County Business Club Wine of the Month

For this months wine of the month I have a chosen a sparkling rose wine from a small vineyard ran by Anthony and Zena near Blackboys called Tickerage which make a small range of excellent sparkling wines and a cider. Blackboys is a small village in East Sussex.

“There is an interesting explanation as to the provenance of the Blackboys, the most likely explanation is the meaning ‘black wood’, so called due to the soot being deposited in the woods from the charcoal burners that were prevalent in the area.

Tickerage Vineyard only produce on average 10,000 bottles of wine each year and so are typical of a small batch producer. The old adage says ‘small and perfectly formed’ – the vineyard’s size and location means the family that own the vineyard can personally carry out all the work. For them, this was crucial in order to be totally in control of the development of the vines. With Blackboys Vineyard being a 24/7 family run operation, it allows the owners to have the attention to detail which impacts directly on the high quality and personal finished product.”

The wine I have chosen from their selection is the Blush vintage 2013 which is relatively well aged for an English wine. This is a wonderful light rose English sparkling wine using champagne grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

On the nose we have strawberries and a hint of cranberry. On the palate this has luxuriously soft and fine bubbles. The taste has lots of strawberries and a hint of cranberry with a nice toasty/yeasty note from its bottle aging. The wine has balanced acidity with a long fruit finish and the right balance of sugar. As this is Extra brut is has less sugar than many champagnes. An excellent rose on its own or with smoked salmon or cold meats.

Only 2000 bottles produced so get this whilst you can, a great bottle of wine!

For more information or to make a purchase, please visit www.brightonandhovewineclub.co.uk