

The Angel’s big brother, Rock Angel is a slightly more complex and mineral rosé than Whispering Angel, though it still falls under the Côtes de Provence appellation. Made with the same blend, it is cool, crisp and lean - and a great pairing for food.

On the upper tier, we have the estate wines from Château D’Esclans: the Château d’Esclans cuvée itself, Les Clans and Garrus. Grapes for these wines come from the estate’s own vineyard, which features old-vine parcels (some Grenache vines over 100 years old) and are hand-harvested. These are lower-volume, more expensive and more serious, age-worthy rosés which are barrel-fermented in oak rather than just stainless steel. Garrus is generally considered to be one of the most expensive and ambitious rosés in the world!

Château d’Esclans, £41 (£36 mix 6) Majestic

Château d’Esclans is the first estate wine. Made from a blend of Grenache and Rolle, there’s some stainless steel and some barrel fermentation, which means it maintains freshness and some ripe pear and peach fruit while showcasing a lovely, creamy texture and a whiff of vanilla.

Les Clans, £53.99, Selfridges

A fantastic example of a complex and super concentrated Provençal rosé that has the potential to age for at least 6 or 7 years. Another blend of Grenache and Rolle with some barrel fermentation, the fruitiness here really pops. This is a serious, gastronomic style of rosé with a hint of spice.

Garrus 2022, £98 Fortnum & Mason

Garrus is top of the tree at Château d’Esclans. Made from grapes grown on nearly 100-year-old vines, this blend of Grenache and Rolle is entirely fermented and aged in new, large French oak barrels. It is full-bodied and rich with notes of red fruit, white peach and baking spice. A stunning, truly iconic wine that can age for a decade.

Like this article? Try these:

One Minute Wine Ace: Picpoul de Pinet

Chardonnay: ’Kate’ of wine grapes

Chilled Red Wines to Try

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Series 1 is in the bag! In case you missed them, tune in to listen to how these successful creatives keep themselves sane and happy, all over a glass of something delicious: Actor Sam Neill (RIP), Designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Entrepreneur Cath Kidston, Olympian Jess Ennis-Hill, Plant Geek Michael Perry, Drinks founder Alex Watson, Super athlete Vassos Alexander, Author Joanne Harris, perfumer Sarah McCartney and Wine expert Tom Gilbey.

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Chilled Red Wines

Chilled red wines are trending, but which styles work best straight from the fridge?

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Rìas Baixas: Home of the Albariño Grape

A snapshot of the various styles of Albariño from its spiritual home…

Read Post

Alternative Spritz Recipes

Three spritz recipes and two cheeky RTDs to try…

Read Post

English Wines for the Win!

My pick of some lesser-known English wines to try…

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Thank you for all your support this month!

Spritz Season seems to be a thing, thanks to the success of classic recipes like Aperol Spritz and last summer’s favourite, the trendy Hugo Spritz. It even has its own celebration day now: National Spritz Day on August 1st, so it feels like a good time to try some new things. Here are some alternative spritz recipes that I think you’ll love:

Lemon Aperitivo Recipe

A super simple and particularly refreshing variation on a theme, this spritz uses Allora Lemon Aperitivo al Limone as its base. Inspired by limoncello but offering a more natural, bittersweet flavour without any nasties or tons of sugar, this is a lemon aperitivo that hails from the tiny, sun-drenched isle of Procidan in the bay of Naples near Capri. It’s known locally as the ‘Isola dei limoni’, the ‘isle of lemons’ because of its unique bread lemons, which have thicker white pulp and pith. In Allora, pulp, juice, peel and lemon tree leaves are used to make this uniquely refreshing tipple.

Ingredients & Method

• 125ml Allora Aperitivo Al Limone, £25 alloradrinks.com

• 125ml Sparkling Water

All you need here is equal parts Allora to Soda water, keeping this lighter on the booze and calories and high in refreshment and drinkability. Serve with a slice of lemon and maybe even a cheeky basil or mint leaf.

The Ultimate Rosé Spritz Recipe

I’ve always loved a simple rosé wine spritz, either with sparkling water and fresh fruit as garnish or if I’m feeling more decadent, a fragrant, peach or raspberry tonic. The added zhuzh of a little home-made purée though, adds a delicious upgrade. Here’s the peachy version, though you can swap the peaches for raspberries and use this fever tree Raspberry & Rhubarb tonic instead.

Ingredients & Method

• 100ml Fruity Rosé. (For this, I love Mirabeau X, £10 on offer at Sainsburys until 11/08)

• 75ml London Essence Peach & Jasmine Tonic (£24 for 24 x 20cl, Amathus)

• Pulp of one peach

• Peach slice and sprig of thyme for garnish.

• Pretty straw to stir

Blend your peach flesh until it’s as liquid as possible then place two spoonfuls carefully into the bottom of a large wine glass. Fill to the top with ice then slowly pour the rosé wine in down the side of the glass. Gently do the same with the tonic and marvel at the different layers of colour. You can leave them like that or if they’ve gone wonky. Very carefully mix together to not lose all the bubbles. Garnish and serve.

If you want the cheat version, the Mirabeau X Fever Tree Rosé Spritz mash up is excellent. Find it at Tesco for £12

Golden Hugo Spritz Recipe

(A functional, non-alcoholic spritz)

For those wanting a gentle buzz without any booze, GABA drinks are the way forward and professor David Nutt put these on the map with his brand his brand Sentia. The Sentia GABA Gold is specifically designed for a gentle uplift using a functional botanical blend, which includes ashwagandha, schisandra, damiana, ginseng and lemon balm. The Gold is great choice to mix with the leafy florals of elderflower and cooling mint in this spritz.

Ingredients & Method

• 50ml SENTIA GABA Gold

• 150ml soda water

• 12.5ml elderflower syrup or cordial

• 15ml fresh lime juice

• Fresh mint leaves

• Mint sprig and lime wheel, to garnish

Clap a small handful of fresh mint leaves and add them to a large wine glass. Fill it with ice, then add the Sentia GABA Gold, elderflower syrup and lime juice. Top with soda water and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and lime wheel.

Another functional drinks brand that I love, Smiling Wolf, has brought out some new ready to drink, non-alcoholic, function cocktails in cans, including an Aperol Spritz -and they’re ace! I can barely tell this one is not booze. If you’re not into mixing your own, give these a try.

Want more summer sipping recommendations? Check out these articles:

One Minute WIne Ace: Picpoul de Pinet

How to find really good Prosecco

The Assyrtiko Grape: Among Greek Ruins

Want to listen to something? Discover the HelenaSips Podcast!

It may be scorching hot in the UK at the moment, but not everyone wants to drink white, rosé and sparkling all the time. Here are some rules of thumb for picking the right RED wines to chill and some great, affordable ones to try:

Chilled Red Wine - Rules of Thumb

Newsflash: It is perfectly fine to chill red wine down BUT some react better than others to cooler temperatures. The best styles of red wine for chilling tend to be lighter-bodied with minimal tooth-drying tannins and a generous dollop of fruitness. This is because cooler temperatures mute aromas and flavours so you need more of those in the first place. A bit of chill also exacerbates tannins, making a wine feel very dry in the mouth so go for something that’s silky smooth to start with. Here are some go-to styles that will take well to a good chilling:

Red Grapes & Styles That Chill Well:

• Beaujolais (made with the Gamay grape)

• Gamay from anywhere

• Pinot Noir from anywhere

• Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley

• Grenache aka Garnacha from anywhere

• Bobal

• Red Lambrusco

• Some Tempranillo (Not Rioja)

TRY THESE REDS CHILLED

Al Fresco Red, 11% ABV, £8.75 Co-op

The winemaker describes Al Fresco as a ‘smashable’ red, which is a perfect description for this light and tangy, cherry-scented, slightly herbaceous vino. Made with juicy Garnacha grapes from Spain, as its name suggests, this needs nothing but a slight chill, a comfy deckhair and some good conversation. At 11% too, it defines easy drinking. Not sweet either. Fab - and the label is pretty.

