County Business Club Wine of the Month April 2022

Tickerage Vineyard Classic Cuvee 2014 Vintage

As we come into the start of summer, I am always looking for bubbles that are light and fresh to match the season in the hope that we can open a bottle of bubbly outdoors in the season’s sun. This wine is from a small vineyard ran by Anthony and Zena, near the village of Blackboys in East Sussex, and is called Tickerage. The vineyard produces a small range of excellent sparkling wines and ciders.

The vineyard produces 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 owns 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 reason I have chosen this wine from 2014 is because it is light but fruity with toastiness from bottle ageing. There has been zero sugar added in the final stage of bottling which is rare as most English Sparkling Wines and Champagne add a small amount of sugar or sweetness, to provide more of a balance between acidity and fruit. It purely has sweetness from the fruit, which is due to the significant amount of sunshine in that year. It works very well with light and fresh dishes, such as sushi or oysters. Get it while you can as this is a small batch and will be gone next year. 

MichaelvYeoman,
English Wine and International Wine Specialist

Michael Yeoman produces his own range of sustainable spirits with Spirit of the Downs (www.spiritofthedowns.co.uk) and works with small batch local vineyards with his Brighton and Hove Wine Club (www.brightonandhovewineclub.co.uk)