English Wine Week

Last week was English Wine Week, the annual celebration of our home-grown product.  The Romans made wine in Britain, but for much of the time since, amounts produced were tiny. It was only in the 1950s that the first signs of a real revival began and continued in the 1980s and 90s. But in recent years the number of vineyards planted here has grown rapidly – there are now almost 500 operating commercially.  More than half of those represented at a South West Vineyards Association (SWVA) tasting I attended recently had released their first vintage within the last 10 years. 

The SWVA covers our most local producers and the tasting gave me the chance to meet up with some of them.  Three relative newcomers to the scene are just a stone’s throw away from each other a few miles south of Bristol: I’ve blogged about Dunleavy’s attractive Pinot-based rosés before and eagerly await their first sparkling release later this year.  Nearby Aldwick Court already produce a pair of sparklers but it was their still ‘Mary’s Rosé’ that particularly interested me – a crisp, fresh blend of Pinot Noir, Regent and a variety new to me: Solaris. 

Tiny (2 acre) Sutton Ridge Vineyard is the 3^rd of this group and their rosé, this time made with Regent and Phoenix, has just won a Gold at the WineGB awards.

Further south, near Dorchester, is another relative newcomer – the Langham Wine Estate.  Again focussing on sparkling wines, their delightful appley fresh Classic Cuvee is also an award winner – this time, a Sommelier Gold.  Some branches of Marks & Spencer are stocking it.

Of the longer established south-west vineyards I have a special affection for Oatley, near Bridgwater. I first met the owners almost 20 years ago when I interviewed them for a piece I wrote in the Somerset Magazine, my first published article. Sadly, all the others I talked to at the time have long since closed, but Oatley continues to thrive thanks to their loyal customers.  Nearby, Smith & Evans vineyard may only date from 2008 but, in that short time, they have established themselves with some high quality sparkling wines made from the Champagne varieties – their 2011 vintage winning a Silver at the prestigious International Wine Challenge.

Over in Wiltshire, A’Beckett’s Vineyard released their first wines in 2003 but they don’t just sell wine – they have diversified into cider, apple juice and honey – and all from their own farm.  Finally, Astley Vineyard in Worcestershire is one of the oldest surviving English vineyards, beginning in 1971 and with some vines planted then still producing.  But, even here, things are changing with new owners taking over last year.  It will be interesting to see how they develop the estate.

English Wine is not just changing – it’s also improving all the time as the number of international medals and awards prove.  Do give it a try if you can – and not just during English Wine Week.

Finally, a word of clarification: I’ve seen English or Welsh wine incorrectly referred to recently as ‘British wine’. British wine is produced from imported grape juice or sometimes grape concentrate and is not recommended; English (or Welsh, if appropriate) Wine is a quality product made from freshly picked grapes and reflects the place where those grapes are grown.

 

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A Rosé for Summer

The last few days here in Bristol have seen a complete change in our weather: beautifully warm, sunny and, above all, dry; a real pleasure after a long, wet, dreary (and occasionally snowy) winter and early part of the spring.  No surprise then that our thoughts immediately turn to barbecues, picnics and that perfect summer drink: a glass of chilled rosé.  So, it was a very happy coincidence that earlier this week, on the first really sunny day, was the launch party of the latest vintage of Dunleavy Pinot Noir rosé, one of our most local wines, made from grapes grown at Wrington, just a few minutes’ drive south of Bristol. 

Of course, I had to go along and taste! 

The wine has a lovely rich colour with attractive aromas and flavours of crushed strawberries.  Just a touch off-dry but very clean and refreshing and with a good dry, fruity finish.  Ideal for drinking chilled on its own in the garden (assuming this weather lasts!) but equally worth pairing with a seared fresh tuna steak or simply some cold cuts.

Ingrid Bates, owner and winemaker at Dunleavy, hosted the launch party of her 5th vintage at Bellita Wine Bar, now established in Cotham Hill in the space once occupied by Flinty Red.  An appropriate choice of venue as Bellita pride themselves in a winelist comprising all female winemakers – and why not, as they ask?

The wine was clearly going down well at the launch and also, later in the evening, at local restaurant, Bulrush, where I noticed it being served to some enthusiastic diners at the next table.

English wine has improved enormously in the last 30 years, mainly with some very successful sparkling examples, but Dunleavy’s delicious still Pinot Noir rosé shows a different direction in which local growers can clearly also thrive.  It is available direct from the vineyard (www.dunleavyvineyards.co.uk) or from local wine merchant Grape and Grind.

 

For Wine Lovers

Mme Lily Bollinger, former head of the famous Champagne house, was once asked when she drank Champagne.  She replied: when she was happy, when she was sad, sometimes when she was alone, always when she had company and whenever she was hungry or not.  Apart from that, she claimed never to touch it – unless she was thirsty!

