Another of the new breed of English sparkling wines made with the Charmat method (see also Harlot Brut). While most other English sparkling wines are made using the same method that is used to make Champagne, the Charmat method has gained fame for its use in Italy to make Prosecco. Champagne will tell you theirs is the best method, but both are all about making large volumes of wine. The difference is in the size of fermentation vessel – bottle or large tank. Charmat uses a large tank and comes out cheaper to make. But then add in the fact that this is an English wine where only limited amounts of wine are made each year and the price doesn’t come down. At £15 a bottle, Prince Charmat (yes they had to get it in the name on the bottle label but wouldn’t we rather have seen Prince Charming, aka Adam and The Ants hit from 1981?) is expensive for what it is - a pleasant floral tasting fizz with added toasted apple ring fruitiness. There’s even a hint of rose water too. So nice enough. But watch out for the cork, it took several pairs of hands to finally get it out of the bottle – it didn’t quite need the water pump pliers approach (used a few times on tight corks) but it wasn’t coming out easily.
