County Business Clubs’ Wines of the Month April 2024

As we, hopefully, start moving into spring from monsoon season, I wanted to showcase two wines from a husband and wife team, Paul and Al Pippard. They set up and own Beacon Down on the High Weald near Heathfield in East Sussex.

The couple started wine growing relatively recently, with the first planting of vines in 2015 on South and South-East facing sandstone slopes of the High Weald at an altitude of 130m above sea level. They have been making crisp and fresh English still and sparkling wines since 2017 in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Beacon Downs Pinot Gris 2022 and Blanc De Noir Rose Brut from 2019

Let’s start with the Pinot Gris which is a still wine made from a fantastic hot growing season that delivered clean, ripe fruit with rich flavour development.

Grape varieties – 100% Pinot Gris

Alcohol – 11.5% ABV

Wine maker’s tasting notes

Dry, subtle stone fruits, lovely balance, good length. Best to drink young, over the next couple of years.

Michael’s tasting notes

This wine has a lovely pale lemon colour which has a light fruit and citrus nose followed by lots of clean fruit and body on the palate with tropical and aromatic notes coming through. It is a great wine for a sunny spring day and works well on its own or with fish or light cheeses.

Moving onto the rose bubbles, we have a great fruity all Pinot Noir sparkling to try

Grape varieties – 100% Pinot Noir

Alcohol – 12.0% ABV

Style – Brut

Description – Soft pink in colour, a fine and persistent mousse with flavours of strawberry and summer fruits and a period of lees ageing.

Michael’s tasting notes

This wine has great fruit on the nose. There are strawberry and cranberry fruits coming through on the palate with persistent bubbles and a nice toasty finish. This would go well with smoked salmon bellinis or with a nice pate and sour dough toast.

Awards for Beacon Down Vineyard

Their still and sparkling wines have won a number of awards, including a Silver at the 2020 Sommelier Wine Awards, a Silver at the 2020 IWSC and a Bronze for the Riesling 2018, a medium-sweet wine.

Where to buy?

I would recommend booking a tour of Beacon Down where you can try all of their wines whilst walking around their 18 acres of vines. Alternatively, several of their wines are available via their website directly, local vintners from £16 a bottle as well as in 21 Waitrose stores across the South East as well as on WaitroseCellar.com.

Michael Yeoman, Founder of Brighton and Hove Wine Club

Michael Yeoman specialises in working with small batch wine producers in and around Sussex and the South Downs. He founded Brighton and Hove Wine Club and also creates a range of small batch  Sussex Brandies, Grape spirits and Vodka through Spirit of the Downs based at Bolney.