ViñaSol Fruity Red, Torres, £8.20 Ocado

Spanish winemaking family Torres are legendary in the trade and this new, lighter style of Tempranillo was made to be put in the fridge so I was expecting it to be sweeter for some reason. It’s dry and classy, with characteristic notes of savoury strawberry, a bit of herbaceousness and just enough grip to give it structure. No flabby wine here. I’m taking this to the beach to watch the sun go down.

Lambrusco Secco Reggiano, £8 M&S and Ocado

Lambrusco is back - and it’s a million miles from the sugar-fuelled commercial style of the past. This food-friendly, sparkling Italian tipple is an excellent version of ‘proper’ Lambrusco: deliciously rustic, dry and yeasty with lots of dark cherry and crunchy raspberry flavours and a moreish, balsamic-in-a-good-way kick. Serve it chilled with burgers and it’s highly smashable.

Toro Loco Red, £5.99 Tesco / £5.49 Aldi

With all the price rises we’ve seen in the past couple of years, it’s a wonder we can still find value vino that actually tastes as good as this one. Made with a blend of the Rioja grape Tempranillo and a large splash of fruity Bobal, this new-look Spanish sipper is rustic and savoury but not so heavy you feel the need for a big steak. Perfect if you love a bit of savoury fruit and are not into full-on jammy styles. 5/5

Blueprint Pinot Noir, £7.50, Waitrose

This exceptionally well-priced Pinot hails from Romania; a country which is producing some really lovely, light, aromatic and highly gluggable Pinot Noir wines under £10. Made by top producer Cramele Recas, this has all the ripe berry hallmarks of a cooler climate Pinot with a moreish, savoury spice note on the finish. Fabulous after a 20 minute chill and a plate of cold cuts as the sun goes down.

Where in the world are we?

The wine making area of Rías Baixas sits up in Galicia on Spain’s wild and wet, north-west corner. It gets its name from the many, long and thin fjord-like inlets (‘rias’) that funnel cool sea air straight into the vineyards. Baixas means lower, as this area is lower down the coast than another set of inlets: ‘Rias Alta’.

The Star Grape: Albariño

The white Albariño grape is the star of the show here. Think ripening lemons, wet rocks and salty sea spray with a peachy fleshiness and a bitter kick on the finish. Style-wise, most Albarino you’ll find is fresh and unoaked, made to be drunk young but keep an eye out for ‘sobre lías’ versions (aged on the lees for extra texture and roundness) and increasingly, some gorgeous barrel-aged and skin-contact bottlings that are wonderful with food. A teeny tiny amount of sparkling (‘espumoso’) Albariño is made too, though it’s hard to find.

The Subzones

Within Rìas Baixas there are 5 official sub regions that offer different Albariño moods:

Val do Salnés is the coolest and wettest, most coastal spot and Albariño’s historic heartland. Wines from here are nervy, saline and lemony.

O Rosal hugs the Miño River right where it meets the Atlantic on the Portuguese border. Wines here are a touch softer, often blended with Loureiro and Caíño Blanco for more perfumed and floral, peachier styles.

Condado do Tea is inland and mountainous, making it the warmest and driest subzone. These wines are ripe and round with softer acidity with classic notes of nectarine and pink grapefruit.

Soutomaior is tiny and hilly with sandy, granitic soils. These wines are especially taut and mineral-driven.

Ribeira do Ulla is the newest and most landlocked subzone, up near Santiago de Compostela. Alluvial soils here give softer, fruitier, more easier-drinking Albariño.

Food Pairings

Albariño was born for seafood - anything from octopus, oysters and prawns to simple, grilled fish. The lees aged, skin contact and oaked version can take heavier dishes too, including pork, poultry and many types of cheese.

Fun Fact!

There’s a bit of red wine in Rias Baixas too! It’s less than 5% of production and they’re usually a blend of local grapes like Caíño Tinto, Espadeiro, Loureiro Tinto, and Mencía. Style-wise, these are usually pale and light-bodied with high-acidity and a moreish, rustic funkiness. They’re often served chilled as well.

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Try these:

Pazo de Señorans 2024, £23.99 Virgin Wines, BBR,

A bang on, classic example of a top notch, young Albariño from Val do Salnès, Rias Baixas.

Pazo de Señorans Selección de Añada 2015, £54 VINVM £60 BBR

Did you know Albariño can age elegantly? Try this premium version from an older vintage.

Granbazán, Etiqueta Ambar, 2024, £18.95 N.D John on offer, Solent Cellar, £24

A complex, gastronomic Albariño made with hand-harvested, estate-grown grapes. This shows the weight and texture that lees ageing and long skin contact can add.

Santiago Ruiz O Rosal Rias Baixas 2025, £20.50 VINVM

A classic O Rosal blend, this is a blend of Albariño with local Loureiro, Treixadura, Godello and Caíño Blanco to give a quite a different style of white from the region.

Picpoul de Pinet AOC with Ormarine

The Vinalogy: Picpoul is the Surfer Girl of Wine Grapes!

Picpoul de Pinet is a crisp, refreshing white wine that tastes of lemon blossom, citrus peel, salt and herbs and it hails from the Languedoc on the Mediterranean coast of southern France. The grape is officially known as Piquepoul in this area, which translates roughly as ‘lip-stinger’ - fairly accurate, given the acidity, although ‘Picpoul’ is the spelling that seems to have stuck. The Picpoul grape can be found in a few places around the world now but the OG place for it is the appellation (designated production area) of Picpoul de Pinet, which wraps around the Étang de Thau lagoon between Montpellier and Béziers. Look out for that tall, green, embossed bottle and see more on the appellation and the Vinalogy here.

Read more About Picpoul de Pinet

What we tasted:

Villemarin Picpoul de Pinet 2025, £12.50 (£8.50 mix 6), Majestic

A beautiful, benchmark example of a young Picpoul de Pinet.

Ormarine ‘Cuvée Estela’ Picpoul de Pinet 2024, £15.50 (£14 mix 6) Majestic

The more savoury, gastronomic style, with a creamy texture from fine lees ageing, hence ‘Élevée sur Lies Fines’.

Ormarine ‘Acaciae’ 2020

A premium, richer, gastronomic and aromatic expression of Picpoul de Pinet where the wine was aged in acacia barrels.

Ormarine Extra Brut Sparkling Picpoul, £17.95 ND John

A lesser spotted, sparkling Picpoul made in a very dry style, hence ‘extra brut’. Note that sparkling Picpouls are not part of the AOC!

DO Rias Baixas: Albariño

The Vinalogy: Albariño is the Mermaid of Wine Grapes!

Albariño is the grape taking the summer and all its seafood delights by storm! You may know it in its lighter, spritzier, Portuguese guise as Vinho Verde but it’s the Rías Baixas region in Galicia, northwestern Spain on the Atlantic coast where we find the version that’s grabbing the headlines. The area here is cool, damp and pretty green and there’s a maritime climate with granite-rich soils that the grape loves. These Albariño wines are substantial, food friendly white wines packed with waxy citrus and peach with a distinct briny note and a bitter kick on the finish. They are generally unoaked and make perfect pairings for the region’s own seafood and shellfish. See more about the grape here and the region here!

Read More About Rias Baixas

What we tasted:

Pazo de Señorans 2024, £23.99 Virgin Wines, BBR,

A bang on, classic example of a top notch, young Albariño from Rias Baixas.

Pazo de Señorans Selección de Añada 2015, £54 VINVM £60 BBR

Did you know Albariño can age elegantly? Try this premium version from an older vintage.

Granbazán, Etiqueta Ambar, 2024, £18.95 N.D John on offer, Solent Cellar, £24

A complex, gastronomic Albariño made with hand-harvested, estate-grown grapes. This shows the weight and texture that lees ageing and long skin contact can add.

Santiago Ruiz O Rosal Rias Baixas 2025, £20.50 VINVM

Our sneaky extra, this is a blend of Albariño with local Loureiro, Treixadura, Godello and Caíño Blanco to give a quite a different style of white from the region.