Now, although my wife and I enjoy our wine (not necessarily Champagne), we agreed long ago that, unlike Mme Bollinger, we wouldn’t open a bottle every day.  So, unless we’re celebrating a birthday or anniversary or we’re entertaining friends, we usually restrict ourselves to a bottle with our dinners at weekends.  But last Wednesday was different – as you’ll see from the picture above, it was Valentine’s Day, and not just that, it was our 40^th Valentine’s Day together (I could suggest we met when we were very, very young but it wouldn’t be true!)  So, forget the fact it was a Wednesday, out came the glasses and a bottle of one of our favourite English fizzes: Camel Valley (Cornwall) Pinot Noir Rosé (Waitrose, £28.99).

I’m not sure if it was the effect of the wine, but we started chatting about why February 14^th has become so closely linked with romance and why St Valentine?  We found a number of conflicting explanations in Wikipedia and other sources: I liked the one about the Ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was connected to fertility, being observed around this time of year.  My wife preferred the quote from Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote that St. Valentine’s Day was the day when every bird chooses his mate.  (Although she did point out that it was a woman’s right to choose her mate!)

Whoever is right, by the 19^th century, Valentine’s Day and Valentines cards were well established and the practice, happily, is likely to continue for many years to come.  But, back to wine: our celebratory choice had a delightful deep salmon pink colour with an attractive nose of crushed strawberries and a delicate but mouth-filling mousse.   

As for food matches?  Almost anything, so long as it’s shared with a very good friend or partner!

Happy (belated) Valentines Day

Sparkling Wines for a Sparkling Time

It’s that time of year again!  So, if you’re going to have some friends around over the holiday season, what better choice to welcome them than with a glass of something sparkling? 

‘It’s Christmas so it must be Champagne’ will be the view of many but, as regular readers to this Blog will know, English Sparkling wines are consistently beating the Champenois  at their own game and, for me, a bottle of something from Nyetimber, RidgeView or one of the many other accomplished English sparkling wine producers is a better choice – as well as a good talking point.  You’ll find them at many wine merchants and Waitrose supermarkets for £20 – £30 – the same sort of price you’d pay for a reasonable Champagne.

But, if your budget won’t stretch that far, there are many excellent value alternatives.  French wines made outside the Champagne region but using the same production method are called ‘Crémants’ and bottles from Alsace or the Loire can often be found in supermarkets and are frequently very good buys.

From Spain and Italy respectively, both Cava and Prosecco have become increasingly popular in recent years – and for good reason; but do avoid the ultra-cheapies: sparkling wine making is a complex process when done properly and bottles selling for around £6 or £7 are likely to be pretty basic and uninteresting.  Prefer something around £10 and, if you’re going for a Prosecco, look for the letters DOCG rather than just DOC on the label – the ‘G’ is important and will be on all the best examples.

But that’s just Europe.  If you normally prefer still wines from the New World, why not sparkling wine from there, too?  New Zealand has an ideal climate and Pelorus (Majestic, £17.99) and Lindauer (same supplier, £10.99) are favourites of mine, while Champagne producer Moët and Chandon have set up in Argentina and clearly know what they’re doing – their Brut and Rosé are each £12.99 (Majestic, again).

So, there you are.  My quick guide to some sparkling wines for a sparkling holiday season.

 

Celebrating English Wine – Again!

English Wine Week ends today (Sunday June 5^th) and, of course, my wife and I have been celebrating by tasting some delightful examples over the past few days. But we also made a brief trip to Devon to visit a couple of the vineyards that are contributing to the rise and rise of English wine.

Devon may be less well-known as a source of English wine than, say, Kent or Sussex, but there are more than 20 producers there and its mild, Atlantic-influenced climate makes it a perfect place to ripen grapes, especially for crisp, refreshing (mainly white) wines.

Many of the county’s growers are small scale and only open to the public by appointment but others, like Sharpham, near the historic town of Totnes, welcome visitors daily (see www.sharpham.com for details). There, you can have a delicious lunch overlooking the vineyard (with a glass of their local product, of course!), taste a selection of wines and cheeses made on the estate and, if the weather is fine (as it was when we visited) take a marvellous walk among the vines and alongside the picturesque River Dart (see below).

Further north in the county, near Tiverton, is another of our favourite Devon vineyards: Yearlstone. Smaller and less commercial than Sharpham, you always get a warm and personal welcome here – not least from the resident dogs! Timing your visit around lunchtime is a good idea as they, too, have an excellent café but you can also taste the wines and enjoy a peaceful stroll in the vineyard with its wonderful views over the Exe Valley (see below).

Yearlstone’s wines are well worth trying; they aren’t widely available outside the county, but you can buy direct from the vineyard (www.yearlstone.co.uk).

And that, perhaps, is part of the problem with English (and Welsh!) wines: they are made in relatively small quantities and so aren’t on every wine merchant’s or supermarket shelf. But do look out for them; either ask your local wine merchant or, if you have a branch of Waitrose close by, they are great supporters of English wines and have Sharpham as well as many other local names on their list.