Other European Sparkling Wines
2017 Gold: 4 Silver: 9 Bronze: 11 Commended: 13
2016 Gold: 8 Silver: 6 Bronze: 9 Commended: 12
This is a wide-ranging section of the Gold Book, taking in everything from cava and cremant, through sekt, gentle frizzantes and sparkling reds. Quality – and the reaction of our tasters – was all over the place, and our teams had to kiss a lot of frogs before they found any princes.
Most striking of all (apart from Torelló’s £40+ cava) was the lack of any Golds for France – the cremant selection was disappointing this year – and the disappointing lack of any Austrian fizz, which bolstered the Gold count here last year.
That said, there were some gems out there (decent sub-£5 fizz, anyone?), with our tasters showing a sneaking liking for fizzy Moscato. Who knew?
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘You can see why prosecco has killed cava. The consistency and value for money isn’t there.’ Tom Forrest, team leader
‘The Italian sparkling wines have to sit under champagne and above prosecco on a list, so the price-point is crucial. They have to get on to a list for below £60.’ Lionel Periner, team leader
‘If you are selling a sparkling red, the colour has to be a deep red – it shouldn’t look like a rosé.’ Michael Fiducia, Coworth Park Ascot
‘I try to have an open mind on the rest of the sparkling wine list outside of Champagne. The cremants were OK but we weren’t super-wowed by any of them.’ Laurent Richet MS, team leader
‘Moscato is a by the glass sale at the end of a meal.’ Annette Scarfe MW, team leader
‘There were a couple of lovely surprises in the flight of sparkling reds. It should be on wine lists to give a different experience to guests.’ Andre Luis Martins, Cavalry & Guards Club
‘In our six restaurants, we do a Moscato by the glass at least in four – it’s an important, good value wine. Sales are steady – anything sweet, you need to sell it a bit. ‘ Olivier Gasselin, Hakkasan Group