BBC Radio Bristol: Pairing Fizz With Your Afternoon Tea

On 23 April, wine buyer Ben Franks spoke to Claire Cavanagh on BBC Radio Bristol about the best pairings when it comes to sparkling wines and scones for your Afternoon Tea. You can listen to the interview here:

So what goes with Afternoon Tea?

Let's talk about savoury scones and the salt factor, thinking oily fish like salmon or cured meats like Serrano ham, stuffed inside a scone. These things love acidity, so a fabulously zippy wine like Aldwick Estate's Jubilate Quintessentially English, which is made from two grapes called Seyval Blanc and Madeleine Angevine. It is bursting with crisp lemon fruit, and makes a delightful match with savoury scones.

If you want something extra special, try the Furleigh Estate Prestige Cuvee, which is a zero-dose Champagne-style fizz, making it extra dry, so you get all this lovely green apple skin fruit and zest that cut right through the food and make everything taste better.

Fizz with sweet scones

On the sweet side, look for young Pinot Noir fizz, so Rose or Blanc de Noirs style. So if you've got jam and cream in your scones, whichever way you apply it, opt for warm climate where sugar levels are higher. We have two deliciously fruity, aromatic Pinot Noir rose from Familia Geisse, a family-owned winery in Brazil; the great value Amadeu Brut Rose that's full of juicy strawberries and the Terroir Brut Rose with its creamy autolysis, summer fruits and brioche notes that would sing with jam scones.

Also, Slovenia is a great place to buy Champagne-quality fizz for less. Istenic Gourmet Rose is one we sell and it's full of summer berries and recently won a People's choice award.