England
The Romans introduced the vine to this country, but winemakers ever since, from the medieval monks at Warden Abbey to the pioneering oenologist Ray Barrington Brock, have found it fiendishly difficult to make successful wines in such a marginal climate. They have also found them equally difficult to sell. Recent years have seen a marked improvement across the board, both in terms of viticultural and vinification techniques, and in the weather.
The authorised grape varieties have been selected for their ability to ripen in England's adverse and challenging climate. They inlcude the following varieties, mainly of German origin:
Huxelrebe
A crossing of Chasselas x Courtillier Musqué. It is often used for dessert wines because of its naturally high sugars and its susceptibility to 'noble rot'. It has a mouthwatering acidity and pronounced aromas of elderflowers, and a grapey, intense fruity palate.
Madeleine Angevine 7672
It is a high-yielding, cold-climate resistant grape, which thanks to its relative low acidity, lends itself well for blending with more high-acid varieties. On its own it produces light-bodied, fruity wines with a pronounced muscatty bouquet.
Muller-Thurgau (Rivaner)
A vigorous, early ripening variety, crossing of Riesling x Riesling, once the core ingredient of the German Liebfraumilch wines, and among the first grapes planted in the U.K. Its popularity is on the wane.
Reichensteiner
A Müller-Thurgau crossing with Madeleine Angevine and Calabreser Fröhlich. A widely planted variety in the UK , thanks to its ability to ripen reliably, and and its high yields. The wine is quite simple on its own and is often used for blending in both still and sparkling wines, sugar levels.
Schonburger
A Pinot Noir - Chasselas Rosé - Muscat Hamburg crossing. This grape has earned a good reputation in the UK, yielding white wines with low acidity, fleshy texture, delicate Muscat overtones (evocative of a less pronounced version of Gewürztraminer).
Seyval Blanc
The most widely grown variety in the UK, a heavy cropper heavily and reliable performer even in cold vintages. It is often used for blending -still or sparkling wines- , and can even take oak ageing. The single varietal versions display crisp acidity, with neutral flavours.
Auxerrois
This grape is mainly grown in Alsace, where it is usually blended into 'Edelzwicker' and it comes from the Pinot Blanc family. In the UK it is useful as a sparkling wine base (adding body to the blend), as well as on its own.
Bacchus
A crossing of Silvaner, Riesling and Müller-Thurgau, originating from German vineyards. A pronounced aromatic grape, with high sugar and lush fruit character. The best examples of Bacchus wine age well and develop interesting flavours. This is one of the UK's ameliorateur varieties, capable of producing quality wines.
Chardonnay
With plantings on the increase, it is used for sparkling wines blends, along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. There also some good examples made into still, varietal wine.
Kerner
A Trollinger (Black Hamburg) and Riesling crossing. This is a very successful grape in the UK climate, that yeilds ripely fruity wines. Stylistically it bears many similarities to Riesling
Optima
A Silvaner - Riesling and Müller-Thurgau crossing , high in natural sugars and hence suitable for 'late harvest' wines.
Orion
A hybrid originating from the Optima and Villard Blanc graes. A new generation of hybrid varieties bred both for wine quality and disease resistance. A recent introduction in the English vineyards. Early examples show wines of good fruit and aromatics.
Phoenix
Another recently created hybrid from Bacchus x Seyve Villard 12-375, bred for quality and disease resistance. Currently planted in a few vineyards.
Würzer
A Müller-Thurgau - Gewürztraminer crossing with quite pronounced, spicy flavours.
The vast majority of English wine production is white wines and, over 90% of that originates from the above varieties. The wines are typically light-bodied, low in alcohol, perfumed and floral, and with refreshing acidity. Sparkling wine is the definite style that holds most promise for quality wine production: Made generally by the traditional mèthode champenoise and from the classic champagne grapes (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay).
Investment at estates like Nyetimber has found that England's chalky soil and cool climate are capable of producing sparkling wines of the highest quality.
Camel Valley in Cornwall also exemplify the quality now found in in these cool and pleasant lands.
Prices:
Bottle
£24.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl6cs
Bottle
£25.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl131cs
Fruits of the 2011 harvest, with reserve sines added from 2010, this is a most impressive effort, its lees-ageing imparting gentle biscuity notes and adding weight and structure to the first impressions, which recall English orchard fruit, yellow fruits and quince.
Bottle
£29.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl40cs
This sparkling wine has a fine mousse that enhances the toasty, almond and honey notes. The acidity is poised and provides the perfect foil to the baked apple and spice on the palate. Perfect served chilled as an apéritif, but also good with lighter starters, shellfish or poultry.
Bottle
£31.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl47cs
Bottle
£35.80
Bottle 6 x 75cl30cs
A beautiful vivid pink with a bright red berry hue, it displays an array of wild strawberry aromas on the nose that lead to a generous, complex palate of buttered toast, ripe lemon and juicy hedgerow fruit.
Bottle
£36.50
Bottle 6 x 75cl10cs
Richard Hemming MW - jancisrobinson.com, 2nd Feb 2017
Bottle
£37.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Christelle Guibert, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Andy Howard MW - "Best sparkling wines of 2016: Five greats" in Decanter, 8th Dec 2016
Bottle
£39.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl26cs
A standard-bearer for the quality that England can achieve, this is a very assured wine, with a firm acidic spine, but also complexity and detail. Great focus and precision.
Bottle
£42.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl8cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
The far more charming Cherie Spriggs is now firmly at the helm making the wines at Nyetimber and the 2007 is one of the first wines that she has supervised from start to finish... A great success all round; Aromas of nectarine, bergamot and sourdough lead onto a poised and harmoniously balanced palate, with scant evidence of the slightly grassy notes that one sometimes associates with English sparklers. Extended ageing has added a pleasing biscuit complexity and the finish is both refreshing and powerful.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
Magnum
£121.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl5cs
However, winemaker Cherie Spriggs and her team have noted a particular quality to the fruit in the vineyard itself as the vines flower then fruit, which comes through in the wines. They blind taste the still wines for their blends and a floral and intense dark red fruited character of Tillington apparently often comes through. 2009 was an auspicious vintage in which to bottle Tillington separately, characterised as it was by up to 40% lower than average rainfall in August and September so allowing long fruit development, enhanced by 3 years lees ageing.
In the glass, I was at first surprised by definite lemon zest and honeydew melon aromas being quite pronounced, but then violets come to the fore and subtle dark red fruit. This latter, as wild strawberry and hints of black cherry envelopes the palate cloaked in a fine citric minerality courtesy of the 21% Chardonnay reining in some of that Pinot Noir power, so that the whole ensemble is a finely elegant wine. Drinking beautifully now, but it will be fascinating to see how this develops over coming years as the Pinot Noir asserts itself further.
Edwin Dublin, Champagne and Sparkling Wine Specialist
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Gusbourne’s Appledore vineyards cover a complex geological mosaic which, thanks to the skills of winemaker Charlie Holland, is captured in this wine. A blend of 72 percent Chardonnay, 22 percent Pinot Noir and six percent Pinot Meunier, this wine has benefited from more than 18 months on the lees. It has an attractive mid-gold hue, with ripe aromas of orchard fruit, citrus zest and a seam of minerality.