Wine Club 5 August

Having just finished researching a book on champagne and sparkling wine (out in October since you ask), I’ve been awash with fizz. There must have been 150 bottles cluttering my office at one point — I couldn’t even reach the telly to watch the cricket. I began to get the sweats whenever I heard a cork pop and for a nasty moment thought I’d never be able to stare a bottle of bubbles in the face again.

Happily, thanks in part to the scrumptious Le Colture Rosé Vino Spumante Brut NV (1) which arrived from Corney & Barrow just as I was about to panic, I’m now firmly on the mend. It’s irresistible.

A deliciously pale pink blend of 70 per cent Chardonnay and 30 per cent Merlot, it’s produced by the Ruggeri family, makers of fine wines in Valdobbiadene — Prosecco country — since 1500. It’s created in exactly the same manner as Prosecco (although not with the Prosecco/Glera grape) and is utterly delightful, being crisp, clean and refreshing, with a touch of wild strawberry fruit on the finish.