What English Sparkling Will Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Drink at Their Wedding? It Only Costs $32.
A royal wedding is around the corner - May 19, to be exact. For wine loving Brits, Royalists, and Anglophiles (oh, alright, and wine writers, too!) the big question is what sparkling wine will the royal couple toast with?
English sparkling wine is growing in popularity. When I was in England earlier this year, I tasted many an English sparkler, with some tasting more like prosecco, when others gave French Champagne a run for its money.
Even though the royal sparkler of future king Prince Charles is French Champagne, the next generation of royals lean towards home grown vino. Prince William & Princess Kate served English sparkling at their 2011 wedding.
And who made it? Chapel Down, a winery located in Kent, England.
Chapel Down
Located in Tenterden, a small town in Kent, the winery produces sparkling and still white wines, including wines made from Bacchus and chardonnay grapes. They only make one red wine, a blend. (Honestly, red wine isn't the star of the show in the English wine world, yet). They also produce beer, cider, gin, vodka and brandy.
There winery attracts an estimated 50,000 visitors annually, who flock to the 22-acre property for vineyard tours, tastings, and a visit to the onsite gourmet restaurant.
It's highly likely that the princes have been enjoying Chapel Down for many years - Chapel Down wines are the official wines of No. 10 Downing Street, the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Races, and are poured in restaurants owned by Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey. If they've been to the Barbican to see the London Symphony Orchestra perform, they've sipped Chapel Down sparkling.
The Sparkling
Their most popular sparkler, and the likely contender for the royal wedding, is their Classic Non-Vintage Brut, which is a blend of pinot noir (50%), chardonnay (30%), pinot blanc (13%) and pinot meunier (7%). All the grapes are sourced from England, including vineyards in Kent, Dorset, Essex and Sussex - the biggest grape growing regions in the UK.
Winemakers ferment the grapes in stainless before the grapes undergo full malolactic fermentation to provide a balance of oak and steel and flavor qualities of brioche in the end product. The rest of the process is of the traditional French Champagne method - it's left on the lees for six months in tank and then aged an additional 18 monthes in bottle.
While I have yet to taste this wine, Chapel Down describes it as having "Elegant aromas of red apple, lemongrass and freshly baked bread together with hints of strawberry, citrus and quince on the palate. Crisp and fresh with lively acidity and fine persistent bubbles."
Sounds good to me.
And what sounds good to the tax payers? The sparkling only retails for £24 (about $32) a pop.
Chapel Down suggests pairing it with fish and chips. However, I doubt the royal couple will be offering that to their guests. ;-)
So will Harry & Meghan toast with Chapel Down?
The definitive word is still up in the air.
According to the Daily Mail, the Royal Family and Chapel Down did not declined to comment. Chapel Down did state that it would be “fantastic to be associated with the royal family.”
We will have to wait and see!
Interested in getting a taste of Chapel Down yourself? If you live in the UK you can order their wine at chapeldown.com.
Photo credits
1. Prince Harry & Meghan Markle - Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
2. Chapel Down tasting room - Courtesy of Chapel Down
3. Sparkling Brut - Courtesy of Chapel Down
4. Harry & Meghan drinking - OK! Magazine
Nicely written. I wonder if this sparkling wine can be easily found in the middle of the US?
Thank you @captainbob! Alas, it's not distributed in the United States. The only English sparkling wine that I know of that is "widely" (that is using the term loosely!) distributed in the US is Nyetimber, and that is mainly available in major markets (NYC, SF). If you have a local wine shop you go to, you might ask them about English sparkling.
I guarantee in about two or three years you'll be finding more English wine/sparkling in the US!
Good to know and thanks for the info!
This is such a cool post as well. I lived in the UK for 5.5 years and I never knew they made their own wines. After reading this, I hope we find out what they have at their wedding. You've made me very curious!
When did you live there? It's really only been in the past 4-5 years that it's been taking off - I had no clue until last year when I was planning my last trip there in April. I have a feeling that whatever wine they do chose, sales will be off the charts!! :) Thanks again for reading @choogirl!
Oh ages ago. That would be why then.