Louis Pommery England: A Champagne House on Alresford Chalk

The Reims house that made the first English sparkling wine under a Champagne name, growing 35 hectares of vines at Pinglestone, just outside Old Alresford. National champion fizz, regenerative farming and vineyard tours from £25.

Head out of Old Alresford towards Pinglestone and the fields on either side are lined with vines. They belong to Pommery, the Champagne house from Reims, which became the first to put its own name on a bottle of English sparkling wine. Today 35 hectares of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris grow on the chalk on the edge of town, and the wine they make is taking national titles. From Reims to the River Arle Pommery has form when it comes to bold moves. In 1874, under the direction of Madame Pommery, the house laid down its first bottles of Brut Nature, a dry style at a time...