England: Flint Vineyards - Charmat Pink (Incl Sustainable Disease-Resistant Varieties)

Read Alex's Producer Profile on Flint

Grape varieties: Rondo (31%), Pinot Noir (24%), Bacchus (13%), Cabernet Cortis (12%), Reichensteiner (10%), Dunklefelder, (5%), Pinot Blanc (5%). 11.5% alcohol.

Matthew Jukes, World Renowned Wine Writer & Critic: "A dreamy stunner, the best wine in the world made by this method".

Several of these varieties are disease-resistant, meaning a great deal less vineyard applications and emissions, and therefore this wine significantly ups the dial on sustainability. 

Dry - in Brut territory - and 11.5% alcohol, without chaptalisation (the addition of sugar to increase alcohol), meaning the alcohol comes 100% from natural sugars.

When I first tasted this wine the red fruit was so immediate and enticing it was like putting your nose in a large vat of crushed strawberries, raspberries and cherries. It reminded me of my grandmother’s summer pudding!

Flint themselves describe it as "super pink and like summer in a glass" which is ultimately all you need to know, although perhaps this makes it sound like a basic quaffer, which it isn’t.

It's fun and easy drinking, yes, yet it’s structured and serious enough to make a fine aperitif, and to please even a wine obsessive like me. When the bubbles resolve and it warms up, it almost has the texture and flavours of a light red. 

It's a great pick-me-up drink at any time of the year, perhaps even better in the winter months to remind us of long, sunny days; but it’s also brilliantly well-made.

While energetic, tangy and mouth-watering, it is not without texture and there’s a lovely faint whisper of creaminess and nuttiness on the finish. I have witnessed it going down like a storm at a party with people asking "what is this delicious wine"! 

You may notice it’s missing a foil - a conscious decision as foils are incredibly wasteful things.

Food pairing:

In Flint’s own words: "matches up perfectly with light, vibrant, flavour-filled foods - so think zesty salads, seafood platters, or charcuterie boards. Ideal for picnics in any weather, late lunches, spontaneous celebrations, or laid-back evenings."

What the critics say:

Sam Caporn, Master Of Wine: "Incredible fruit purity. This is clever winemaking to get something so good from the simpler tank method". 

Matthew Jukes, World Renowned Wine Writer & Critic: "A dreamy stunner, the best wine in the world made by this method".

Dr Jamie Goode, Wine Scientist, Wine Anorak.com: "So vivid, pure and juicy, with true vinosity - deeply impressive".