This is the top sparkling wine from England and is what put English wines on the international map. Although it is the avant-garde for the English wine industry, the founders were strangely a pair of American Anglophiles, who had actually tried to see if they can find a place to produce a sparkling wine to rival champagne outside France. So good was their result that in a blind tasting, it was alleged that although the tasters could tell it was not champagne, they could not decide which region of France this superior bubbly came from. Red faces for all when it was found to be from that little corner of England called Sussex!! It then went on to win many awards including Champion of worldwide Sparkling Wines at the Bollicine del Mondo 2009 for the 2003 Classic Cuvee.
Nyetimber has basically started with two products, a Classic Cuvee, from the normal champagne cepage and a Blanc de Blanc from Chardonnay. Here in Hong Kong, Watsons had stocked it at around $400+ and not surprisingly that venture proved short lived. Now with the elimination of the hefty wine tax, it is still selling at around $300+ at Berry's and it would be a difficult sell for non-British to buy, given that some cheap NV champagnes can be had for quite a few dollars less. However, it is a fine wine and is aged longer than most ordinary NV and basic vintage champagnes at 5 years. It has just released a rose, but whether that can topple other English wineries who have already established themselves in this sector remains to be seen.
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