As an early and enthusiastic convert to the qualities of our increasingly good home-grown sparkling wines, an invite for a sneak preview of Domaine Evremond’s Classic Cuvée to toast this Kent winery’s official inauguration was high on my list of “must attends”. Not least because the estate’s co-founders, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger of Champagne Taittinger fame, and his long-time importer, Patrick McGrath, a master of wine, have tickled the curiosity of both the wine trade and fizz lovers alike with their plan to introduce a little entente cordiale between English sparkling wine and champagne.
There is also the small matter that a highly respected champagne house has seen fit to invest in England’s burgeoning wine scene. Not that our winemakers necessarily need the endorsement, but Taittinger’s planting