THE TROUBLE WITH DREAMS

Irish-born Sussex winemaker Dermot Sugrue is one of the most exciting names in English viticulture. Here, he shares his journey so far, plans for his family's new vineyard, and tips for starting out.

Hi Dermot. Can you tell us a bit about your journey so far? How did a boy from Ireland end up making wines in Sussex?

I started making beer when I was 15 growing up in Limerick, then wine when I was 16. It became my passion as a teenager, and I read voraciously on the subject, and became obsessed with wine and how to make it. I knew I wanted to be a winemaker when I was that young, I just didn’t know how to go about it. My first trip to Bordeaux changed all that, I was hooked. I did two vintages there in 2001 and 2002, and then realised what was happening in England, first in Suffolk and then Sussex when I started working with Nyetimber and studying at Plumpton. In 2006 I planted my first vineyard and I’ve been rooted here ever since.

Last year you left Wiston Estate after 16 incredible years, to concentrate on your own operation at Sugrue South Downs with wife Ana. How has the last year been for you both?

We knew it would be an extraordinary time for us both after having been at Wiston for so long, however we could never have known so much would happen in such a short period of time. We invited Robin Hutson of The Pig Hotel group in as an investor, we expanded our vineyards under management from 3.5ha to now 11ha, we bought our first small vineyard and are now establishing our own winery, and Ana and I are having our first child! So it’s fair to say it's been a busy 10 months.

Then just last week we won three trophies at the Wine GB Awards, including ‘Best Boutique Producer’ for the third time. Our first release from our Coldharbour Vineyard, cuvée Boz 2015, planted on chalk in West Sussex which we now manage, won us the trophy for Best Blanc de Blancs, and we are incredibly proud of that.

How do Sugrue South Downs wines differ from the wines you were making at Wiston and, before then, Nyetimber? Is there a noticeable difference in terroir?

For me the terroir is everything. At Nyetimber I was focussed on making wines grown on greensand soils in West Sussex.

When I started making the wines at Wiston, the focus was all on chalk, which I adore. Both allow you to make fantastic wines, in different styles — the greensand showing more fruit and weight, the chalk giving more minerality and precision. Both have finesse and great ageing potential. The Sugrue wines celebrate both these terroirs in single vineyard, single terroir releases, as well as blending the two in some of the cuvées.

What are your short and long term plans for Sugrue South Downs? Will you be welcoming visitors soon?

We are renovating the barn at Bee Tree Vineyard, our new home at the foot of the South Downs near Wivelsfield Green. Once it has been transformed into a winery for this year, we will start inviting visitors. It will be very modest at first, very simple and functional. We want to get the facility right for winemaking first.

Your signature cuvée, The Trouble With Dreams, has amassed something of a cult following. Did you know you’d landed on something special right from the start with this wine?

I knew the first Trouble With Dreams from 2009 was a good wine — my friends, family and myself drank most of it! The 2010 was given the highest ever score for an English wine by Decanter Magazine, and then the 2011 Trouble won the Decanter trophy for Best UK Sparkling Wine — beating 101 other English wines in the competition. I knew then I had something very special on my hands. After total crop failure in 2012 — it was officially the coldest, wettest and darkest summer since 1912 — in 2013 I started renting the magnificent Mount Harry Vineyard in East Sussex near Lewes. This is a pure chalk vineyard and adds extraordinary quality to Trouble, which has now evolved into a blend of chalk and greensand terroirs. It gets the best of both worlds, and always has a high barrel content in its vinification. Over the years the barrels I use are getting larger and older, to minimise the impart of the wood and promote as much mouthfeel and freshness as possible.

You’ve been called one of the most influential winemakers in Britain. For anybody wishing to follow in your footsteps, what qualities do you think makes a great winemaker?

Early on you must work with and learn from as many experienced winemakers as you can, and be hungry for knowledge. Winemaking is a craft — and an art — as well as a science, and there is no substitute for putting in the hours and to always be open to learning. You need to handle pressure — thankfully I do that very well — and be calm in a crisis, very often you are trying to make order out of chaos. Most of all you need passion. For me, I have always found winemaking the single most compelling thing I could do with my life. I adore wine, I am endlessly fascinated by it, and I think that shows in my wines.

What do you think the next decade holds for the English wine industry?

Developing more styles, growing more diverse varieties, and adapting to climate change. The horrors of global warming gives the UK the undoubted benefit of warmer temperatures almost every year now — we can push the boundaries over the next decade (if we don't all get barbecued first). Still wines now have enormous potential, and my wife Ana is specialised in those. She is bringing her skills from California, New Zealand, Germany and Austria to winemaking in England — expect some very interesting releases over the next few years.

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Treat the wine like gold, I was once told. It’s a great way to operate in the winery. When you have exceptional quality in your tanks and barrels you must give it the utmost of respect all the time, to preserve and enhance its quality. Remember the wines we have on release at the moment are from 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. An unbelievable amount of time, effort, expense, energy and emotion have gone into making these wines. They are very special indeed, and deserve to be respected.