No festive celebration is complete without some Dorset bubbles. Wine writer Rebecca Pitcairn introduces us to six of the most exciting bottles of sparkling wine to come out of Dorset and the acclaimed local vineyards who make them.
South facing, gently sloping chalk and sand soil with a freshwater stream, which feeds into the River Bride, make Bradstock Estate an excellent location for an English vineyard. Owners Paula and Michael Lewis bought the former paddocks and planted the vineyard in 2020, having travelled extensively through wine regions in France and Tuscany in Italy.
‘In my career I’ve learnt what people want – good products made by people with a passion for their business,’ says Michael, whose varied career includes creating the world’s largest underfloor heating company. However, he has always had an interest in viticulture. ‘The idea of creating a product that embodies the essence of our land, while contributing to the burgeoning English wine scene, was simply too compelling to resist.’
The couple live on the 100-acre vineyard estate, which is also home to their winery. They walk the vines daily, choosing the perfect time to start the process of handpicking the grapes to start the transformation into that perfect glass of sparkling Dorset wine.
Their wines are created using both the traditional method (whereby the second fermentation takes place inside the bottle in the same way Champagne is made) and the Italian Charmat method (in stainless steel tanks), which creates a more fresh and lively fizz.
Festive fizz to try: Bradstock Estate Sparkling Rosé 2022, £39.99
A bronze medal winner at the 2024 WineGB Awards, this sparkling rosé was made in the traditional method and has a lively acidity and delicate fruit notes of strawberry and apple with fine bubbles and creamy mouthfeel. Perfect for kick starting the festive celebrations.
bradstockestate.com
It’s been an incredible year for Langham Wine Estate, not only did they celebrate their 15th anniversary, but they also swept the board at the 2024 WineGB awards taking home three trophies, five gold medals and one silver for its wines, along with ‘Estate Winery of the Year’.
Situated at Crawthorne Farm, seven miles northeast of Dorchester, Langham Wine Estate specialises in making low-intervention, traditional method sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes grown across 30 hectares on a south-southwest slope, 80 to 110 metres above sea level.
‘We are dedicated to producing exceptional sparkling wines that truly represent our little patch of Dorset, only using grapes grown on our 85-acre vineyard,’ says head winemaker Tommy Grimshaw. ‘We believe this commitment is crucial as the English wine scene rapidly expands.’
This year a further 13,000 Chardonnay vines were planted on the final 10 acres of a planned expansion, which will also see a new £2 million winery open next year. ‘This will allow us to increase production as our new vines bear fruit and it avoids having to store wine off site,’ says managing director Justin Langham. ‘We aim to have it operational by August 2025.’ Langham welcomes visitors on tours throughout the year.
Festive fizz to try: Langham Corallian Classic Cuvée NV £31.95
This Chardonnay-dominant blend is named after the coral-rich limestone rock strata found 300m beneath the vineyard and demonstrates the linear oceanic salinity and bright fruit character of Chardonnay grown on their unique patch of Dorset. If a seafood platter is planned for Christmas Eve, give this wine a go. Or serve with a Dorset crab starter at Christmas lunch.
langhamwine.co.uk
This vineyard produces small batches of wild ferment, low intervention, wines. Located on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, this south facing plot enjoys an exceptional micro-climate thanks to sea breezes that run through the valley.
Owners Simon and Karen Priestman bought Little Waddon Vineyard in 2018, and decided to keep the Seyval Blanc, Regent and Phoenix grape varieties that were originally planted here in 2004. ‘They clearly enjoy this habitat and have consistently produced award winning wines,’ says Karen, who together with her husband is passionate about regenerative, sustainable and pesticide free farming and winemaking. The couple try to add and remove as little as possible to the vines and wines throughout the ‘grape-to-glass journey.
Tour and tasting experiences take place weekly on Saturdays throughout summer up until harvest and include savoury or sweet tasting boards served in their tasting room or on the terrace overlooking the vines. There is also a Shepherd’s Hut and log cabin with fire pit and hot tub located in a quiet corner of the vineyard where guests can stay overnight.
Festive fizz to try: Col Fondo Rosa Sparkling Pink 2022, £22
Their award-winning wild ferment wine, made in the traditional way the Italians would make sparkling wine - with foot-crushed Phoenix, Seyval Blanc and Regent grapes - is a low intervention wine giving frizzante ‘little bubbles’. Raspberry and apple hedgerow, with a hint of nutmeg and brioche, well balanced acidity with an elderflower finish. This would pair brilliantly with turkey slathered in bread sauce.
littlewaddonvineyard.co.uk
Situated in the heart of the steep-sided Bride Valley, part of a chalk ridge formed 100 million years ago, this 10-hectare vineyard was established in 2008 by world renowned wine industry figure Steven Spurrier. He famously brought Californian wines to the world’s attention through his 1976 blind tasting competition, The Judgement of Paris, which was retold in the film Bottle Shock (2008), starring Alan Rickman as Spurrier.