A Sparkling Wine Sips Safari

A journey through three key methods of making sparkling wine with a bit of an Old World Vs New World comparison while we’re at it.

La Gioiosa Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG 2025, £12 on offer (was £14) Ocado & Amazon

Charmat method - But make it premium! Here we look at the tank method that makes Prosecco and taste the difference that location, vintage and lower sugar levels can make.

Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve, Brut NV, Hampshire £26 on offer Waitrose was £38 hattingleyvalley.com

Traditional Method - From Hampshire, England. A blend of the three champagne grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

(Sat) Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs MCC 2020, South Africa, £24 (£21 mix 6) Majestic

Traditional Method - From South Africa. 100% Chardonnay and vintage.

(Sun) Graham Beck Rosé MCC 2019, South Africa, £24 (£21 mix 6) Majestic

Traditional Method - From South Africa. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Pét Nat Brut Rosé, £15 M&S and Ocado

Pétillant Naturel method - From Kent, England. Where the wine finishes a single fermentation in the bottle, leaving the yeast sediment to add flavours and creaminess. Made from Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay.

Meet the Chef

Chef Amaresh Nandan from The White Hart

Dish: Provencale-crusted Devon Scallops, datterino tomato fondue, grilled courgette, new potatoes.

Wine: Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2020, £65 Gusbourne.co.uk

This is Gusbourne’s signature wine. Made with 100% Chardonnay from a warm vintage in Kent, this is complex and elegant, with a touch of brioche and toasted nut, freshened up by a saline core and a twist of lemon peel.

Chef Dylan James from Cambium at Careys Manor

Dish: Whole plaice, crab gnocchi, summer bean cassoulet & mussel flatbreads with fennel.

Wine: Trouble Organic Rosé by Gérard Bertrand, £12 from Ocado and M&S

A cloudy, biodynamic, minimal intervention rosé (‘troublé’ in French!) which tastes lean and mineral with notes of rose and underripe strawberry. The creamy texture makes it very much a foodie wine.

Suki Pantal Indian chef and food writer

Dish: Keralan monkfish curry with coconut

Drink: Chorus Sparkling Beer, £19.95 chorusbeer.com

A beer for wine lovers! With fine bubbles and an ABV of 12%, served in a 750ml bottle, this beer combines much of what wine lovers want in a sparkling with the caramel richness of a tasting beer. brewed in teh New Forest, it’s local, too!

Tom Gilbey has spent over 30 years in the wine trade, but you’ll probably know him best as that guy on social media who is brutally and hilariously honest about every wine he tastes, rating them CLASS, PASS or absolute ARSE.

He’s tasted a different bottle at every mile of the London Marathon, demonstrated wine temperature by sitting in an ice bath at 3 degrees, he has a book, a new wine club and is about to take his live show Absolute Filth on tour around the UK and Ireland. In a world of stuffy tasting notes, he’s a real breath of fresh air.

In this conversation, we talk about his long family history in booze, a joint love of unpretentious wine places, the bottle that ‘did it’ for him, ice baths, sensory memories, TikTok, Jam Shed wine and his upcoming tour, Absolute Filth.

Find Tom Gilbey

Instagram: @tomgilbeywine

For all things tour, book and info: tomgilbey.com

In the glass…

A Chilli Martini from Sophie’s Soho

Make it yourself? Here’s how:

• Vodka: 50 ml (or 1.75 oz) premium or vanilla-infused vodka

• Passionfruit Puree: 25 ml (or 0.8 oz)

• Vanilla Syrup: 15–20 ml (or 0.5–0.75 oz) depending on sweetness preference

• Red Chilli: 1/2 to 1 sliced red chilli (adjust to your preferred heat

  Chill a martini glass, then muddle fresh red chilli slices with vanilla syrup in a shaker to release the heat. Add vodka and passionfruit puree, fill with ice and shake hard for 15-20 seconds. Double strain into the chilled glass to keep out seeds, and float a chilli slice on top to garnish.

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Liked this? Listen to more episodes:

Olympian Legend, Dame Jess Ennis-Hill

Designer & entrepreneur, Cath Kidston

‘Chocolat’ author, Joanne Harris

Actor & Winemaker Sam Neill

Designer & Artist Laurence Llewellyn Bowen

Broadcaster & super athlete, Vassos Alexander

Co-Founder of Renais Gin, Alex Watson

Artisan perfumer, Sarah McCartney

Mr Plant Geek, Michael Perry

This week, I wrote about English Sparkling wine in the Daily Mail but if you missed it and are not a Mail+ subscriber, here it is:

For decades, you’d have been laughed out of any bar or wine shop for suggesting that the English could beat the French at their own game with sparkling wine - and for good reason. Early English vino tended to be on the weedy side: thin and astringent, made with obscure Germanic grapes and pumped full of sugar in a desperate bid to balance eye-watering acidity. Not any more, though - nor has it been that way for about twenty years. Anyone writing off English wine as a joke in 2026 isn’t being discerning; they’re simply not paying attention.

The numbers alone tell a story. According to WineGB, the national trade body for the English and Welsh wine industry, there are now 1,158 vineyards, nearly 260 registered wineries and sales have rocketed by around 200% in six years, making viticulture the fastest-growing agricultural sector in the United Kingdom. Waitrose has seen sales of English fizz jump 15%; Ocado says searches for English sparkling wine have doubled since last year and their BWS Trading Manager Vanessa Pearson is unequivocal: “It’s a category that’s firmly earned its place alongside some of the world’s most established sparkling wines, driven by high quality and a real sense of identity. It’s time to see English sparkling not as an alternative, but as a first choice.” Hear, hear.

If proof were needed, the silverware is seriously piling up. Nyetimber in West Sussex has been racking up gold medals since 1997 and last year, made history as the first ever non-Champagne producer to claim the International Wine Challenge’s Champion Sparkling trophy; an award the French had taken home 34 years in a row. Ridgeview in Sussex beat five champagnes in 2010 to win the International Sparkling trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards and the same competition opened the magnum category to non-Champagne sparklers for the first time last year too - and English winemaker Dermot Sugrue walked straight in and claimed the top prize for Sugrue South Downs.

Producers like these, alongside Hambledon, Gusbourne and others now routinely beat Champagne in blind tastings judged by sommeliers and other experts. Kent’s Chapel Down took this a step further still recently, having the genius idea - and sheer audacity - to take its bottles to the streets of Champagne under the alias ‘Chapelle en Bas’. They found that six out of ten French consumers tasting blind said they preferred the English sparkling. Très embarrassant. And while fizz has been the headline act of the last two decades, English still wines are catching up fast: WineGB’s 2026 awards saw more medals go to still wines than sparkling for the first time.

So what’s changed? Climate, for one thing. Average temperatures in southern England have risen by two degrees since the 1970s, with acceleration in the last ten years. That difference, when coupled with chalky landscapes that perfectly echo the Champagne region, a decision en masse to double down on Champagne-style wines using Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier and the runaway early successes of Nyetimber amongst others, has been enough for producers to invest in viticulture here - including two major Champagne houses: Taittinger and Pommery. A 2023 report stated that nearly £480m had been invested in England’s vineyards and wineries over the previous five years; a figure that will have increased substantially by now. And while Kent, Dorset and the southern mainland coast have been getting much of the glory, eyes are now turning further north to the midlands and Yorkshire, east to Essex and across the Solent to the sunny Isle of Wight, where boutique producers like Pinkmead Estate and Gatcombe Estate are quietly laying the foundations for something sustainable and serious.

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A Wine Tourism App

Wine tourism is booming, helping breed brand loyalty and chunky sales, with restaurants and guest houses springing up at wineries seemingly every week. Middle-class Brits are lapping it up, pleased to be buying British and buying local. And happily, doing that just got easier: a new app, the UK Vineyard Guide (ukvineyardguide.co.uk), launched this spring to help wine tourists find, plan and enjoy vineyard visits across England and Wales. There has never been a better time to explore the vineyards on our doorsteps.

