A Champagne guide to summer

Want to celebrate outdoors in style? Here’s a guide to matching the best style of bubbly to special summer events, from tennis to opera to music festivals.

With the arrival of summer comes the launch of the uniquely British cornucopia of outdoor events known as ‘The Season’. Historically renowned for formal dress codes and the attendance of British royalty, it now encompasses everything from sport and opera to gardening and polo.

Since each event is a form of celebration, it’s no wonder that champagne is the drink of choice. Race-goers at Ascot annually drink 170,000 bottles of Champagne. The theatre of opening a bottle with a decisive pop is synonymous with British summer time – after all, the British are the largest consumers of Champagne in the world outside of France.

With an array of Champagne styles available, which one should you choose? Whether you are drinking Champagne with strawberries at Wimbledon, enjoying an alfresco picnic at Glyndebourne or toasting your success at Ascot, there is a Champagne style that will best complement your fun.

Royal Ascot – Vintage Champagnes
16th – 20th June

The world renowned event for British horse-racing and now equally famous for its parade of hats, Ascot is the event to drink Vintage Champagne. Only produced in exceptional years, Vintage Champagnes are a blend of wines from the same year. By law, Vintage Champagnes must be aged in the producers’ cellars for a minimum of 3 years prior to being sold. As a result they are complex wines, designed to be savoured and would be perfect for celebrating winnings – or as a consolation for a loss!

Wimbledon – Rosé Champagne
22nd June – 5th July

Run by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 1877, Wimbledon is a unique, world-renowned British tradition. The event is famous for serving strawberries which make a perfect match for Rosé champagnes. These berry scented wines make a lovely fresh aperitif on a warm June afternoon and are produced either by adding a small proportion of red wine to the golden blend or by letting the juice remain in contact with the skin of the grapes for a short time during fermentation.

Glastonbury – Non Vintage Champagne
24th – 28th June

Glastonbury is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world and has become part of the ‘new wave’ of events included in the ‘season’. Famous for its live music it is often remembered more for its weather and in particular its mud! It is also a great weekend for camping, and versatile Non Vintage Champagne suits the eclectic nature of food and events at this massive festival. Non Vintage represents the producers’ house styles and are a blend of wines from a number of different years. A classic NV blend is 60% Pinot Noir / Pinot Meunier (Champagne‘s black grapes) and 40% Chardonnay (the only white grape grown in the region).

Cowes Week – Blanc de Blancs Champagne
1st – 8th August

Cowes Week is about racing and yachts during the peak sailing season at the Isle of Wight. The seaside location makes Blanc de Blancs Champagne the ideal choice. Made with 100% Chardonnay they are crisp and lively and would be excellent with some fresh scallops or locally caught fish.

Glyndebourne – Blanc de Noirs Champagne
16th May – 22nd August

The beautiful Sussex village of Glyndebourne is host to some of the world’s most famous operas and singers. With guests encouraged to dress up, pearls and pashminas are de rigueur for this music lovers’ event. With the picnic being a vital part of the day the full bodied Blanc de Noirs Champagne, made with 100% black grapes, is an excellent accompaniment to fairly robust dishes such as meat, cheese and other picnic staples.