I have had English sparkling wine occasionally and am a fan. Nyetimber Blancs de Blancs is the nectar of the gods. Regarding bubbles in general, I prefer Cava to Prosecco, Franciacorta I will always order, and Champagne I could drink until the cows come home.
These are all made in the traditional Champagne method, whereby second fermentation takes place in the bottle. But when I was offered a sample bottle of Boco, a new English fizz, I was intrigued. It is made according to the Charmat method, which means that the second fermentation takes place in the tank rather than in the bottle, just like prosecco. This speeds things up a bit, making the wine more accessible.
I note from the press release that Boco comprises Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riechenstiener – the latter grape, as the word suggests, has German DNA but is popular in England. The grape has high sugar and low acidity, according to Heritage Wines. A site that incidentally has some excellent information on food and wine pairing.
Boco, meanwhile, is produced by House of Coren in West Sussex. William, 32, runs the vineyard with his family and planted 30,000 vines in May 2020; it is just outside of Horsham in West Sussex and overlooks the South Downs.
The name for the wine was inspired by Old Sussex regional dialect, ‘boco’ derived from the French ‘beaucoup’ meaning ‘lots of/more.’
I read all the above before proceeding to the exciting bit of popping a cork. Six little twists and I poured a glass of rose gold-hued fizz. Apart from the lovely colour, the lively mousse was immediately apparent; perpendicular lines of bubbles shot up the glass like fireworks and remained doing so long after a drink was poured. Talk about tasting stars.
Tasting notes emphasise that Boco is fresh with an explosion of fruit flavours. Peach and raspberry were prominent, but the wine is not overly sweet. The perfect occasion for this sparkler would be as an aperitif at a summer garden party.
You can buy it from House of Coren . Recommended.