England may have come late to the world’s winemaking party - but it has absolutely no intention of leaving early. Let’s raise a glass to that!

Try these English Sparkling Wines

The Trouble With Dreams 2020, Sugrue South Downs, Sussex, £50 Swig

Made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this is a stunning, fruit-forward, generous fizz from a gloriously warm vintage, delivering lemon peel, apple and biscuit with a chalky mineral streak.

Squerryes Brut 2022, Kent, £40.99 House of Decant, squerryes.co.uk

Made from all three Champagne grapes, this is a full and flavoursome, sophisticated fizz with complex notes of tangy red apple, peach and pastry with a touch of spice on the finish.

Dancing Duchess, £42 dancingduchess.com

This elegant, yet playful sparkling rosé from a new, boutique producer is made with 100% Meunier: something rarely seen in the UK! Think pale, dry and crisp with bright red fruit and a delicate, brioche toastiness.

New Hall Wine Estate, Classic Cuvée, Crouch Valley, Essex. £29.50 newhallwines.com

From the most exciting new region for fine wine in the country - Crouch Valley, Essex - this classic fizz is all about fleshy, golden delicious apples and white peach with textural, brioche-like notes.

Flint Vineyard Charmat Rose, Norfolk, £20 on offer at Ocado, Cambridge Wine Merchants

‘Charmat’ is the method used to make Prosecco so expect an easy drinking, fruity, fizz that’s dark pink and packed full of strawberry bon bon flavours, a subtle nuttiness and a pretty whiff of rose.

This episode is a little different in format, as I managed to grab some time with Sam Neill while on a recent wine press trip to New Zealand before I knew The HelenaSips Podcast would exist!

In this intimate chat, we hear about Sam’s philosophy on wine and the character of each of the Central Otago subregions where he grows his grapes for Two Paddocks. We hear what he drinks when it’s not Pinot, get an explanation of each of his cuvées as songs, discover his favourite role to play and learn why he will never put his wine under a cork again!

Please subscribe if you enjoy these conversations - and tell your friends.

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Find Sam Neill

Instagram: @samneilltheprop

In the glass…

Two Paddocks Estate Pinot Noir 2024

Silky, elegant and aromatic with notes of wild herbs and bright red cherry. A delight!

twopaddocks.com

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Liked this? Listen to more episodes:

Designer & entrepreneur, Cath Kidston

Chocolate author, Joanne Harris

Broadcaster & super athlete, Vassos Alexander

Co-Founder of Renais Gin, Alex Watson

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen is an interior designer turned TV icon who’s now reclaiming his roots as a fine artist. Classically trained at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, he spent years adorning everything from oligarchs’ boudoirs to West End theatre ceilings before the cameras showed up.

He then spent the best part of a decade transforming other people’s living rooms on national television with Changing Rooms, watched by 12 million Brits at its peak and since then has been a regular feature on all sorts of shows, from being thrown around a jungle on celebrity bear hunt to playing pictionary live on air. But somewhere between the leather trousers and the velvet curtains, the painter got quietly sidelined by the tvs star. Now, in his 61st year, he’s picking the brushes back up and touring the country with his third solo show, Drawn to Adorn, and by his own admission, hitting a technical peak most pensioners don’t get to brag about…

We talk gin as an antiseptic, simple food habits, his upbringing in Kensington and southeast London and his journey from art school to television and back to artist again. Along the way, we touch on his mother’s influence, the importance of arty careers, confidence, genitals and some pretty solid advice for life.

Subscribe for episode updates!

Find Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

Instagram: @llewelynbowen

LLB Design Website: llb.co.uk

Drawn to Adorn show with Buckingham Fine Art:

• Sat 27th June in Brighton

• 11th July in Stratford-upon-Avon

Get tickets and more information HERE.

Buy the art here: cotswoldcontemporary.co.uk

In the glass…

Gin. Any Gin. And sometimes, with tonic!

*******

Liked this? Listen to more episodes:

Olympian Legend, Dame Jess Ennis-Hill

Designer & entrepreneur, Cath Kidston

‘Chocolat’ author, Joanne Harris

Actor & Winemaker Sam Neill

Broadcaster & super athlete, Vassos Alexander

Co-Founder of Renais Gin, Alex Watson

Artisan perfumer, Sarah McCartney

Mr Plant Geeek, Michael Perry

Toro Loco hails from Utiel-Requena, a high altitude wine region east of Valencia. Here, Mediterranean breezes and a wide swing between warm days and cool nights give the grapes plenty of time to ripen slowly while holding onto their acidity giving wines freshness and fruitiness in equal measure. The brand works with 3,000 winegrower families across the appellation and has built a reputation for genuinely fantastic value, picking up more than 100 medals over the past decade.

Within this region is a ‘superior’ zone, known for vineyards that produce low yields from ancient vines and where traditional growing methods are used. The ‘Superior’ red, our focus for tonight, is built around Bobal, the appellation’s signature grape. It’s blended with Tempranillo, giving you juicy spiced cherry and strawberry compote character with a touch of damson skin grip on the palate. It’s an unfussy, food-friendly red that doesn’t ask much of you beyond a Wednesday night and some simple tapas, which is exactly the point.

See more about Toro Loco and all their wines here.

Tonight’s Wines

Toro Loco White

95% Viura, 5% Sauvignon Blanc

Made largely with the Viura grape and a splash of Sauvignon for zestiness, this white is crisp and refreshing, with bright citrus notes, crunchy green apple and a pretty, floral lift. THE VINALOGY: Antonio Banderas, younger, in Zorro: bright. vibrant, fresh and uncomplicated.

Toro Loco Rosado

100% Bobal

This is an elegant, pale and dry rosé with delicate notes of raspberry and cherry with hints of zesty citrus. Immensely refreshing and vibrant, this will cover a lot of food bases. The VINALOGY: Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona: sun-warmed and playful, still carrying that same Mediterranean heat as the red but worn lightly, nothing weighing it down.

Toro Loco ‘Superior’ Fruity & Juicy Red

60% Tempranillo, 40% Bobal

A deceptively complex wine for its style, this red is immensely fresh, juicy and easy to drink, with aromas of wild strawberry, red cherries and a thirst-slaking mineral tang. THE VINALOGY: Clint Eastwood in The Dollars Trilogy: Young, vibrant, soft leather and spice, smooth talking with licorice whips and a little grippiness.

Find it for £5.79 at Tesco and Aldi in store.

THE TORO LOCO MENU - by Alex Forsyth

Jamon with sweet paprika nuts

Avocado gazpacho shots

Empanadas

Padon peppers

Grilled chorizo

White bean stew with clams

Potato Tortilla

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BBQ pork flank

Watermelon and cured goats cheese salad

Baby potatoes with saffron aioli

Green salad

Toasted sourdough

***

Asturian apple tart

Manchego and pears

Make sure you’re on the list to hear about future wine masterclass, Supper Club events on the Isle of Wight by subscribing! You’ll also get weekly wine wisdom and recommendations and links to the HelenaSips Podcast.

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Prosecco is arguably the most carelessly bought wine on the supermarket shelf, in my opinion. Most people grab whatever’s on offer with no idea that there’s a quality hierarchy hiding in plain sight on the label. The fix is simple: look for the G - and trade up a bit in price. This is what I mean and crucially, why it’s worth it:

DOC vs DOCG

The best Proseccos I have tasted (and last week, I was out in Italy judging A LOT of them blind for an international wine competition, so I should know!), tend to be much drier than most we get in the UK and showcase a gorgeous, subtle complexity with a real sense of place. I’m not talking simple, saccharine, frothy, pear-scented fizz here; I mean verbena, gentian and wild jasmine with notes of rose, white peach, lemon cream and apricot, all freshened up by a slick of salty minerality. I’m talking seriously classy sparkling wines where you can actually tell the difference between them - and they all have one thing in common: The ‘G’.

What’s the ‘G?’

