16 minute read
juicy strawberries plus recipes and wine recommendations
I REALLY DO LOVE THE FRENCH. Their sexy sounding accordions, phallic Parisian towers, cream-laden calorific food, and their bombastically protective approach to their language – Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu weighs in at a mighty seven volumes and 4,215 pages, or 1.2m words. It all points to a nation reeking of garlic and self-confidence. They’re a glorious diametric to the selfeffacing English. But of all the things the French hold dear, their place in the world as a nation of viticulturists and winemakers is what they remain most well-known for, and most fiercely protective of. In the 18th century, after what seemed like a lifelong Gallic dominion over the industry, the first commercially-minded vines trickled across the Atlantic and under the soils of California’s Nappa Valley. 250-odd years later, in 1996 Australia and New Zealand’s place in the world of wine was also cemented, for instance, with the establishment of Winemakers’ Federation of Australia.
Shuffle down the supermarkets’ aisles –heaving with their mass-market plonk, shipped over in tankers and bottled here in the UK – and you’ll soon see that everyone’s having a go at making their own wine. So far, though some nations may have achieved at least a couple of favourable examples, nobody has quite made a dent in the cachet or the cultural capital that French wines and winemakers possess – particularly fizz from the appellation of Champagne. But slowly, that’s changing, especially in respect of the monopoly that France has always had on sparkling wine. And England’s own viticulture is gradually experiencing a windfall as a result. It’s hard to find any positives in climate change; globally we’ve all come to accept that we have to temper the modern lifestyles we’ve adopted which are slowly smothering our planet, to what would ultimately be its death. However, Les Rosbifs have observed that global warming has increased our own country’s temperature by about 1.5°c over the past couple of decades, and that means our climate (particularly in the south of England) is now commensurate with the temperatures and conditions that were once prevalent about, oooh, 400 miles south (Empingham to Èpernay via Calais), in the Champagne region. Not a bad stroke of luck for our region’s winemakers – albeit bittersweet, given the severity of climate change. We now have the ideal climate in which to grow the three grape varieties blended to create Champagne – Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
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and Chardonnay – right here in the UK, and that’s why English wine is becoming absolutely brilliant. Naturally, winemakers like Helenka Brown of the Hanwell Wine Estate are capitalising on the fact, but before the family raises a glass this summer, there’s a bit of work to be done. “We’re actually second-generation winemakers,” says Helenka. She’s in the sunshine shortly before Easter, taking a break from mowing between the rows of vines and ensuring their canopies remain nice and neat.” “The land is characterised by rich soil of around six point seven pH, with a 12” layer of loam and clay underneath, ideal for viticulture.” “My parents, Tony and Veronica Skuriat, settled in the area in the late 1960s and took on an old property with a dilapidated greenhouse in which there was a single vine that we discovered was from a cutting of the 250-year old ‘great vine’ at Hampton court palace, planted by Capability Brown.” “A fascination with that vine led my parents to plant a vineyard, Eglantine, near Loughborough. They planted in 1979 and by 1984, they had won international awards for their wine. That was when the idea of English Wine was a novelty, though.” Today, it’s an industry that has seen cross-channel smirks quickly turn to uncomfortable shuffles in seats as the sovereignty of the continental monopoly on the world’s quality sparkling wines has shifted to the other side of the water.
Helenka works in IT and husband William works in broadcasting, taking feeds from various broadcasting sources and outputting them to news TV channels to make sure we see the right one on our screens. Both are quite techie jobs, but this month they’ll be swapping computer screens for secateurs and a mower in advance of June, by which time the current spindly and sparsely covered vines will instead be lush with deep green leaves and heaving with grapes. “They’re like triffids in June, growing really quickly. We have to keep the canopies between vines separate to ensure we can access them during harvest and we have to watch out for weeds which will compete for the soil resources.”
“My parent’s vines ripen slightly earlier but because we’re growing the three grape varieties used to create champagne we harvest in late October.”
“Each of the three varieties ripen at slightly different times, and have slightly different characteristics. Pinot Noir is supposed to be a bit of a diva, but honestly it thrives here.” >>
English Wines and Our Wine Industry...
n Back in 1975, there were fewer than 300 hectares of English vines in production. In 1985 that figure rose to around 350 hectares. By 1995 there was 750 in production, and in 2005 just under 800. By 2015, there was 1,839 hectares and in 2019, 3,500 hectares were in production. n There are now 770 vineyards in Great Britain, around 200 of which are open to visitors. There were 4,449 visits to UK vineyards every month in 2019, 83% of which were visitors from the UK. The UK’s largest estate is Nyetimber, which has 420 acres dedicated to viticulture. n The country also has 165 wineries, and produced 10.5m bottles in 2019 – the last year for which confirmed sales data is available. English wine has a retail value of around £82m. n 72% of wine produced in the UK is sparkling white wine. Still white, red or rosé accounts for 28% of the market. n Across the UK, Pinot Noir accounts for 33% of all grapes planted. Chardonnay accounts for a further 32%, Pinot Meunier for 13%, Bacchus for 5% and Seyval for 2%. Other varieties include Ortega, Reichensteiner, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Solaris, Rondo, Regent and Siegerrebe. n The top 10 counties for English wine production are Kent, Hampshire, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, Dorset, Herefordshire, Devon, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. The most up and coming region is Wales, seeing more industry growth than any other area. n The industry employs 11,071 people, full and part time. n The industry is represented by WineGB (previously The English Vineyards’ Association, a body established in 1967.
