Wines of English Wine Week 2020

Without doubt, this has been a sad, sombre and unforgettable year for many folk which has seen so many changes to our normal routines of life and sharing wine with friends and the cycle of activity in the wine industry has not escaped the enforced changes to our lifestyle.

However, here in England and the other Home Nation wine producer Wales, one event which did not to stop was English Wine Week!  An established part of the calendar for so many years now, English Wine Week organised by the trade body WineGB ran between the 20th/28th June this year and like so many other activities became a virtual event.

Currently overseen by the highly capable Peter Gladwin who, as well as being Vice Chair of WineGB and also the current Acting Managing Director, Peter and his wife Bridget and their family are the team behind the esteemed Nutbourne Vineyard here in Sussex and under his leadership, English Wine Week has successfully run a comprehensive social media campaign highlighting the amazing developments in English Wine alongside celebrity and expert on-line tastings, video tours of some of our most prestigious vineyards and great offers from Vineyards and Producers.

Wine Grapes have been grown in England and in Sussex since the arrival of the Romans and from their legacy we have seen the influence of the Normans, the religious orders of monks during medieval times and the planting of vineyards in the grounds of many of the great stately homes in England. This prompted John Rose, gardener to King Charles the second, to write a book called the “English Vineyard Vindicated” in 1666 and a year later in 1667, the renowned diarist Samuel Pepys wrote about his enthusiasm for a particular English wine. On a visit which I was personally privileged to enjoy to Nutbourne Vineyard, it was pointed out to me by Bridget that somewhere among the current fields of vines was believed to be a Roman vineyard and it was quite a special feeling to realise that here was our ancient wine history and our present and future history in symbiotic harmony with each other.

Not forgetting our Welsh friends of course, where the Marquis of Bute ran the wine estate of Castle Coch from around 1870 till 1920 which during that time was believed to be the only commercial vineyard anywhere in the British Isles. It came to an ignominious end though in 1920 being ultimately uprooted in favour of a pitch and putt course!

But it’s to Sussex that we turn our attention to for this month’s recommended wines. Our county has been the heartland for much of England’s wine production for many years. It has the largest area of vineyards defined by WineGB’s south east region, which in turn is home to three quarters of England’s 8,600 acres of vines and although there are so many fantastic wines here in Sussex, we only have four to showcase and have selected what we hope will be an interesting and varied selection of some of the best wines the county has to offer. 

Firstly, we’re off to Ditchling, not just the home of the late and lamented Dame Vera Lynn but also home to Court Garden Vineyard whose sparkling wines have regularly graced the House of

Lords. Also in the village we find Black Dog Hill vineyard, where under the management of owners Jim and Anya Nolan their crisp, zesty, citrus and technically so pure sparkling wines, are winning more awards than they can find a shelf to stick them on and a little further up the road we find Ridgeview where we pay homage to the late Mike Roberts the founder, with one of the vineyard’s signature blends:

Bloomsbury: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier:
Price £32.50
This is a favourite of mine ever since I first came across it in early 2006 and it has maintained an extraordinary consistent quality over successive vintages. An award-winning wine at both Decanter World Wine Awards 2018 and International Wine and Spirit Competition 2018, this wine is light golden in colour with a fine, persistent mousse. Citrus fruit aromas with hints of melon, peach and honey abound and the 60% Chardonnay dominance brings finesse, along with crisp freshness. The 30% addition of Pinots add depth and character leading to a beautifully balanced finish. Will age gracefully over time as the Chardonnay matures. While many people associate sparkling wine as an aperitif or reception drink, try it with food. For pure decadence you cannot beat lobster, crab and smoked salmon and for recommendation you can’t beat the accolade of being the official wine served for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Next we head off to Bolney a vineyard with a fifty year history and always at the centre of striving to produce high quality wines, where without doubt, we find a wine which is always a talking point when we introduce it at our tasting events. For those souls that find it hard to grapple with a sparkling red wine, then this is definitely one to try.

Bolney Estate Cuvee Noir: Dornfelder:
Price: £28.00
Originally made by the now boss of The Bolney Estate, Sam Linter, this wine has consistently produced some excellent vintages. This is a unique and high-quality red sparkling wine made using the traditional method. The aromas are reminiscent of red stone fruits, especially red cherry, redcurrants and sweet blueberries. On the palate this wine displays a wonderful creamy richness and full-bodied mousse, packed full of ripe summer fruits, with a hint of sweet spice on the finish.

It’s always good to meet some “New Kids on the Block” and to do this it’s great to be able to introduce Beacon Down Vineyard. This vineyard was only planted five years ago in an area of outstanding natural beauty across 18 acres of High Weald near Heathfield. Paul and Ali have really hit the ground running with a silver award for their sparkling wine at this year’s Sommelier awards and have received rave reviews for their Bacchus/Pinot Gris blend. But it is to their “piece de resistance” that we turn to where it’s believed that they are the first English vineyard to successfully grow the Riesling grape. To ripen Riesling in the UK’s cool climate and to produce a still wine with acids in balance is a real challenge and a great success. The grapes carefully, pressed gently, fermented in stainless steel and bottled by hand in January 2018. Since then it has been left to soften in bottle in temperature-controlled storage.

Beacon Down: Riesling:
Price: £15.00
A unique English wine, a medium-sweet still Riesling. Ripened in the glorious Summer of 2018 and picked late in October it is soft and opulent. There are flavours of peach and mango, with lightly honeyed notes and a hint of creaminess. It is bright in the glass, and pairs beautifully with desserts and cheese. Please note this is a half size bottle: 375ml.

Our final selection for this months SBT is towards the edge of East Sussex in the village of Winchelsea near Rye and to the vineyard of Charles Palmer. I first met Charles around 2009/10 when he asked if I would like to try his first vintage sparkling wine. It was a revelation and I am a devotee and his sparkling wines have since one many awards, but it is to a recent release we turn to for our final English Wine Week choice.

Charles Palmer’s Pinot Noir. For me, without doubt this is the best English Red wine I have tasted. Made using 777 Burgundy clone Pinot Noir grapes, the clone variety is important as this is a high-quality Pinot with a short growth cycle (quite late bud burst and early maturity) which is ideal for the English climate. The vineyard sits a mere 5 metres above sea level and above a bed of Kimmeridgian clay which is similar to the terroir of the Grand Crus of Burgundy. With a higher degree of sugar content, weak acidity and a good performance against Botrytis, even modest returns from the harvest enable it to produce an excellent quality wine to be kept.

Charles Palmer Pinot Noir: Pinot Noir:
Price: £21.50
This Red wine is fully fermented on the skins in order to extract the delicate flavours of bright red and black fruits, The wine displays deep red cherry flavours and a medium body rarely associated with English Pinot Noirs. The finish is long and satisfying with a smooth silky finish. Because this wine is not aged in oak but fermented and stored in stainless steel before bottling this allows the wine to display fantastic purity of fruit.

Brian Lockie, Bouquet Ltd.
Bouquet.winesltd@gmail.com,
07528 550574 or 07787 553262