Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
HERE’S TO GRAPE BRITAIN!
If you’ve never tasted an English wine, now’s the time, with our vineyards producing bottles that stand up against the best. Here, in the final part of his essential guide, our expert Matthew Jukes picks the ones to try
We undoubtedly produce worldclass white sparkling wine, as we saw in the first part of this collection last week. But what of other styles of English wine? While our cool climate is fantastic for producing fizz, it’s usually not sunny enough to ripen red grapes fully and until recently our reds and rosés were as thin on the ground as they were on the palate. These days, though, some ‘sun trap’ vineyards with slopes in sheltered south-facing spots are using judicious viticulture – now being taught at a few UK colleges – to produce worthy reds and rosés; and those that have made these pages are very special indeed.
Whites are easier to produce, with hybrid grapes (ones that ripen with lower sunshine hours, like Bacchus) having been the focus to date, but if you follow my weekly column in Weekend closely you will have seen a Chardonnay and a Pinot Blanc making the grade this year, and even varieties like Albariño have made this list. So do give the wines I’ve listed here a try and even better, visit the places where they’re made. Most have a cellar door where they sell their wines, and many offer vineyard tours and wine tastings. If you thought England’s industry was just about white sparkling wine, you’ll be amazed at what else is on offer. This new spirit of adventure is only the beginning – and the future looks very tasty indeed.
KNIGHTOR St Austell, Cornwall. Cellar door, tours and tastings (knightor.com, tel 01726 851101) STAR WINES: 2013 Mena
Hweg (£13.50) is a 7.5% alcohol, off-dry white made from Schönburger grapes and it has magical qualities.
NV Classic Cuvée Brut (£25) is the swashbuckling sparkler made here. POLGOON Penzance, Cornwall. Cellar door, tours and tastings (polgoon. com, tel 01736 333946) STAR WINE: 2014 Bacchus (£14.95) is a great reason to get down to Cornwall. Pack your surfboard and wetsuit and bring some nice glasses, too, for this electrifyingly fresh wine. LYME BAY WINERY Axminster, Devon. Cellar door (lymebayenglishwines.co.uk, tel 01297 551355)
STAR WINES: 2014 Shoreline (£12.85) is a delightful creation, made from Seyval Blanc, Bacchus and Pinot Noir. With a fabulous, wistful nose of wild herbs and lemon zest, it’s tailor-made for shellfish. The newly released 2015 Bacchus Block (£15.59) loads even more flavour onto the palate.
SHARPHAM Totnes, Devon. Cellar door, tours and tastings (sharpham. com, tel 01803 732203)
STAR WINES: 2014 Dart Val
ley Reserve (£12.50) is a deliciously sexy white, made from Madeleine Angevine, Chardonnay and Bacchus. 2014 Red (£15.95) is its impressive red brother, made from 100 per cent Pinot Noir. ALDWICK COURT FARM & VINEYARD Redhill, Bristol. Cellar door, tours and tastings (aldwickcourtfarm.co.uk, tel 01934 864404) STAR WINE: 2015 Bacchus (£12.95) is a cheeky, zesty little wine with a happy-golucky air and a burst of citrus freshness on the finish.
THREE CHOIRS Newent, Gloucestershire. Cellar door, tours and tastings (three-choirs-vineyards.co. uk, tel 01531 890223)
STAR WINE: 2014 Cellar Door
Bacchus (£13) is a delight and gives you a good reason to visit this winery, whose wines I’ve been writing up for over 20 years. ASTLEY VINEYARDS Stourport, Worcestershire. No cellar door or tours, but you can visit (no website, tel 01299 822907) STAR WINES: You must seek out the del icious 2014 Domaine J2 Veritas Kerner (£ 22, The English Wine Centre, tel 01323 870164) and 2015
Domaine J2 Late Harvest (£18.75, half bottle, The Exceptional English Wine Co, tel 01730 814671) because they’re made from sheer joy. FORTY HALL VINEYARD London. Cellar door and selfguided tours (fortyhallvine yard.com, tel 020 8366 7511) STAR WINES: Both the 2015 Bacchus (£13) and the 2015 Ortega (£13) are incredibly impressive debut releases from this amazing project, brimming with crunchy citrus fruit and mouthwatering vitality.