>> “Harvest time is a thing of magic. Its hours are quite civilised too, since we harvest on sunny days and we have to wait for the sun to burn off the dew before we start work, usually at about half ten in the morning.” “We finish harvesting by four, and once all of the grapes have been sent to the winery about 10 minutes down the road, and pressed, we treat ourselves to a glass of wine in the field which helps to remind us that the final product is all worth it! That also means that from vine to press takes just a few hours, ensuring each of our wines are made from a very fresh harvest.” “We’ve a team of around 10, and though our day jobs might be completely different, we all become pickers when it’s harvest time. Knowing when it’s the right time to begin harvesting is a matter of picking, tasting and testing the grapes with a refractometer, which tests sugar content by passing light through a prism.” “We harvest by hand, it’s a case of snipping off each bunch of grapes and putting them gently into a bucket which empty into picking boxes for transfer to the winery, in batches of about 350kg.” “That quantity is, by happy coincidence, roughly the same amount that the pick up truck can transport and that the press can hold.” “We whole-bunch press, meaning everything goes straight in, stalks and all. The press gently squeezes the grapes, the highest quality juice runs off first, this is used to make sparkling wine.” “A higher pressure is then applied and that juice runs to a second tank to make still wine. Pretty much everything about wine production is nuanced right down to the pressure you use to harvest the juice.” “By making fine adjustments to the press you can actually determine which part of the grape the juice is obtained from.” “A lower pressure pressing takes the juice from around the pip, and is preferred for sparkling wine, whilst a firmer press provides the juice for still wines.” >>
>> Once pressed, Helenka’s father Tony shares his winemaking skills between his own vineyard and Hanwell Wine Estate. Tony blends juice from each of the three Hanwell grown grapes – Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay prior to a first fermentation over winter.
Through a combination of wild yeasts, the three grape varieties that the vineyard grows each have a sufficient amount of natural yeast on the outside of the grape to avoid the necessity of adding additional yeast during the first fermentation, after which a cuvée or assemblage is produced. The second fermentation is a characteristic of the méthode champenoise which sees the wine bottled and aged on the lees prior to its yeast being self-digested (a process known as autolysis). Finally, the removal or disgorgement of the remaining lees results in a sparkling wine which is Champagne in all but name – since, by law, that wine-making region is geographically protected. By UK rule, a ‘quality’ English sparkling wine must have rested on the lees for a minimum of nine months but Helenka and William’s wines are typically between three and five years in the making. >>
Tasting Notes
Hanwell Sparkling
Hanwell Wine Estate Rainbow’s Reward, Hanwell Wine Est.,
£31 / 75cl / 12.5% ABV
Hanwell’s second ever quality sparkling wine, Rainbow’s Reward, is so very good that Helenka & William have had to limit sales to a maximum of six bottles per customer! Made using the traditional Champagne method from the estate’s 2016 harvest of red grapes: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It’s crisp, yeasty and decadent, a stunning wine with lemon notes and a toasty finish. Each bottle is hand-numbered, too! n
>> There is, of course, a great deal more to the process than space allows here, but that’s not a bad thing, because the best way to appreciate Helenka and William’s wine is by trying it for yourself. And that gives you a good excuse to continue your education in person with a visit to the vineyard. “We offer tours and tastings, which are popular with around 3,000 people each year,” says Helenka. “We’re already receiving a number of bookings this year, because understandably, people are keen to be able to go out once again, to feel the sun on their back and a gentle breeze, to enjoy pretty scenery and big blue skies. That’s exactly what we can offer and we top it all off with a tutored wine tasting.” “Many people drink wine and perhaps understand a few things they’ve picked up along the way, but there are so many experts with such strong opinions, and winemaking is a mix of science, art and nature. It’s a hugely complex subject. That’s why a visit in person can help you to see first-hand exactly what goes into wine – figuratively and literally.” “It’s a way to enjoy good wine in a relaxed and informal way, adding an extra dimension to the pleasure. The tours are also available as gift vouchers, which is a much nicer gift than just handing over a friend of family member a bottle… why not go a little further and give them a fuller experience?” “We have a few craft workshops on site as well and each year we try to combine artisan crafts with wine. Our flagship event, the Handmade Craft and Wine Fayre, takes place on 30th May, which used to coincides with English Wine Week, although that has now become a larger national event which takes place from 19th June.” “We also have a wine shop – a physical one and one that’s online, providing national delivery – in which we sell our own wines, currently these include a Dry Rosé called First Love, and Rainbow’s Reward, our 2016 vintage quality sparkling wine.” “The shop also allows us to act as ambassadors for other English winemakers. We stock our parents’ wine from the Eglantine “We can no longer think of English wine as a novelty or a curiosity. It’s here, and it’s very good indeed, thanks to the dedication and skill of our growers and winemakers...”
