Love at First Taste

In 2006 my health required some attention and I found myself regularly going down South to a private hospital. During my travels, I was frequently passing a vineyard. I’ve always enjoyed a nice glass of wine and on seeing this vineyard, curiosity had the better of me.

Having heard so much about the superiority of French wines, I decided to stop by and find out how English wine would compare. I must admit it was love at first taste. A sparkling rose and a crisp white both stood out as very special wines and I bought a few cases to share my newfound passion with family and friends.

Since then I’ve had reason to return to this vineyard a couple of times to stock up, but I’ve also made myself busy trying to find new wines to try. For me this is a journey of discovery and if I could share that journey with you it would make me so happy.

Oxidation

As you may know, wine is sensitive to air. If exposed to too much air, e.g. if a bottle has been opened for a while or if the cork was faulty, the wine goes off and tastes more like vinegar. A more scientific word for air is oxygen and oxidation is a word that describes the process of a wine going off because of the detrimental effect of oxygen.

Although over exposure to oxygen is bad for the wine, exposure per se is not. In fact it can sometimes be beneficial for the wine, but it is obviously something that has to be carefully controlled in the winery.

Be Green – Buy English!

Last night, John and I were discussing the fact that it is so difficult to buy English wines even if you want to. Our local Waitrose stocks five wines – all from Chapel Down’s vineyard in Tenterden. We have not been able to find any at Sainsbury’s, Tescos or ASDA, and we’ve been struggling to find any at the smaller offies as well.

Supporting our local vineyards is important as we can see them getting better and more successful each year. But it is also important from an environmental point of view. At a time when “being green” is a concept that all industries have to embrace to survive, you would expect at least the bigger wine retailers to support products that don’t need to be shipped from all over the world. We’re not saying we should all stop drinking wine from other countries – a fine wine is of course a fine wine regardless of its origin – but  we’d like to see more locally produced products in our local shops.

Starting this week, we will begin to search high and low for shops where you can buy English wines. We intend to name and shame those who don’t, and raise and praise those who do, stock wines for those of us who enjoy exploring the tastes of Britain.

A Taste of England

It’s been more than 50 years since the first commercial harvest of English wine, and sales are now at an all time high. There has been an intense media interest, especially following the event in which an English sparkling wine beat over 55 other countries to the title of Best Sparkling White Wine in the World.

As interest in, and demand for, English wine surges more and more acres of land are turned into vineyards. Which varieties of grapes can be grown is dictated by the climate and soil conditions. Black grapes need warmer climates to grow and prosper, and there are only a few varieties that can grow in England. This is the main reason why, currently, only about 10% of our wine production is red.

The chalky soil of the southeast and the local climatic conditions (which can be likened to those of the Champagne region of France) make for excellent conditions for the type of grapes used to produce sparkling wines. As we have seen, sparkling whites made in these regions can even outclass Champagne!

England and Wales have many different soil types and conditions and the climate can be different in different areas. This means that there is a wide variety in the type of grapes grown in different regions. This, in turn, means that we also have a wide variety of wine styles. What makes them all uniquely English is their crisp, fresh taste and their floral bouquet.

English Wine vs British Wine

English wine is wine produced in England or Wales from grapes cultivated in England or Wales. British wine is wine made in Britain from reconstituted grape concentrate. Basically tankfuls of cheap grapejuice from cheap suppliers around the world. British wine is the ultimate plonk whereas English wine ranges from not so good to award-winning excellence.

Viticulture, viticulturist, viticultural

Viticulture is the name of the science that studies grapes and their culture. It is also a word for the cultivation of grapes and grapevines. It is derived form the Latin word for vine – vitis.

A viticulturalist is someone who cultivates grapes and grapevines, and viticultural is the adjective to describe something related to the cultivation.

Let the Tasting Begin!

I am not a wine connoisseur, but I know what I like. We have decided to taste English wines and write about them here and I would like to challenge you to try the same wines and give us your comments about them. Don’t expect fancy words and posh metaphors, I prefer to keep it real and tell it as I see it.

We will also be visiting English vineyards and let you know what we think about them and their products. That’s my next 200 holidays sorted then.

A Novice Says Hello…

*Tentatively stepping inside our new Wine Cellar and liking what I see*

When I met John, I must admit I had no idea that you could produce wines in England. I’d heard the expression “British wine” and I thought it was a way of saying that a wine was particularly bad. One night he surprised me with a bottle of sparkling Rose and I was hooked. By the wine. Later on he took me to a vineyard down in Kent, and we tasted a number of different wines and brought a few boxes home with us. These days when I go shopping I always scan the shelves, and ask, for English wines. We both love to find and try something new. We don’t always love what we get, but most of the time we’re pleasantly surprised.

Normally the one doing all the writing for us, I’m thrilled to see John launching his first own blog. (I know he wants at least one more!) And equally thrilled to be invited to contribute. Thank you! =)

I can’t wait to see where you will be taking this, baby, and I’m looking forward to many candle-lit tasting sessions…

English Wines Can Outclass Champagne

Did you know that there are more than 400 vineyards in England and that some English sparkling wines can compete with, and even outclass, champagne?

In last year’s International Wine Challenge, English wines won no less than 21 medals. The judges said that English wine, and sparkling wine in particular, had performed particularly strongly. Tim Atkin, a master of wine and chairman of the awards said: “English wine is finally showing that it should no longer be regarded as a cottage industry but as an industry which can produce world-class wines.” (The Independent, 2007)

Through my Wine Cellar I hope to be able to explore all of what England has to offer in terms of wine, and I would like to invite you to join me on this journey.