Wimbledon & Pimm's Season
English sparkling, strawberries and cream, and the most civilized cocktail in the world.
For two weeks every summer the world watches grass tennis in southwest London, and the appetite that goes with it is unmistakable: strawberries and cream, cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon, and a tall glass of something cold. Here is how to do it properly in 2026 — at Centre Court, in the garden, or on the sofa.
English Sparkling Wine Comes Into Its Own
The chalk soils of southern England share a geological seam with Champagne, and after thirty years of patient work, English sparkling is now world-class. At Wimbledon itself, Wiston Estate from Sussex has poured as an official partner. Off-site, the bottles to know are:
- Nyetimber Classic Cuvée NV — the benchmark, citrus and brioche.
- Gusbourne Brut Reserve — Kent's flagship, richer and more autolytic.
- Hambledon Première Cuvée — Hampshire chalk, pure and saline.
- Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve — the value pick, beautifully made.
- Nyetimber Rosé or Wiston Rosé — for strawberries and grilled chicken.
The Proper Pimm's Cup
Pimm's No. 1 is a gin-based liqueur that tastes of summer and nothing else. The cup is built, not shaken: one part Pimm's to three parts chilled lemonade (cloudy English lemonade if you can find it; Sprite or 7UP if you cannot). Build over plenty of ice in a tall highball, then load with sliced cucumber, strawberry, orange wedge, fresh mint and a squeeze of lemon.
The upgrade: replace the lemonade with English sparkling wine for a "Pimm's Royale." It is the single most elegant garden drink in the English-speaking world.
Strawberries & Cream — and the Wine Match
The Wimbledon tradition runs through 200,000 punnets of strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream over the fortnight. The wine match is non-negotiable: English sparkling. The acidity cuts the cream, the autolytic brioche notes echo the shortbread base of a classic strawberry tart, and the bubbles refresh the palate between bites.
If you want something quieter: a chilled Moscato d'Asti is gentle, fizzy and only 5.5% alcohol — perfect for afternoon tennis. For non-alcoholic: French Bloom Le Blanc with strawberries is genuinely lovely.
The Centre Court Picnic Menu
- Smoked salmon & cucumber sandwiches: English sparkling Blanc de Blancs.
- Coronation chicken: Off-dry Riesling or English sparkling rosé.
- Pork pie with chutney: A chilled Beaujolais (Fleurie or Morgon).
- Cheese board (Stilton, aged Cheddar): Vintage English sparkling or a Tawny Port.
- Eton Mess, strawberry shortcake: Demi-sec English sparkling or Moscato d'Asti.
- Pimm's Cup: The official cocktail of the fortnight.
Service Notes
Serve English sparkling at 6–8°C. Use proper tulip flutes or a small white wine glass — you want to smell the wine. A magnum is the most elegant format for sharing, and English producers price them well below Champagne equivalents. Pimm's should be ice-cold and built fresh per drink, not pre-mixed (the lemonade goes flat).
A Brief History of English Sparkling
The English have been planting vines on chalk since the Romans, but the modern English sparkling story starts in 1988 when Stuart and Sandy Moss planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier at Nyetimber in West Sussex. They were laughed at. By 1998 they had won the trophy for best sparkling wine in the world at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, beating every house in Champagne. The geology made the case: the same chalk seam that runs under Reims and Épernay surfaces in Hampshire, Sussex and Kent. By 2026 there are more than nine hundred commercial vineyards in England and Wales, and English sparkling is poured at Buckingham Palace state dinners, on Cunard transatlantic liners and at Centre Court itself.
Visit the Cellar Doors
Wimbledon fortnight is the right time to visit. Most of the great English sparkling producers run cellar-door tastings within ninety minutes of central London. Nyetimber in West Sussex pours through the full range in a barn at the edge of the vineyard. Gusbourne in Kent serves food alongside vintage-by-vintage flights. Hambledon on the Hampshire chalk runs picnic tastings on the lawn. Chapel Down in Tenterden has a full restaurant. Wiston Estate offers a tour of the only English winery to win a Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships gold for nine consecutive years. Build the trip around a match day and the fortnight pays for itself.
If You Cannot Find English Sparkling
Outside the UK, the English sparkling shelf can be thin. The honest replacements: a Champagne grower's bottling (Chartogne-Taillet, Vouette & Sorbée, Marie-Courtin), a serious Cava (Raventós i Blanc, Recaredo) or a Crémant de Limoux from the Languedoc. Skip Prosecco for this menu — it is too off-dry against strawberries and cream, and it does not have the autolytic complexity that makes the cucumber sandwich course sing. See our Crémant guide for more.
The Garden Party Dress Code
Centre Court reads as smart casual. Linen blazers, summer dresses, hats and sunglasses. Skip the all-whites unless you are actually playing tennis — the players own that look. For a watch-from-home party, lean into the pastels and a wide brim. Avoid heels on grass. And in 2026, the host gift of choice is a magnum of Hambledon Première Cuvée tied with a green ribbon. Easier to find than ever, more memorable than another bottle of Champagne.
The Non-Alcoholic Garden Party
The drivers, the runners, the pregnant guests and the sober friends deserve a glass that holds its own. The best NA picks for Wimbledon fortnight: French Bloom Le Blanc (sparkling, French, gorgeous in a flute), Wild Idol Alcohol-Free Sparkling from England itself, and a virgin Pimm's built with cucumber, mint and a splash of elderflower cordial topped with cloudy lemonade. Pour them in the same glassware, with the same intention. Our non-alcoholic collection has more.
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