In the UK, around 94% of all the Prosecco we import is of a DOC quality level, which simply assures the area of production and the methods used. Only a tiny sliver, around 6%, of what’s imported is DOCG level, where the ‘G’ stands for ‘Garantita’: ‘guaranteed’. This means extra layers of rules, quality and therefore, prestige. It’s the difference between Prosecco as a category and Prosecco as a place. This is not to throw shade on Prosecco DOC; it has its place, it’s reliable can be excellent in its category. If you’re learning about nuance and heirarchy though, look a little higher up. Literally.

The Prosecco DOC area covers a whopping 89,000 acres of farmland between the Dolomites and the Adriatic and here, the land is largely flat and open with widely spaced rows of vines that make mechanical harvesting easy. This is why yields of grapes and therefore volumes can be so high - rarely a marker of super high quality wine. The tendency with DOC is to make a slightly sweeter style too, which is unhelpfully known as ‘Extra Dry’. Don’t get me started on that. In any case, all these things are why most of us assume that all Prosecco is sweet, simple and cheap as chips, with very little distinction between bottles - even though some are definitely better than others.

Why DOCG wines are ‘Superiore’ (and earn the G!)

DOCG wines are a big step up in quality and helpfully, labels will usually, though not always, state ‘Superiore’ on them somewhere to make us more aware of their superior status. There are many reasons why they are so good:

Hillside Vineyards: Unlike the vast flatlands of the DOC, here, the steep slopes between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are too steep for machines. This means every bunch is hand harvested. Massive quality tick! The same goes for Asolo, the smaller, lesser known DOCG to the southwest.

Tiny Production Zone: Quality beats quantity every time. Conegliano Valdobbiadene covers around 21,500 acres against the DOC’s 89,000. Asolo is small too at just 4,400 acres.

Lower Grape Yields: The slopes naturally limit how much fruit the vines can carry, and less fruit means more flavour packed into what’s left.

Altitude: Vines climbing up to 500 metres above sea level experience cooler nights, which means slower ripening and a freshness that gives these wines a real lift.

The ‘Rive’ System: The Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG recognises 43 individually named hillside parcels known as ‘rive’ (pronounced ‘ree-vay’), each with its own soil type and microclimate. This means subtle differences in the glass based on where the grapes were grown. With practice, you can pick out what each rive brings. On the label, you’ll see ‘Rive di…’ and the name, such as ‘Rive di Soligo’. Also, Rive wines MUST be ‘vintage’, i.e. made from grapes grown in one year only.

Often Drier: Serious DOCG producers have been moving toward drier ‘Brut’ and ‘Extra Brut’ styles over the last decade, while basic DOC still leans more heavily on sweeter, Extra Dry and Dry styles, which are handy for flattering less interesting fruit. These drier styles tend to be more nuanced, in my experience. Having said that, it’s worth trying some properly sweet Dry styles (don’t even..!) when they’re a ‘Cartizze’ (see below) or a top producer - preferably both!

A UNESCO site: The Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 - official recognition of just how special this landscape is.

Cartizze: Within the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG sits a tiny sub-zone called ‘Cartizze’. At just over 100 hectares in size, Cartizze is considered to be the finest hillside within the whole appellation. Wines from here carry the designation ‘Superiore di Cartizze’; the most prestigious DOCG label you can find. The jewel in the crown!

GEEK FACT!

The full name for what the pros are now calling ConVal is Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. It’s quite the mouthful but so satisfying when it rolls off the tongue! Sometimes, you’ll see just ‘Valdobbiadene’ on its own, which usually signals that the producer is emphasising the western, higher altitude end of the zone, closer to Cartizze, but you might also see just ‘Conegliano’. Both are allowed; the former is a hint towards a more prestigious style whereas the latter is more about where the vineyards lie physically.

Your Quality Prosecco Cheatsheet

Here’s a summary of what to look for in order to find a seriously delicious Prosecco:

• Look for the G: DOCG

• Look for Conegliano Valdobbiadene or Asolo somewhere on the label.

• If you see Valdobbiadene alone, it points toward the posher zone near Cartizze.

• Look for a Rive di + name if you want a genuine sense of place.

• Choose Brut or Extra Brut over Extra Dry or Dry (ironically) for a drier, more nuanced style unless you want a posh wine for cheese or pudding.

• Look for Millesimato and/ or a year if you want vintage character.

• Choose Cartizze if you are celebrating something special and really see what top notch Prosecco looks like.

  Some DOCG Prosecco Wines to Try

La Gioiosa Brut Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore Millesimato, £14.50 Ocado

A great, easy going example of a vintage DOCG with notes of golden delcicious apples, white peach and jasmine. An Extra Dry style so expect lots of fruit ripeness.

Ruggeri ‘Orizzonti’ Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut NV, £15 (£13.50 mix 6) Majestic

The Ruggeri family go back generations in the area and this DOCG is a good example of a drier ‘Brut’ style with real citrus freshness, though there’s still ripeness there.

Biancavigna Prosecco DOCG Extra Brut, Rive di Soligo, £21.80 Amathus

One of the driest styles, this vintage, Extra Brut shows the terroir of Soligo beautifully with fine bubbles and notes of acacia, wisteria, white peach and a mineral core.

Biancavigna Prosecco DOCG Brut Nature ‘Sui Lieviti’ 2020, £22.20 Amathus

‘Sui Lieviti’ means ‘on lees’ and this style is essentially Prosecco’s Pét Nat. Naturally cloudy and savoury with notes of peach skin and nuts, this is a textural, foodie wine.

Prosecco Superiore di Cartizze DOCG ‘Le Colture’, £24.50 Corney & Barrow

Cartizze wines suit a Dry style which ironically, is the sweetest - but it’s never cloying here! This is round and ripe with notes of caramelised peach and jasmine, lifted by verbena. It’s perfect with cheese and salty snacks as well as less sugary desserts like tarte tatin.

Picpoul de Pinet now has its own dedicated celebration day on the second Friday of June (tomorrow!) Here’s your One Minute Wine Ace Guide to help you make the most of it. Grab a bottle and raise a glass!

What is Picpoul de Pinet?

Picpoul de Pinet is a crisp white wine from the Languedoc on the Mediterranean coast of southern France. Piquepoul is the official, older name of the grape variety in this area, which translates roughly as ‘lip-stinger’ - fairly accurate, given the acidity you’re in for, although ‘Picpoul’ is the spelling that seems to have stuck and the one virtually everyone recognises. Even the official appellation itself uses it!

Picpoul de Pinet became its own appellation in 2013, which for a wine this unpretentious is a relatively recent badge of honour. Look out for the bottle shape too. Many producers use a tall, slender, slightly tapered green bottle with embossing reminiscent of an old French perfume bottle. It’s a useful shortcut when you’re scanning the wine aisles in a hurry.

Where is it?

Picpoul de Pinet wraps around the Étang de Thau, a vast saltwater lagoon separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. This is serious oyster and mussel territory and one of France’s most important shellfish farming areas. The vineyards sit on a plateau of clay and limestone overlooking the lagoon, catching cooling sea breezes that keep the grapes fresh. The nearest city is Montpellier, about 30 minutes away by car, with the village of Pinet itself giving the wine its name.

What does Picpoul de Pinet taste like?

Bone dry, bracingly acidic and coastal in the most literal sense. Think green apple, lemon and lime, white flowers and a distinct salinity that tastes almost like sea spray. There’s often a faint bitterness on the finish, almost like grapefruit pith, which is part of its charm. It’s best served properly cold.

If it had a character, it would be windsurfer on the lagoon with wind in her hair…

Watch The Video

Picpoul de Pinet Food Pairing

This is, quite simply, one of the great oyster wines of the world. The acidity cuts straight through the brininess and the wine’s own salinity makes it feel like an extension of the dish, sweetening up the fleshiness.

Beyond oysters, it’s brilliant with any shellfish. It handles fried food surprisingly well too, the acidity cutting through any oiliness. Goat’s cheese is another classic match, and it’s a reliable partner for anything with citrus, herbs or a touch of chilli.

Try These!

