The rosé version of this new English sparkling isn’t quite as tasty as the white version (which retails for a £1 less) but it’s still good simple stuff. There’s a lime tingle mixing with the creamy apple and pear flavours plus a touch of breakfast toasted bread flavours. A quaffable fizz made with the same grape varieties used to make Champagne (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) but with the addition of the Bacchus grape variety that English wine growers have made their own. The wine describes itself as a ‘Charmat of England’ which refers to the way the bubbles are added – using what is known as the Charmat method, or less romantically, the Tank method, where the wine sits in a large stainless steel tank while yeast interacts with the wine making carbon dioxide gas which then gets trapped in the liquid. It’s this gas that makes bubbles when the wine bottle cork is removed and the carbon dioxide tries to escape – and so fizzy froth is created. This isn’t a new method of creating fizz, the Italians use it to make Prosecco which sells for a lower price and is very much a rival to this new Harlot. Plus it’s difficult to get past the brand name – one which harks back to names given to women and their profession, a profession many did not want. Much like the wine if the associations with its name and the furore in the wine press is anything to go by. The thing is the wine doesn’t need to so obviously courting controversy as it tastes quite nice.
Harlot Rosé Brut NV review
- 3
- Type: Sparkling wine
- Grape variety: Bacchus, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir
- Country: United Kingdom
- Special characteristics: Vegetarian, Vegan
- Region: Kent
- Supplier: The Wine Cavern
- Price when reviewed: 16
- What the label says: aromas and flavours of English pears, red apples and strawberries
- Alcohol %: 12.5
- Format: Bottle with natural cork
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About WineUncorked and its editor, Paula Goddard Read more