Schonburger, Schoenburger, Schönburger

The Schonburger is a grape variety that was developed at Geisenheim Institute for Grape Breeding in Germany. Released in 1979, it is a crossing of Pinot Noir x (Chasselas x Muscat Hamburg).

It is a grape with a very high sugar content that seems to like a cool, maritime-influenced climate. It is said to be reliable and early-ripening, but susceptible to mildew. The wine produced from Schonburger is typically a good flavoured soft, but full and fruity, white.

This grape is suitable for both outdoor and indoor cultivation. In England this grape began to grow in poularity in the early 2000′s.

Time for Another Tasting

We’ve been busy moving house and working at the Academy lately, and there has not been much time for relaxation and the pleasure a bottle of wine has to offer. I think it’s high time we did something to change that!

John and I will be opening a bottle of Biddenden Ortega 2006 shortly, and we invite all our readers to do the same and compare notes with us.

We bought our bottle straight from the Biddenden Vinyeards where it retails at £93 per 12 bottles.

English Fizz Is Bubbling Over

Sparkling English wines are at last being taken seriously, with demand predicted to outstrip supply six times over in the run up to Christmas.

Their reputation has soared both at home and abroad, raising the spectre of empty shelves, said English Wine Producers, a marketing association.

“Both the Chinese and Japanese can’t get enough of it. Our wines are also selling well in Scandinavia and the U.S,” said spokeswoman Julia Eve.

Chapel Down, the country’s largest producer, said it had already turned away business. For the past two years, Britons have bought twice as much sparkling wine as champagne, said retail analyst Mintel. Waitrose has seen demand for our grapes nearly double in the past year and has become the first British retailer to plant its own vines on its 1,600-hectare (4,000 acre) farm.

“Existing producers are extending vineyards dramatically and numerous new vineyards are being planted,” said its master of wine, Dee Blackstock.

By 2015, 3.7 million bottles of domestic sparkling wine will be sold, accounting for two-thirds of all English sales, up from less than half now, said the association.

Jo Steele, Metro, 3 November 2008

Brut, Brut Natural & Brut Zero

Brut is the French word for raw (about material or data), crude (about oil) or uncut (about diamonds). In wines it is the term used to describe a dry wine (usually Champagne or sparkling wines).

That a wine is dry doesn’t necessarily mean that it is devoid of sugar. Brut simply means that the wine has the least residual sugar. Brut Natural or Brut Zero are terms used for wines without any residual sugar. A dry wine with more sugar is called sec or demi-sec. Make no mistake, though, we’re still talking about a dry wine.

Ridgeview Merret Bloomsbury 2005

The RidgeView Estate is a family business “dedicated solely to the production of the highest quality sparkling wine from traditional Champagne varieties and methods.” The 30 acre estate is located on the South Downs in Sussex.

We tried the Ridgeview Merret Bloomsbury 2005, a Vintage Quality Sparkling Wine – Brut. We bought our bottle in Waitrose where is retails at £19.95 per bottle. It is also available from the RidgeView Estate web site, Waitrose online and John Lewis.

The winemaker tells us the following about Ridgeview Merret Bloomsbury 2005:

“Winemaking
Alcohol 12.20%, Acid 7.5g/l pH 2.97, Dosage 8.5g/l, Residual Sugar 9.3g/l

Hand picked followed by whole bunch pressing conducted with respect to the must separation as stipulated by and within the CIVC permitted limits. Alcoholic fermentation with yeast specially prepared by Institut Œnologique de Champagne. 100% malolactic conversion. Maturation in cuve for 8 months with 5% in old oak barriques for 3 months. Bottled in Summer 2004 – 13,000 bottles. This release has 20 months bottle ageing.

Cepage
70% Chardonnay, 23% Pinot Noir and 7% Pinot Meunier.

Awards
Silver Medal, Effervescents du Monde – France 2005 (Sparkling Wines of the World).