Ormarine ‘Villemarin’ Picpoul de Pinet 2025, £12.50 (£10 mix 6) Majestic Wines

Ormarine is the leading brand of the region. The Villemarin now comes in a much lighter, more environmentally friendly eco bottle and it is your benchmark Picpoul de Pinet: zesty and crisp with intense notes of lemon peel, green apple and a slick of salinity. Stunning with fresh oysters and prawns.

Ormarine ‘Cuvée Estela’ Sur Lies Fines, Picpoul de Pinet 2024, £15.50 (£14 mix 6) Majestic Wine

A more gastronimic style of Picpoul de Pinet from Ormarine, this wine has had time ageing on its spent yeast cells, or fine ‘lees’, hence ‘sur lies’. This gives the wine more complex flavours of nectarine and peach skin as well as more texture, so it can handle more weighty, flavoursome dishes such as scallops in creamy sauces or garlicky chicken.

Want the full, global Picpoul Wine Grape Sips Safari? Watch the Vinalogy Video !

Watch Video!

Welcome to another One Minute Wine Ace post. This week, it’s all about getting to know Santorini’s flagship white grape Assyrtiko with this ‘vinalogy’ to help you remember its characteristics:

Assyrtiko: Among Ancient Ruins

There’s not a cloud in the sky on this warm, bright day as you head on foot down the white, gravelly pathway towards what’s physically left of this ancient Greek civilization. The air is redolent with the scent of almond trees and acacia blossom with clementine peels warming in the heat. You spot a stand selling small pots of lemon granita and gratefully suck down the salty, citrusy ice crystals, holding the empty pot to your brow. Soon enough, it’s time to step inside this ancient world of cool, marble structures away from the glaring sun. Down here it smells mineral and earthy. What these walls must have seen!

Assyrtiko is Greece’s finest quality white wine grape and it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves on wine lists around the world. In its sunny spiritual home of Santorini, Assyrtiko makes fairly full-bodied white wine with lush notes of orange and lemon citrus, acacia honey and marzipan tempered by a very welcome cool, mineral core and refreshingly high acidity, despite the heat. It doesn’t much like oak and you can drink it young but the best ones can age well for years too. If you’re into fine Riesling, you’ll love this, especially with a plate of white fish and skinny potato fries.

GEEK FACT: On its island home of Santorini, many of the Assyrtiko vines are still ungrafted* and are aged between 60 and 250 years old! This means they have incredibly deep roots, reaching down for metres into the volcanic soil and sucking up lots of trace elements and minerals, hence the style.

*Most European vines have different rootstocks - I’ll bore you with why another time.

ASSYRTIKO SIPS SAFARI

Assyrtiko 1: Santorini, Greece

For benchmark Assyrtiko, try one unoaked from the island of Santorini in the Cyclades. This is where you’ll find powerful,. yet crisp, dry and saline wines with their fragrant notes of ripe lemon and clementine with a touch of honey. For fuller-bodied, more textured and gastronomic versions, look for ‘Nykteri’ on the label and you can also try it in its dark, sweet wine form as the original Vinsanto for a salted caramel, fudge vibe.

Try: Assyrtiko ‘34’, Santorini, Karamolegos 2023, £41, The Wine Society,

Assyrtiko 2: Crete & Mainland Greece

More and more plantings of this grape can now be found in Crete and around mainland Greece, especially around Macedonia, Drama and the Peloponnese where the inland climate and more youthful vines produce wines that are a little lighter, less austere and more fruity. They don’t quite have the length, complexity or the panache of Santorini, though.

Try: Lyrarakis Assyrtiko 2025, Crete, £15 (£11.50 mix 6), Majestic Wine

Assyrtiko 3: Clare Valley, Australia

You won’t find a huge amount of Assyrtiko outside Greece yet, but pockets of it are cropping up, such as in Australia’s cool Clare Valley region. This is the home of the razor-like, crisp Aussie Rieslings and they share that concentration and acidity with Assyrtiko here.

Try: Jim Barry, Clare Valley Assyrtiko 2023, £25 Laithwaites

Also Try: Thanks to its incredible capacity to remain fresh when the weather is extremely hot and dry, many regions worldwide are now experimenting with Assyrtiko thanks to climate change. New Zealand and Puglia are doing well with it and they are even experimenting with it in Bordeaux now, so keep an eye on that!

Assyrtiko is…

🎨 Golden, complex and citrussy

🏋️‍♂️ Full-bodied, concentrated and saline with very fresh acidity

👃 All about complex orange and lemon peel, honey blossom and almond

📍 The star white grape of Santorini, Greece

🍴 Pair with grilled white fish

Liked this? Check out these posts:

• Chardonnay: The ‘Kate’ of wine grapes

• Sauvignon Blanc: The English Country Garden wine grape

• What is Pét Nat wine?

And don’t forget to see who I’ve been chatting to on the HelenaSips Podcast!

I was absolutely delighted to have the chance to meet Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill recently AND taste the very first bottle of her brand new ‘mid’ wine, Seven Summers.

Jess Ennis-Hill is one of Britain’s most iconic athletes. She captured the nation’s heart at the London 2012 Olympics as our gold medal-winning, heptathlon champion before returning after motherhood to win gold at the world championships in 2015 and Olympic silver in Rio in 2016. But this conversation isn’t just about medals. Since retiring from elite sport, Jessica has been navigating a very different kind of challenge, shifting from a life defined by performance and precision to one shaped by family, wellbeing and a deeper understanding of the body beyond its limits. Now a mother and entrepreneur, she’s helping women rethink fitness in a more intuitive, sustainable way.

In this episode, we explore what happens after you’ve achieved the dream and how you rebuild a life that feels just as meaningful and joyful, without the roar of the crowd, all with a splash of her genuinely delicious, brand new, 7% ABV ‘mid wine’: a Provençal pink called Seven Summers!

Find Jess Ennis-Hill

Instagram: @jessicaennishill @wearejennis

Jennis on Youtube

In the glass…

Seven Summers 7% ABV Rosé Wine

A brand new launch from Jess herself, Seven Summers is an exceptionally well-made rosé from Provence with an ABV of just 7% but all of the crisp and saline, strawberry-scented charm of your favourite Provençal pink. Find it for £12.50 a bottle at 7summers.co.uk and follow on instagram @7summers_wine

*******

Liked this? Listen to more episodes:

Designer & entrepreneur, Cath Kidston

‘Chocolat’ author, Joanne Harris

Actor & Winemaker Sam Neill

Broadcaster & super athlete, Vassos Alexander

Co-Founder of Renais Gin, Alex Watson

Artisan perfumer, Sarah McCartney

Welcome to Cowes Fringe 2026! this weekend, I have been joined once again by Chantal Coady OBE aka The Chocolate Detective to showcase a range of her delicious artisan chocolates with some wines that were hand-picked by me. A HUGE thank you to Bar46 Cowes for hosting us and for the Jack Thompson team for their unfailing generosity and help with this event!

I’ve written before on the rules of thumb when pairing wine and chocolate (it’s a minefield!) so take a look at that article if you’re keen to know more. In the meantime, this is what we are tasting today…

Pink Prosecco + Caramelised Almonds

The Chocolate Detective, Caramelised Provençal Almonds in Dark Chocolate, £16.95, Jack Thompson

La Gioiosa Tradizione Prosecco DOC Rosé Millesimato Brut 2024, £10.50 (25% off if you buy 6) Waitrose

This is the pairing that opens the evening with a little shimmer. La Gioiosa is not your average Prosecco rosé. It’s brut, which means it’s drier than most DOCs and vintage-dated, which together gives it real precision and restraint. Red fruit, rose petal and a whisper of pomegranate meet the bittersweet crunch of caramelised almond and dark chocolate and the bubbles do the washing up between bites.

