Fiz - English VS French - The Final Showdown (Wine Tasting)

Something is bubbling away at London’s first sparkling wine bar. Currently taking residence in Lights of Soho on Brewer Street, Fiz will be opening its first permanent site in 2018. On 1st August 2017 the pop-up will be inviting London’s wine lovers to a one-night-only event that will see English sparklings go tête-à-tête with French champagnes, to test the theory that champagnes are the most superior sparklings in the world, or whether they can be usurped by their cross-channel English cousins for both flavour and value. The winning wine will be awarded a place on the menu at Fiz’s permanent London location next year.

Guests will be presented with four English sparkling wines, four French champagnes and a scorecard. The wines will be carefully concealed, stripping the drinks of all preconceptions that their brand names or bottle shapes might create, letting the bubbles speak for themselves. Throughout the evening attendees will sample and score all eight wines, before the grand reveal at the end to crown the winner.

Flying the flag for England will be wines from estates, such as Hush Heath, Ridgeview, Nyetimber and Camel Valley. In the French corner will be champagnes including Moët & Chandon, Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot and Laurent-Perrier. Local meats and cheeses from Peckham-based Butchers block and Cheeses of Muswell Hill will be served alongside the wines.

Fiz is a summer long pop-up in the heart of Soho, inspired by the vibrant and sociable food and drink scene found in the backstreet cava bars of Barcelona. Fiz believes in a continental eating and drinking experience, with guests mingling and paying prices that allow them to sample more than one bottle and share multiple items of food. This is especially evident on this special evening; guests are invited to close their eyes and open their minds, experiencing great wine for what it really is.

Fiz founders Barney Lewis and Jordan Nadian are on a mission to redefine bubbly as affordable and accessible - a far cry from the pretence and eye-watering expense of the typical champagne bar. So far the boys have steered clear of having any champagne on the menu, instead showcasing the huge range of interesting and affordable sparklings from around the world, from organic Austrian to exotic Brazilian and even Australian sparkling red. Home grown sparklings from vineyards including Camel Valley in Cornwall and Hush Heath in Kent currently enjoy pride of place on the Fiz menu.

Drinks On offer: 8 wines - 4 English, 4 French
Food On offer: Cheese & Meat Boards

Format:

Each person will be given a scorecard that they will mark down their score out of 4 for the 8 wines that they taste.

English:
Nyetimber
Hush Heath
Camel Valley
Ridgeview


French
Moet
Bollinger
Veuve Cliquot
Laurent Perrier


All the wines will be fully concealed in yellow wrapping paper so the customers will not be affected by preconceptions of the wine and bottle style.

Once all the votes have been casted by the attendees a big reveal will be done on the screen at the front of the site.

Tickets available: designmynight.com/london/whats-on/food-drink/a-battle-of-the-bubbles-english-sparkling-vs-french-champagne-showdown?from=autocomplete

A total of 45 tickets will be available.