MARTIN’S LANE Stow Maries, Essex. Tours and tastings by appointment. (martinslane.co.uk, tel 01621 828903)
STAR WINES: 2014 Pinot Grigio (£15.75) and the 2013 Pinot Noir, Blanc de
Noirs (£21.75) are two spectacular releases from my lone Essex estate. Not cheap, but worth every penny, both these wines show great expertise and judgement. An estate to keep a very close eye on. ALBOURNE ESTATE Albourne, West Sussex. Cellar door, tours and tastings by appointment (albourne estate.co.uk, tel 01273 832341) STAR WINES: 2015 Bacchus (£13.95) is
rapier-sharp, tangy and refreshing; the wondrous 2015 Cellar Selection (£14.95) has more depth, richness and creaminess, and is destined to be served with main course fish dishes. BOLNEY WINE ESTATE Bolney, West Sussex. Shop, tours and tastings (bolneywineestate.com, tel 01444 881575) STAR WINE: 2015 Foxhole Vineyard
Pinot Gris (£18.99). This wine is one of the most alluring and enticing of all English whites, with a precision and attack of flavour that puts it up with some of the most sought-after Pinot Gris from Italy and France. You’ll be bowled over by the finesse of this wine, which has stunning weight and a beautiful aroma. KINGSCOTE ESTATE East Grinstead, West Sussex. Shop, tours and tastings by appointment (kingscote estate.com, tel 01342 327535) STAR WINES: Made by talented winema ker Owen Elias, 2013 The Bacchus (£ 15.99) and 2013 The Bacchus/Chardonnay (£15.99) are the two most impressive white wines of the year. Rather than sticking to the lean and mean, rapier-sharp chassis favoured by most producers, Owen has managed to give these wines body, presence and considerable length. They’re fantastic main course whites. STOPHAM VINEYARD Pulborough, West Sussex. Cellar door, tours and tastings (stophamvineyard. co.uk, tel 01798 865666) STAR WINES: There’s something alluring and hypnotic about the wines of this still wine specialist, with the 2014 Pinot Blanc (£15) and 2014 Pinot Gris (£15) being two of the best I’ve ever tasted.
PLUMPTON COLLEGE Plumpton, East Sussex. Group tours and tastings by appointment (plumpton.ac. uk, tel 01273 890454)
STAR WINE: Marks & Spencer reported that the Plumpton Pinot Blanc I recently featured in Weekend’s ‘Behind The Label’ section was the best-selling English wine in their history. For that reason, it can’t be mentioned here because it’s sold out. However, I’m thrilled to report that 2014 Cloudy
Ridge (£10), a Bacchus, Seyval Blanc, Müller-Thurgau blend, is another star wine from this world- class agricultural college specialising in winemaking and viticulture courses. BIDDENDEN VINEYARDS Biddenden, Kent. Cellar door, tours and tastings (biddendenvineyards.com, tel 01580 291726) STAR WINES: One of my favourite estates, Biddenden is a pioneering winery with a lovely range including 2015
Ortega (£10.80), a floral, pretty little wine with a delightful aroma. 2012 Gribble Bridge Sparkling Rosé (£20.40), made from the Beaujolais grape Gamay, is a joyous fruit bomb of a fizz with a cheeky air. 2014 Grib
ble Bridge Dornfelder (£11.40) shows that Biddenden can cram juicy red fruit notes into a wine without any of the sourness or vegetal notes found in so many English reds. Bravo!
CHAPEL DOWN Tenterden, Kent. Cellar door, tours and tastings (chapeldown.com, tel 01580 763033)
STAR WINES: I’m constantly amazed at the diversity and excellence of Chapel Down’s wines. 2014 Albariño (£15) is the first Albariño in the UK, and CD has nailed the aromatics and texture of this fascinating Spanish white grape. 2015 Bacchus (£11.99) is a nettle-scented, lime juice-imbued beauty, and 2014 Union Red (£11.99), a Pinot Noir, Early Pinot Noir, Rondo and Dornfelder blend, is one of the few reds to make this collection.