White Chocolate + Oaked, New World Chardonnay

The Chocolate Detective, White Chocolate with Cardamom & Foraged Fennel, £16.95 Jack Thompson

Toast & Honey Chardonnay, California, 2023, £15.50 (£10.50 mix 6 price) Majestic

Toast & Honey is exactly what the name promises: warm, generous, lightly oaked and super ripe California Chardonnay with vanilla and stone fruit that wraps around white chocolate like a cashmere blanket. It’s intense, which is why it can take the white chocolate. The cardamom and foraged fennel in the chocolate make this pairing interesting rather than merely pleasant, though. The spice lifts the wine's sweetness, the fennel echoes its herbal edge and suddenly you're somewhere more complex than either ingredient suggested on its own.

White Chocolate + Moscato

The Chocolate Detective, White Chocolate with Cardamom & Foraged Fennel, £16.95 Jack Thompson

Cantine Volpi Moscato Piemonte DOC 2025, £8 (£7 mix 6), Majestic

The gentlest pairing of the evening, Cantine Volpi Moscato is low in alcohol, floral and lightly honeyed with peach blossom, apricot, zesty citrus and a little grapey freshness. Against the white chocolate the sweetness levels are perfectly matched and the cardamom and fennel stop it tipping into cloying territory. Think of it as a dessert alternative that’s different and light on its feet! Uncomplicated pleasure, done well.

Dark Cherry Chocolate + Malbec

The Chocolate Detective, Dark Chocolate with Whole Sour Cherries, £16.95, Jack Thompson

‘Dada’ Art Malbec, Finca Las Moras, £8.25 Tesco and Sainsburys

Dada is an unpretentious, crowd-pleasing Argentinian Malbec that does exactly what it says on the tin: dark blueberries, plum a hint of vanilla and rounded tannins that don't outstay their welcome. The sour cherries in the chocolate cut through the Malbec's softness with a little tartness that keeps everything lively. It’s dark fruit calling to dark fruit, with enough contrast to stop it becoming one long purple note. An easy, very satisfying pairing.

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Dark Chocolate + New World Cabernet Sauvignon

The Chocolate Detective, Madagascar Menakao 63% Chocolate Calets, £16.95, Jack Thompson

Two Hands, Tenacity Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia, £16.50 (£14.50 mix six), Majestic

Milk Chocolate + Tawny Port

The Chocolate Detective, Hazelnut Praline Puffin Eggs, £14.95, Jack Thompson

Waitrose Blueprint Tawny Port, £10.25 (25% off mix 6 price), Waitrose

This is the most classically reasoned pairing on the table and it earns that status. Two Hands Tenacity is a serious Cabernet, with cassis, black cherry, mulberry and a savoury edge that tells you old vines went into this bottle. The Madagascar 63% is pure, unfussy dark chocolate with nothing added to distract from the conversation. Tannin meets tannin, the cassis mirrors the chocolate's red fruit notes and the savoury finish of the wine finds its match in the slight bitterness of the cacao.

Want to see what we tasted with the spirits pairing? See here!

Want to read about the wine and chocoalte pairing rules of thumb? See here!

Welcome to Cowes Fringe 2026! New for this year is an artisan chocolate and spirits tasting featuring delights from Chantal Coady OBE aka The Chocolate Detective with a range of delicious spirits. A HUGE thank you to Bar46 Cowes for hosting us and for the Jack Thompson team for their unfailing generosity and help with this event!

First, some chocolate and spirit pairing rules of thumb:

Match intensity first. The spirit and the chocolate need to be in the same weight category. A delicate single malt will be flattened by 85% dark chocolate and a heavily peated whisky will destroy milk chocolate, for example.

The sweetness rule. The spirit needs to meet or exceed the sweetness of the chocolate. Dry spirits tend to work better with darker, less sweet chocolate and aged, sweeter spirits open the door to milk and white chocolate.

Barrel-aged spirits are your friends. Aged spirits like whiskey, cognac and rum echo the natural vanilla and caramel richness you can pick out in fine chocolate. They’re speaking the same language.

Cocktails don’t work. It’s worth knowing that cocktails do not work with chocolate. The competing ingredients tend to muddy everything. Neat or lightly diluted spirits only.

Quality on both sides. Don’t cheap out! Quality, artisan chocolate and spirit bring out each other’s flavours, whereas cheaper versions drown everything in sweetness.

METHOD: Taste each alone first to understand their individual characters, then bring them together. Let the chocolate melt completely before you sip. Don’t bite and gulp simultaneously or you’ll miss the conversation happening between them!

White Chocolate X Gin

Jack Thompson ‘The Islander’ Artisan Gin, £48 Jack Thompson

White Chocolate with Fennel & Cardamom, £16.95 Jack Thompson

This is the pairing that makes you wonder whether the gin and the chocolate were made for each other, which in a sense they were. The Islander's bergamot lemon, jasmine and gentian find their mirror in the fennel and cardamom of the white chocolate. It’s botanical calling to botanical across the table. The creaminess softens the gin's edges and what you're left with is something that tastes unmistakably of the island.

Crystalised Ginger Chococlate X Spiced Rum

Bathtub Rumbullion Spiced Rum, £34.95 Master of Malt

The Chocolate Detective Dark Chocolate with Crystalised Ginger, £16.95 Jack Thompson

Rumbullion is Madagascan vanilla, orange peel, cinnamon and cloves It’s christmas in a bottle, and proud of it. Dark chocolate and crystallised ginger is its natural partner. The ginger amplifies the warming spice in the rum, the dark chocolate gives it somewhere to land, and the orange peel note running through the spirit ties everything together. Bold, generous and completely intuitive once it hits your palate.

Salted Caramel X Salted Caramel

Shimmer Salted Caramel Vodka, £39 Isle of Wight Distillery

The Chocolate Detective, Salted Caramel Seagull Eggs, £14.95 Jack Thompson

Unapologetically indulgent and entirely the point. Caramel meeting caramel, salt lifting salt… this is mirror pairing at its most direct. The lightness of the vodka base stops it tipping into excess and what remains is something that tends to make the room go quiet on the first sip. No apologies necessary.

Milk Chocolate X Bourbon Whiskey

Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Old Bourbon, £64 Majestic (from June)

The Chocolate Detective, Milk Chocolate, Blackthorn & Sea Salt, £16.95 Jack Thompson

Seven years in charred American oak gives this bourbon real depth, with vanilla, caramel and a little wood smoke wrapping around the milk chocolate like it was always meant to be there. The sea salt cuts through any sweetness and keeps things honest. But it's the blackthorn that makes this pairing interesting: that wild, hedgerow bitterness lifting everything just enough to stop it being comfortable.

Orange Chocolate X Cognac VSOP

Courvoisier VSOP Cognac, £47, Waitrose

The Chocolate Detective, Dark Chocolate Orangettes, £16.95 Jack Thompson

Some pairings exist because they simply work, every time, without exception. Cognac and dark chocolate orange is one of them. The dried fruit, oak and gentle spice of a good VSOP finds its natural home alongside candied orange peel wrapped in dark chocolate. We've ended here deliberately. This is a full stop worth savouring.

See more about booze and chocolate pairings!

How to properly pair wine with chocolate

Some posh chocolate and wine pairings

In this episode, Helena Nicklin chats to Cath Kidston MBE, a much-loved creative founder based in the UK. Known for her eponymous, global lifestyle brand, we discuss her new venture, C. Atherley, which was inspired by nature and scented geraniums.

Hear about her journey from the early 90s vintage market to building a brand rooted in nostalgia and everyday pleasure as well as her transition from homewares to body care and home fragrance. Along the way, we’ll hear Cath’s thoughts on the importance of creating a welcoming home and the influence of her father’s legacy on her work.

Find Cath Kidston

C-atherley.com

Instagram:

@c.atherleylondon

@cathkidstonpagham

In the glass…

Fresh Lemon & Ginger Tea

Watch The Video

Happy World Chardonnay Day! To celebrate, here’s a little freebie ‘vinalogy’ from my HelenaSips video resources to help you better understand the key styles of Chardonnay from around the world. Recommendations are at the end too.

