Bride Valley Dorset Crément

The French term ‘crémant’, meaning ‘creamy’, was classically used for sparkling wines with a lower pressure. Dorset-based wine legend the Steven Spurrier (RIP) produced England’s first, with a  pressure of 3.7 bar, as opposed to 6 – the standard for Champagne and English sparkling wine.

Interestingly, his decision to try a less fizzy English sparkling was actually driven by adversity. Because the weather in 2015 was so cold, the harvest was extremely acidic – not ideal for traditional sparkling .

A lower pressure wine has a softer sensation; given 15 months on its lees and a high-ish dosage, this crément blend of 2015 and 2016 grapes makes a superbly delicate aperitif.

Credit for the image we use here must go to Lewis Moberly, who created the winery’s superb brand identity in 2013.