Cheers!

A few weeks ago I mentioned visiting the Chapel Down vineyard in Kent with my wife and two friends.

We had lunch in the excellent on site restaurant before being given a guided tour of the vineyard and winery.

We then had a ‘tutored tasting of five signature wines’ before winding up in the shop. As you do.

We didn’t need convincing to splash the cash because we’ve been drinking Chapel Down sparkling wines for several years.

Occasionally we’ll buy the more expensive Grand Reserve and Rosé Reserve, but the mid range Brut and award-winning Rosé are excellent too.

I’m also a convert to Chapel Down’s ‘cheaper’ sparkling wines so I was delighted when I discovered that Boisdale could offer A Touch of Sparkle (above) to guests at the Forest lunch on Tuesday.

If you can get past the rather twee name, it’s really rather good. In fact, several guests said how much they liked it which I was pleased about because I’ve become a bit of an enthusiast for English sparkling wines (Chapel Down and Nye Timber in particular), and I’m happy to promote them when I can.

Although I remain sceptical about the severity of climate change, and how much is man-made, I do accept that the climate has changed a bit in recent decades, and the proof is in the remarkable growth and development of English wines, which we should support and celebrate!

Tastes differ, but if push came to shove I would recommend the following Chapel Down wines: Grand Reserve, Rosé, and A Touch of Sparkle Classic.

The good news is I now receive a monthly state pension so I’d like to thank the great British taxpayer for enabling me to keep my ‘cellar’ (aka my garage) well stocked.

Cheers!