Glassware

With English sparkling wine, glass shape matters more than with most other wines. It determines just how much of the years of cellar work you actually get to experience. A narrow flute keeps the mousse visible longer, but effectively traps the aroma inside.

That's why connoisseurs reach for a tulip glass instead when serving Nyetimber or Ridgeview. It has a rounder bowl and an opening that tapers gently upward. The wider bowl gives the delicate toasted and bready notes from long lees aging room to develop. The narrow opening still concentrates them before they dissipate into the air.

Temperature matters just as much. Eight to ten degrees Celsius is right – colder than for many white wines. Served too warm, the fine carbonation suddenly feels coarse, and the delicate citrus fruit vanishes behind the alcohol. Half an hour in the fridge is usually enough, and an ice bucket while drinking keeps the temperature steady afterward.

A still Bacchus from the Weald, by contrast, calls for a narrower white wine glass. It can come to the glass a little warmer, at ten to twelve degrees, so its elderflower-like aromas can unfold, and anyone serving both wines in the same glass badly underestimates just how differently carbonation and still wine carry aroma.

When pouring, quantity matters just as much as shape. A flute should be filled no more than a third full, in several small pours, so the foam doesn't overflow immediately. How much sugar ends up in the glass afterward is determined by the dosage – ranging from a bone-dry style to noticeably softer versions, which English houses now offer as well.