THE popularity of English wine is on the rise and last week it was celebrated with special events across Hampshire.

The Mutton at Hazeley Heath, near Hook, was involved in those celebrations and partnered with Hattingley Valley Wines, to showcase the wines made in Alresford.

Having been to The Mutton before I was looking forward to returning and it definitely did not disappoint. As soon as we arrived, we knew that we would have a good evening.

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(Image: Newsquest) When we sat down at the table, we were greeted with a selection of stunning wine glasses and a menu that had our tastebuds tingling. What lay ahead was a five-course meal which had been perfectly crafted to complement the wines.

Our first course was chilled courgette and basil gazpacho, with feta. This was like nothing I had ever tasted before it was so fresh.

We were lucky enough to have Hattingley’s sales and marketing director Chris Unger on hand to talk us through all the wines. The first was Classic Reserve NV, which was perfect drink to kick-start this celebration.

The Classic Reserve was very much our favourite wine of the night. I love sparkling wine, and this had the taste of brioche but with a zesty citrus flavour. This is a wine that I really want to try again and have on hand for a celebration.

Next up was the Brut Rose 2020, paired with a salmon rillette, homemade crumpet and pickled cucumber. The salmon was nothing like I’ve ever tasted before, the Mutton chef really worked their magic.

We also enjoyed a course of smoked ham hook and watercress rotolo, paired with Blanc de Blanc 2015, and chicken, leek, potato terrine and asparagus which accompanied still Chardonnay 2022. These were so delightful and really showed how great wine can bring out the flavours of different foods and vice versa. 

It was interesting to hear about the popularity of each of the wines and how they are made as the evening went on. It showed that there is such variety when it comes to English wine and how Hampshire can produce wines that have appeal across the world.

My favourite course of the night was pudding. The Mutton team have raved about their cheesecakes and it definitely did not disappoint.

Honeycomb cheesecake, raspberry sorbet and Mutton hobnobs, paired with Hattingley’s English Gent 2020 – I was in heaven! I hoped my husband wouldn’t like his so I could have more, but sadly he loved it as much as I did.

This was an evening full of delight, and we loved that two Hampshire businesses came together to showcase what they can do and support each other to highlight how amazing the county’s food and drink scene is.