estate, and other guest wines from places like Rothley in Leicestershire.” “We can no longer think of English wine as a novelty or a curiosity or a footnote. It’s here, and it’s very good indeed, thanks partly to the change in climate and but mostly to the dedication and skill of our growers and winemakers.” Other countries are producing wine in huge quantities. Italy is the most prolific wine producing nation, with an output of 4.25m litres. France, Spain, the US and Australia are the next largest producers, in that order, and the top five nations collectively account for about 14m litres of world production. A world average per country is 481,000 litres. England, meanwhile, produced 10.5m bottles in 2019 still ahead of those plucky grapefettlers in Tajikistan or Syria, who each produce just 100 litres each. But this isn’t about quantity. It’s about quality and provenance. As a much smaller island we’re limited by the quantity of land available for the viticulture, as much as we’ve been limited by climate in previous years. But now, we’re no longer limited by the weather or by a lack of knowledgeable winemakers like Tony, and Helenka & William, each of whom is investing in England’s winemaking future. Celebrating local food and drink – and producers – is always something we’re keen to do. But this month, what could be better than learning more about wine with a visit to a vineyard a little over half an hour from your home? A visit to the Hanwell Estate allows you to enhance further the pleasure you derive from wine. It will also yield the opportunity this summer to enjoy what the industry is slowly acknowledging are world-beatingly great products! We’ll definitely raise a glass to that. n
Multum ‘Gin’ Parvo: Migrate to this new special edition gin...
South Luffenham-based distillery presents its new special edition gin with £2 donation from each sale to the Rutland Osprey project... Migration is a new special edition gin from Multum in Parvo, based at South Luffenham. The company, headed up by Chaz Ellis, Hayley & Tim Cook, uses acorn and floral botanicals, adding elderflower, grains of paradise and hibiscus from Guinea Bissau, Africa, to create this edition. It’s complex, smooth and delicious, ideal for a summer tipple in the garden with quality tonic. n £39/70ml; £30/50ml; £16.50/20cl; £4.95/5cl, 40% ABV, 01572 498720 or see multumginparvo.com.
The Wine Cellar
Wine of the Month
Eglantine Cherry Wine, Leicestershire,
£14 / 75cl / 12% ABV
Created on the Eglantine estate, the parent vineyard of Hanwell Wine Estate, featured in this edition. This summer stunner is made from the juice of the Morello Cherry. It has a lovely fruity bouquet, and a rich, well-rounded flavour with some sweetness on the palate. A very popular feature of the winemaker’s range, this is great as an aperitif, with dessert, mulled or as a long drink with lemonade. Available from Hanwell Wine Estate, Leics., 01949 81393 or www.hanwell wine.co.uk.
IT’S ENGLISH WINE MONTH! HERE, WE PRESENT THE BEST OFFERINGS FROM OUR OWN SHORES, A SCEPTERED ISLE OF VINEYARDS, BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES... RULE BRITANNIA! La Fée Vert of the Bohemians!
HOME GROWN HEROES: Three wines from right across England...
1. As the Champagne climate moves north from France thanks to climate change, suddenly Kent can make world-beating sparkling wine! £162 / 6 x 75cl / 12% ABV, from www.chapeldown.com.
2. Created in Sussex from Pinot Gris grapes, this Stopham white has aromatic peach and pear fruit alongside subtle wild flower notes. It’s medium-bodied, crisp, balanced with a citrus finish. £15.99 / 70cl / 11.5% ABV, from www.stophamvineyard.co.uk.
3. From Louth, Somerby Vineyard’s Magna Carta enshrines in law our right to enjoy good wine. Red, fruity, medium bodied. £12.99 / 75cl / 11% ABV, from www.waitrosecellar.com. From the Belle Époque to Leicestershire! If you’re feeling adventurous this summer why not try – conservatively – the drink that inspired Manet, Picasso Baudelaire et al, and shaped surrealism, impressionism and modernism plus many literary figures. Absinthe is legendary as part-drink, part-hallucinogen, this spirit has been reinvented by Melton-based Two Birds, otherwise renowned for their artisan gins. It’s full of aniseed, wormwood ...and intrigue! £56 / 70cl / 70% ABV, from www.twobirds spirits.co.uk.
n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.
Carefully selected artists from the Royal Academy, Royal Institutes, Federations and Societies
Norman Cornish | Pulling a Pint | 47.5 x 41 inches | Oil on Board
New Fine Art Gallery Now Open in Stamford
5-8 The Mews • The George Hotel • Stamford • PE9 2LB Tuesday - Sunday from 11am to 5pm | 01780 480800
Also at Lees Yard • Holt • Norfolk | Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm | 01263 713883
Please visit the website to view and purchase our artworks www.adrianhillfineart.com
PICK of thePICK of the PROPERTIES PROPERTIES
This month we’re featuring some of the This month we’re featuring some of the prettiest properties and most compelling prettiest properties and most compelling purchases for those looking to move home... purchases for those looking to move home...
Words: Rob Davis.
