8 minute read
ANOTHER ENGLAND
Rebecca Pitcairn, finds some unusual English wines to try this season.
Over the past 20 to 30 years, Britain has made a name for itself producing sparkling wine from the holy trinity Champagne varieties - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Not only has English and Welsh sparkling wine grabbed market share from Champagne but it is winning against the French region in blind tastings and attracting top Champagne houses to plant vines on our soil.
But while the market may well be dominated by traditional method sparkling, Britain's winemakers have plenty more in their arsenal and are not only experimenting with different winemaking techniques but a variety of grapes too. So, if you fancy something a little different this season, here's my pick of some off-beat British wines to try:
SHARPHAM "LITTLE BEE" PINOT GRIS WILD FERMENT 2022 DEVON
Pinot Gris, aka Pinot Grigio, is a mutation of Pinot Noir and is characterised by a pinkish -grey skin It currently makes up less than two per cent of the grape varieties planted in England but there are some amazing examples of traditional style white wines being produced here
The brainchild of assistant winemaker Charlie Brown (pictured opposite), this skin-contact wine is quite a departure from the estate?s usual style Complex and textured, it?s been made with minimal intervention from start to finish, with the wine spending three weeks on its skins before undergoing wild fermentation.
The nose is bright with notes of lime, orange peel and anise with raspberry, grapefruit and nectarine flavours You?ll notice a little grippy tannin on the palate yet the finish is clean and refreshing.
Try it with dishes inspired by the aromatic flavours of the Far East, such as a chicken with ginger and spring onion stir fry.
Biddenden Vineyard GAMAY NOIR 2022
Gamay is a light-bodied red wine, similar to Pinot Noir, which is most notably grown in the Beaujolais region of France. It usually has delicate floral aromas and subtle earthy notes.
While Pinot Noir is grown widely in Britain for our sparkling wines (and some wonderful still wines), there are just a handful of vineyards growing Gamay. One of the first was Julian Barnes, from Biddenden Vineyards in Kent, who planted Gamay Noir back in 1985, having returned a few years earlier from picking in Touraine, Loire Valley.
"A love of the wine and process coupled with a limited growing knowledge at the time, meant any success was a long time coming," he admits "However, gradual climate change and some special years 2003, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2020, 2022 have allowed some amazing vintages."
This latest 2022 vintage, which won Gold at the IEWA 2023, is cheerfully fruity on the nose with a slight smokiness to it and is bursting with juicy flavours of raspberry and cherry it goes well with spicy dishes, or try a chilled glass with grilled meats or cold cuts and salad.
Breaky BOTTOM CUVÉE JACK PIKE, SEYVAL BLANC 2015
Over a decade before Nyetimber planted Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in 1988, kick starting England's foray into the sparkling wine market, Peter Hall planted his Breaky Bottom vineyard in Lewes. To begin with, he planted Seyval Blanc (mostly for its ability to ripen in the cooler British climate) and built a reputation making still white wines. However, he made his first 100% sparkling Seyval Blanc wine in 1995, releasing it in 2000 as "Millennium Cuvée Maman Mercier" , in dedication to his mother.
"For years I felt the Seyval Blanc would make great fizz," says Peter. "It had such a clean fresh taste and retained good acidity even when fully ripe."
And he was right, his sparkling wines have been described by Jancis Robinson as "effervescent magic" and this 2015 vintage is no exception. It's got that pale, slightly green tint that is to be expected from a Seyval, but with a slightly golden tone from ageing. The nose fizzes with delicate aromas of green apple and elderflower and there is a fine balance of fruit and acidity on the palate.
Each of the cuvées crafted at Breaky Bottom are dedicated to one of Peter's close friends or relatives. Jack Pike helped Peter plant those first Seyval Blanc plantings back in 1974 and thus this wine is named in his memory.
Blackbook Urban Winery THE MIX UP: VOL IV 2021
A crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale, Muller Thurgau has the advantage in England's cool climate of ripening extremely early, but its reputation has been somewhat tarnished by the association with cheap German wines, such as Liebfraumilch.
