English Wine Week at Searcys

Champagne at the ready to toast English Wine Week!

Searcys and English Wines

English Wine Week is a celebration of vineyards and winemakers in the UK, taking place from 19-27 June 2022. A blossoming industry, English sparkling wine has been growing in both popularity and quality over the last few years.

Searcys Brasserie and Champagne Bar are thrilled to be working with some of the best producers of English sparkling wine, which they are proud to serve in St Pancras. Ahead of English Wine Week, Searcys take a look at the small growers and international Champagne houses turning their attention to English vineyards, as well as their pick of the bunch and the best food to serve with them. 

Searcys English Sparkling Wines

Searcys are proud to work with two very impressive English winemakers: Greyfriars, Harrow & Hope, and Nyetimber. To celebrate their 175th anniversary this year, Searcys have partnered with Greyfriars to produce their first-ever label English sparkling wine.

Greyfriars and own label English Sparkling Wine

Searcys first ever English Sparkling label is a Classic Cuvée Brut, made exclusively for Searcys in collaboration with Greyfriars. The 40-acre vineyard in Surrey has won numerous awards and accolades for their sparkling wines, made with a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier according to traditional method, before being aged in the bottle for 36 months in a specially created chalk cave. You’ll find brioche and citrus notes, perfect as an aperitif or served with seafood. 

This year, the new entrant to Searcys’ sparkling wine list is a boutique grower Harrow & Hope. Grown, picked and expertly blended by the same team on the same site, each glass of Harrow & Hope is a tribute to traditional method viticulture and winemaking, Marlow's unique characteristics and the spirit of adventure.

English Sparkling Wine food pairings, according to Searcys Drinks Ambassador Bruno Pelletier

Searcys serve a range of English wines across Searcys venues and events spaces, but St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar is where it all begins. Bruno Pelletier shares his favourite English Sparkling wines from the menu, and the best dishes to pair with them. 

  • Searcys English Sparkling Classic Cuvee, Brut, NV with Searcys at St Pancras fish and chips
  • Harrow and Hope, Blanc de Blancs, Brut, 2017 with Portland crab, citrus fruit, brown crab dressing
  • Greyfriars Vineyards, X Blanc de Noirs, Brut Nature, 2017 with Searcys Creedy Carver chicken pie, celeriac purée, tarragon jus 
  • Nyetimber, Cuvée Chérie, Demi-Sec, Multi Vintage with Eton mess Pavlova

DID YOU KNOW?

🍇Wine grapes have been grown on British soil for over 1,600 years. Though it is debated as to whether they bought vines to the United Kingdom, the Romans wrote about growing wine grapes in Britain in the first century.

🍾 The invention of sparkling wine is often accredited to monk Dom Perignon, who pioneered the process of the traditional method as we know now. However, it could be argued that it was first discovered 30 years earlier by an Englishman. In 1662 Christopher Merret, an English an English physician and scientist, presented a paper detailing his discovery that adding sugar to a finished wine could result in a sparkle.

🏡 Before English wine production had the opportunity to take off, WWI and WWII led to the cease of commercial wine growing. In 1952 the first commercial vineyard was planted since 1875 and over the following decades the number of vineyards increased rapidly.

🥂 Due to the cool English climate original growers planted grapes which prioritised fast-ripening over quality. Climate change has led to warmer weather and a revolution , in English sparkling wine. 

For more information, visit: https://stpancrasbysearcys.co.uk/