Tasting Note
The dominant Chardonnay is bringing toasty characters and as the wine continues to mature the Pinots will give a more a definite biscuity note. Brioche flavours will continue to develop and deepen over the next 2 to 3 years. Lovely fine mousse with a light gold colour. Ready to drink now or keep for three or four years.”

We tried it on a panel of seven people, four of which are not experienced wine drinkers. The first thing that struck us was the colour which definitely is a light gold. The bubbles rise in straight lines, giving the wine a fine mousse head that settles quickly.

The taste was described as notes of orchard fruits and lemon. One person suggested a hint of pears and two found hints of toast or possibly shortbread biscuits. We all agreed that it has a lovely fresh crispness, and that this is a wine we’re likely to buy more of.

Acidity

Acids are very important in wine, but the challenge for the winemaker is to find the right balance. The acidity should feel like a sharpness in the mouth, especially around its front sides. Too low acid levels makes the wine taste flat and dull. Too high acid levels makes it taste too tart and sour. Ideally, it should be neither too high nor too low. The acidity gives white wines their refreshing taste and gives balance to red wines. Sweet wines become literally undrinkable without a balancing acidity. 

There are many acids in a wine, but the principle ones are called acetic, malic, tartaric, lactic, citric and carbonic acids. We will talk more about the different types in a later post.

Richard Philips at Chapel Down

From Frazer Thompson, the English Wine Group CEO, we learned about the newly opened restaurant Richard Phillips @ Chapel Down.

Click on the photo to see more pics from the opening of the Restaurant.

In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, Mr Phillips is a celebrity chef known from TV’s Ready Steady Cook and Daily Cooks. He also runs the successful restaurants Thackeray’s in Tunbridge Wells and The Hengist at Aylesford. At Chapel Down, the idea is to team up one of England’s top chefs with one of Englands top wine producers which should make for an interesting dining exprience.

We hope to be able to come back with a review later. In the mean time you can visit the restaurant’s web site here. If you want to make a booking, call 01580 761616 or email reservations@chapeldownrestaurant.co.uk.

Let’s Celebrate With Some Bubbles!

Today it’s been six months since we registered our company, and to celebrate I’ve picked up a bottle of bubbles for us to try out tonight. John doesn’t know yet, he’s not one for making plans, but I know he’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Here’s our first tasting challenge for our readers: Tonight we’ll be tasting Ridgeview Merret Bloomsbury 2005 from Ridgeview Estate Winery in Ditchling Common, Sussex. I found this bottle in Waitrose where it retails at £19.99. If you want to join in the tasting, go get yourself a bottle and be prepared to add your notes on this wine when we publish our review in a few day’s time.

Ortega

Ortega is a white grape that was created in Germany in 1948 by Hans Breider. It is a crossing of the two German grapes Muller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe. The grape was named after Spanish poet and philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset, but why seems to be a mystery.

The Ortega is used for white wine, but it is also a table grape. It ripens early, is not sensitive to frost, and can make superior wine even after a fairly cold summer, which makes it suitable for the English climate. It reaches quite high must weights (levels of sugar) which means it can produce higher alcohol levels.

Ortega wines are normally not very acidic. They are full-flavoured and fruity/peachy/flowery and often used to produce sweet wines or to enhance other grapes, like Riesling, that are lower in sugar and higher in acid. Ortega wines improve by cellaring.

The main problem with this grape is its susceptability to fungal diseases, rot and coulure, the latter being a problem which causes the berries to fall off soon after flowering.

UK Vineyards Guide 2008

Thanks to Master of Wine Stephen Skelton for letting us know that the UK Vineyards Guide 2008 is now available. It contains:

• History of viticulture in the British Isles from pre-Roman times up to the modern day
• Viticulture and vinification techniques
• Vine varieties
• A guide to vineyards in the UK, the Channel Isles and Republic of Ireland

The book is available to buy from www.englishwine.com where you also can find more information about Stephen Skelton, his work and his books.