In this still white from Blackbook, an urban winery located in a railway arch in Battersea, it has been blended with another Germanic variety (and England's seventh most planted grape) Reichensteiner having been whole bunch pressed into Burgundy barrels, indigenously fermented and aged for seven months on gross lees.
Blackbook founders Sergio and Lynsey Verrillo tend to focus on making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but purchase additional grapes each year to experiment with and this is an experiment that turned out particularly well - indeed it was named by Matthew Jukes as one of his Fifty Finest Wines of 2022.
Far from the character-less reputation of high yield Muller Thurgau wines, this "mix up" has plenty of flavour - a touch of vanilla, white blossom and even ginger comes through on the nose while the palate has plenty of texture and is alive with stone fruit and citrus and has a slightly herbaceous edge. It's lovely drunk on its own, even better with East Asian flavours - a light fish steamed with plenty of ginger, lemongrass and garlic works a treat.
Sharpham Estate Selection 2021
In the 1960s, Maurice and Ruth Ash purchased the Sharpham Estate, near Totnes in Devon, bringing their Jersey cows with them all the way from Essex on the train.
The couple developed the idea of making a French-style soft cheese from the cow's milk and planting some vines on a sunny south-facing slope over-looking the River Dart. They trialled 13 different grape varieties but the little-known Madeleine Angevine, brought over from the Loire Valley, seemed to show the most promise. Forty-five years after those first plantings and Madeleine Angevine remains at the heart of the business, which has since relocated to the neighbouring Sandridge Barton Estate and rebranded.
Grapes from the best spot in the vineyard (rather unromantically named 'D' block) have gone into this 2021 Estate Selection, which is delicately floral yet juicy with aromas of green apple and wild meadow and a dry, zesty palate with a smooth minerality. A lovely, clean and crisp wine that's perfect for enjoying with fresh seafood or on its own.
Knightor ORANGE MUSCAT 2022
The Muscat family of grapes is one of the world's oldest and most widespread and is used to make a variety of wine styles from Italy's light, low-alcohol sparkling wine, Asti, to full-bodied dry whites, sweet to full-bodied whites and sticky fortified wines.
However, its planting in England's cool climate has been somewhat sparing and experimental - understandably seeing as it's a late ripening grape. The English Wine Project produces a dry sparkling Muscat for Reinshaw Hall but I was particularly intrigued by this skin-contact still Muscat, produced by Knightor, in Cornwall.
"The Muscat was planted as a trial. We planted a few varieties that many would see as on 'the edge' given our climate," explains Knightor winemaker David Brocklehurst. "In 2022 it was only a very small amount so not the easiest to process in the winery Because of this, I decided to go down a different route and make a skin contact wine but fermenting it for only a short period (seven days) on skins to preserve the varietal characteristics."
While delicately apricot in colour, the wine really punches you in the nose with citrus, rose and almond aromas. The palate, meanwhile, is wonderfully crisp with a touch of that nuttiness coming through and a long, zingy yet smooth lime finish. The wine is cloudy as it's unfiltered but please don't be deterred, this is an interesting and drinkable natural style wine.
Bluebell Vineyard Ashdown Chasselas 2020
Chasselas, also known as Gutedel, is a white wine grape widely grown in Switzerland but is also found in France, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Croatia and, more recently, England!
Bluebell Estate in East Sussex is thought to have the only commercial planting of this variety in the UK and is one that winemaker, Kevin Sutherland, is particularly passionate about.
The vines were planted in 2013 and a 2018 and 2019 have already been released under Bluebell's "Estate White" line. However, this 2020 vintage, which won bronze medal at Mondial Du Chasselas where it was pitted against wines from countries that have been growing the grape for decades, is the first vintage to be released officially as Chasselas.
Once poured, there are immediate aromas of peach and stone fruits, while the palate is alive with citrus flavour, yet has a smooth, medium body.
I can imagine sipping this in the height of summer with a fresh seafood salad but it also pairs brilliantly with cheese - head to the Swiss section of the cheese counter to find the perfect match.