Settling in Dorset, on his wife Bella’s sheep farm in the Bride Valley in the late 80s, Spurrier recognised the potential of the surrounding chalky south-facing slopes for growing vines. He started by planting Champagne varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in 2008. The first harvest took place in 2011 and the first bottles of traditional method sparkling wine were released in 2014. In 2018 Bride Valley Vineyard also released the UK’s first ever Crémant. Spurrier passed away in 2021, but his wine making legacy lives on. Last year the vineyard became part of Electric Pubs, a West Dorset company run by local entrepreneur Alisdair Warren.
‘I grew up in a rural farming community near Bridport,’ he says. ‘My grandfather was a farmer and cidermaker with apple orchards in Netherbury. I bought his farm when he passed away around 20 years ago and we are now, once again, making traditional ciders in the style he once produced. I set up Electric Pubs in 2019 and one of our pubs The Pursuit of Poppiness is all about exceptional fizz, with a focus on English sparkling wine. So, when the opportunity to buy Bride Valley Vineyard came up, it was too big a temptation to resist.’
Saturday morning tour and tasting experiences, which feature snippets from Steven Spurrier’s early years at the vineyard and touring areas that haven’t previously been open to the public, run from March until September.
Festive fizz to try: Bride Valley Dorset Crémant, £29
This 2024 Decanter Bronze medal winner remains the UK's only home-produced Crémant – a sparkling wine made in the same way as Champagne but not from the region (usually from Alsace, Bourgogne and The Loire) and only required to be on the lees for nine months instead of 12. It has a softer fizz than Champagne with a gentle creaminess (hence the name) with notes of stone fruit and apple strudel. Pair with a Christmas trifle.
bridevalleyvineyard.com
Not only has English Oak been named the sixth most beautiful vineyard in Europe, but it has also been voted Europe’s most beautiful vineyard wedding destination. Both are accolades Andrew and Sarah Pharoah could have only dreamed of when they first planted the vineyard on a former dairy farm near Poole in 2007.
The 23-acre site is centred around a 350-year-old English oak tree, hence the name of the vineyard, and all the wines are named after different types of oak. After picking their first harvest in 2009, the couple released their first sparkling wine in 2012 and quickly started picking up international awards.
Striving for the lowest possible carbon footprint, English Oak is also acclaimed for its eco credentials, which include solar panels to generate power, electric vehicles and an on-site well. It was awarded Dorset’s Environmental Business of the Year in 2019.
Festive fizz to try: Engelmann Cuvee, £35
A multi-award-winning sparkling wine made from the three most popular Champagne grape varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. An intense floral nose with lemon backbone gives this a real ‘English’ feel, while the palate is more decadent with a slightly salty sweetness and creamy texture. This is one for the cheeseboard; pair with a mature English Cheddar, such as locally made Ford Farm Coastal, which has a salty crunch. englishoakvineyard.co.uk
When Blur bassist Alex James wanted to launch his own English Sparkling Wine as part of his Britpop drinks brand, he chose to partner with Furleigh Estate in West Dorset. The 85 acres of vineyard are owned and run by husband-and-wife team Ian Edwards and Rebecca Hansford. And their story has a pleasingly circularity about it. ‘My father, who was a farmer, bought Furleigh in the 1950s. I grew up here and went to school locally,’ Rebecca explains. ‘After I left for university and a mathematical career, the farm was sold.’
By some quirk of fate, at the turn of this century, when Rebecca and Ian were looking for somewhere to plant a vineyard and bring up their young family, Furleigh came up for sale. This former dairy farm is now an internationally acclaimed winery. And the milking parlour is now the wine tasting room and Cellar Door shop. Since the release of their first wines in 2009, they have won multiple national and international awards for their still and sparkling wines, which are made by Ian at their state-of-the-art winery, built in 2007. They also run vineyard tours throughout the summer.
Festive fizz to try: Special Reserve Multi Vintage, £43.50
This is a blend of the best Furleigh Estate vintages since 2014. With 10 years' worth of reserve to choose from. It really is the best of the best and is just the Dorset sparkler for festive get-togethers, it also pairs well with smoked salmon blinis. furleighestate.co.uk
Meet the writer...
Rebecca Pitcairn is a wine writer and host of The English Wine Diaries podcast, which interviews people from the world of wine (and beyond) about how a love of wine – particularly that made on British soil – has helped shape their lives and careers. To find out more, visit englishwinediaries.co.uk.
