Will English Sparkling wine pass with Merret?

Plans are underway to create a quality standard for English sparkling wine after the EU wine reforms have gone through parliament. Although still English wines have to meet standards set out in the Quality Wine Scheme, introduced in 1992, no standards have ever been set for producing sparkling wines.

Mike Roberts of Ridgeview has hinted he'd like to see the quality standard named 'Merret' after Christopher Merret, the Englishman who first studied and understood secondary fermentation - the process that gives Champagne its all important fizz.

While it is early days, according to Mike, work has begun to come up with a standard that will represent the very best of English Sparkling wine.