A toast to the King: wines dedicated to King Charles III, from UK-made sparkling wines to Champagnes

If from Buckingham Palace there is still the utmost secrecy about the menu and the wine list of the lunch, strictly for the immediate family, that awaits King Charles III tomorrow after his official coronation, there are many limited edition labels created for the event, perfect protagonists of the millions of toasts that will rise tomorrow: from sparkling wines made in the UK to the great Champagnes, without forgetting sparkling wines from Italy. After all, Charles, a great lover of food & agriculture, has always shown a great passion for made in Italy, as evidenced by his numerous visits, when he was still Prince of Wales, to our country, always marked by the common thread of good food and good drink, as well as meetings with great producers (such as the Frescobaldi family, the only Italian guests at William and Kate’s wedding and official suppliers to the Royal Household with their wines, as well as with Laudemio oil, with which they pay homage to the Windsors every year) and with prominent figures, such as Carlo Petrini, who introduced the king to the philosophy of Slow Food, of which he became a great supporter.
It is no coincidence, then, that it was Charles himself who chose an official set of bottles for his coronation, which occurs exactly 70 years after his mother’s. For the Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire (where a wide range of products, from cured meats to eggs and jams, sold under the Duchy Organics brand, are born), the king and queen selected a range of suppliers, from Fortnum & Mason for gourmet products to Royal Scot Crystal for glasses, via William Edwards for china and Burberry for scarves, to create the “Coronation Collection”, a series of items whose proceeds go entirely to charity. The collection, in addition to soft toys, mugs, cookies, and souvenirs, includes three wines: the Royal Collection Coronation 2023 English Sparkling Wine, a classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, produced by the English winery Gusbourne; the Coronation English Sparkling Blanc de Blancs 2016, a 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine produced and bottled by New House Farm in East Sussex. In contrast, the official Champagne, the Fortnum & Mason Coronation Brut Selection was created by Jacques Picard, a pioneer in sustainable practices: the box depicts the magical white stag sitting on a bed of gold leaves and flowers, which, since the Middle Ages, has been associated with kings as a symbol of strength and purity.
Numerous British wineries have taken advantage of the tasty marketing opportunity to create special limited editions, capitalizing on patriotic pride but also on the incredible improvement in quality that English wine has experienced in recent years. In addition to the bottles, wineries have also organized special dinners at starred restaurants, tours and tastings in the name of Her Majesty. Among the many, Nyetimber, considered one of the best English producers and the first to use exclusively Champagne varietals for its wines, has launched the Coronation Limited Edition 2023 Nyetimber, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with a label reminiscent of royal uniforms and robes. Chapeldown Winery launched the Chapel Down Coronation Edition 2016, a limited edition of 2,000 bottles whose proceeds will be donated to the Royal British Legion, a charity that supports the armed forces: the label features the Union Jack and the official coronation logo on the neck. He went for rosé at Hattigley Winery, with the 2015 Limited Edition Kings Coronation Kings Cuvée Rosé, only 50 bottles with the coronation crest engraved on the glass. For the undecided, British merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd offers a special 6-bottle box set, inspired by the wines of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation banquet in 1953: from Champagne to Sherry, via Germany, Bordeaux and Portugal, it sells for £260 (about 300 euros).
But for a truly special toast, Champagne, historically one of the English monarchy’s most beloved wines, could not be left out: the great French brands have also created their own limited editions. Such as the magnum Moet & Chandon Imperial & King Charles III Coronation: the maison, an official supplier to the Crown since 1893, during the reign of Queen Victoria, has previously created exclusive cuvées for many royal celebrations, including Queen Elizabeth II's silver, gold and diamond jubilee. The Bollinger Special Cuvée King Charles III Coronation is also a unique piece, personalized with the coronation crest, to be uncorked or kept in the cellar for children and grandchildren.
Finally, a tribute for King Charles also arrives from Italy: Bottega, a leading Prosecco brand that sees precisely in the British market one of its main interlocutors, has created Bottega Platinum Doc Coronation Prosecco, a platinum-colored metallic bottle in a limited edition. The label and capsule are personalized with a reproduction of the crown enriched by the shades of the British flag.