Chardonnay: The ‘Kate’ of Wine Grapes

Think back to your school days. Weren’t there always at least four people in your class with the same first name? Well, in my year, it was Kate and it was hard to work out how you felt about the name because there were so many of them. For example, just as you had decided that you hated the name because of spotty-faced Kate who smelled of potato, you’d meet supermodel-in-training Kate who had a perm and older friends who could get into nightclubs. Suddenly, you wanted to name all your future children Kate. Even the boys.

Well, Chardonnay is the wine version of Kate. The sheer number of styles you’ll find worldwide can make it difficult to pin down your thoughts on it as it responds so strongly to where it’s grown and how it’s made. And as styles of this wine go, Chardonnay moves from the sublime to the ridiculous, being responsible for some of the greatest white wines in the world. Climate and winemaking techniques leave their mark, but the key elements will always be there somewhere: look for a golden colour, ripe melon flavour and a fuller body than many other white varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc. Vanilla and buttery notes are also good indicators that the wine is a Chardonnay. Try it unoaked for a true reading of its merits.

FUN FACT! ‘Blanc de Blancs’ translates as ‘white from white’, as in, white wine from white grapes. In Champagne, this means that the wine is made from 100% Chardonnay as it’s the only white grape that is widely used there. If it were a Kate it would be Cate Blanchett; A-lister stuff and fine boned and ethereal, capable of ageing elegantly.

CHARDONNAY SIPS SAFARI

France really sets the tone globally for Chardonnay styles that others emulate, so here are the three core ones to know plus a classic, New World comparison:

Chardonnay 1: Chablis, France

Lean, cool and understated, there is only one Chablis and it comes from the slightly separated, northern part of the Burgundy region in France of the same name. Light bodied and very dry with a characteristic chalky texture, It’s the cool climate and soils that do it. This is Kate the Supermodel. Try this at all quality levels from Petit Chablis through Chablis to Premier Cru and Grand Cru!

Try: The Society’s Exhibition Chablis, £17.50 The Wine Society

Chardonnay 2: California, USA

Voluptuous and fuller-bodied, the Californian style of Chardonnay, such as those from Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley, tend to have a richer and more creamy, almost vanilla marshmallow feel. Cheaper versions might be synthetically enhanced with oak chips, but the top-end wines tend to use oak barrels, giving unctuous caramel and vanilla flavours. This is Katie, the Centrefold - but she can still have an Ivy league education!

Try: Kendall-Jackson ‘Vintners Reserve’ Chardonnay 2024, £20.50 (£18.50 mix 6 price) Majestic

Chardonnay 3: Burgundy, France

With plenty of complexity, character and sophistication, throw a little money at a top-end white from one of the villages in Burgundy, such as a linear Puligny-Montrachet style or a riper, fatter Meursault. ‘White Burgundy’ is almost always 100% Chardonnay. This is Katherine, the Oscar winner and it sets a style tone for wines worldwide.

Try: Domaine Faively Meursault, £69.95 N.D. John

Chardonnay 4: Blanc de Blancs Sparkling

If Champage and many other traditional method sparklers are labelled ‘blanc de blancs’ is usually means 100% Chardonnay - and it always will in Champagne. These are lithe, mineral and ethereal in youth, filling out beautifully to add orchard fruit, brioche and spice with a saline core. Stunning.

Try: Laurent Perrier, Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV, £66.99 on offer Laithwaites

Also Try

In between black de blancs sparkling and boozy, Californian bombshells, there is every style in between! For delicious versions that are kind of mid way between Burgundy and California, try the likes of New Zealand, Chile and South Africa. You can find decent Chardonnay in SO many places now, including England. too Here are some favourites:

Chile: Tesco Finest Valle de Leyda Chardonnay, £9, Tesco

South Africa: M&S Honeycomb Chardonnay 2024, £10 M&S and Ocado

New Zealand: Kumeau River Village Chardonnay, Auckland, 2025, £14.50, The Wine Society

Australia: Robert Oatley ‘Signature Series’ Chardonnay 2023, Margaret River, £15.50 (£14 mix 6 price) Majestic

England: Guinevere Chardonnay, Gusbourne, Kent, 2023, £40 Gusbourne.com

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First, we had Great British Rosé Week back in May and this week, it’s English Wine Week, so I thought I’d share an updated list of some favourite English pink wines. About 25% of all wine made in Great Britain is pink and, fun fact, the grapes usually used these days are Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier - the two black grapes that go into white and pink Champagne. Here are some gorgeous English pinks to sip now the sun is OUT out:

Northbrook Sparkling Rosé 2020, HAMPSHIRE, £42 northbrookvineyard.co.uk

I hadn’t heard of this winery until last year but I am now totally smitten. Gorgeous on the outside as well as on the inside, this single vineyard, vintage sparker embodies elegance and complexity with a quintessentially English, wild strawberry, white blossom and hedgerow character, topped off with a creamy mousse and a touch of brioche. There’s so much going on in the glass. For a vintage wine with age at this price, it’s a bargain too.

Digby Rose Brut MV, Sussex, £39 Swig

I was lucky enough to be amongst the first to taste this new cuvée at the Digby residence in West Sussex earlier this year. A blend of largely Pinot Noir with Chardonnay and Meunier, the wine uses the 2018 vintage as its base with reserve wines blended in six years (six!) of lees aging before release, which gives it that signature Digby complexity and creaminess. Think Eton mess with dried rose petals and a textural, chalky tang. A serious, foodie fizz that will age for years to come too.

Nyetimber English Summer Rosé, Limited Edition, Sussex, £47 Nyetimber
You will undoubtedly have heard of Nytimber but chances are you haven’t spotted their brand new, limited edition English Summer Rosé bottle yet. A sexy new, relaxed outfit for their multi-vintage rosé, the wine features Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir and as you might expect, captures a light, bright, summer pudding vibe beautifully in the glass.

Silver Reign Rosé, Silverhand Estate, Kent, NV, £18 Silverhandestate.com

What I love about Silverhand Estate is the way they have embraced the Charmat method (which makes Prosecco) but use Champagne grapes. The result is much of the flavour of a delicious traditional method sparkling but with a touch more easy-going ripeness and fruit - not to mention a much lower price tag. Silverhand is also now the largest single organic vineyard in the UK and is packed with biodiversity, rare animals and as much forest land as vines. Well worth a visit.

M&S Rockferne English Sparkling Wine Rosé, Sussex, £30 M&S and Ocado

M&S scored a blinder when they teamed up with Roebuck Estates in Sussex to make this sparkling pink, which is made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier. Elegant but generous, this delicately coloured sparkler is all about fresh pastry, rose and wild strawberry fruit. Think of a fresh strawberry tart with a delicate almond paste and a dollop of cream to finish. Stunning - and a great all rounder.

Folc Dry English Rosé, South East England, £22 Ocado £22.99 Folc

Folc was the first dry, still English pink I tried and it’s still the one to beat! The company only makes this wine, so they have thrown everything at it. Made with a blend of seven different grape varieties from independent, family-owned vineyards across Kent, Suffolk and Sussex, this wine has a little bit of everything - red berry notes, floral aromatics, leafiness, mineral tang and bramble fruit. Not surprising when it features Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Précoce, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and a splash of Ortega! A unique pink.

Gusbourne Still Rosé, Kent 2025 Hedonism

Gusbourne is the quietly confident, Kentish producer based in Appledore that has been hoovering up the awards over the past few years both for their sparkling and their still wines. This still pink is their very first still, dry rosé and it’s a cracker. Made with 100% Pinot Noir, it’s super cool and crisp and fresh with notes of tangy cranberry and crunchy raspberry. The bottle looks pretty cool too. With its glass stopper, you’ll want to use it for water afterwards!

Silverhand Estate Straweberries & Cream Still Rosé, Kent 2025, £15 silverhandestateshop.com

Brand new from the Silverhand stable is this evocatively named ‘strawberries and cream’ still rosé. Made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes from Kent, this wine does exactly what is says on the tin with a lovely, lactic creaminess and lots of freshly cut strawbs. There’s a bright salinity too it keeping it all fresh too. Perfect timing for the tennis!

Got a favourite? Let me know!