Sparkling English success stories

It’s no longer news that English wines are growing in stature with every passing year. Sparkling wines, especially, continue to set the pace and I was bowled over recently with the quality and consistency of the sparkling wines I tasted at the annual English Wine Producers’ event. But don’t just take my word for it - English wines have already scooped up plenty of medals at major competitions this year, with surely more to come.

Stories are circulating about a looming shortage of Prosecco, which I would take with a large pinch of salt, but if they do materialise, there is plenty of English fizz to fill the gap, with production up to 6.3 million bottles last year. And this figure will only rise, as more vineyards enter production.

Below are some old favourites and some new (to me at least) discoveries:

Hambledon Classic Cuvée NV – £29.95 from Berry Brothers

This Chardonnay dominated blend from Hampshire based Hambledon Vineyard combines complexity and linearity with delicious baked apple maturing Chardonnay character. It scooped a Gold Medal at the International Wine Challenge and that competition’s English Non Vintage trophy.

Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvée 2010 – £29.95 from slurp.co.uk and The Wine Reserve (Cobham)

Another Hampshire vineyard, and all of whose wines I rate, has done well on the medal front – this also scored Gold at the International Wine Challenge. It is 90% Chardonnay, has lovely, long-lasting flavour and is, according to my tasting note, “quite delicious”.

High Clandon The Succession Cuvée 2009 – not commercially available

This is a bittersweet success story for Surrey-based, tiny producers Bruce and Sibylla Tindale. Their 1-acre vineyard has produced a wine judged worthy of a Gold medal at the International Wine Challenge (as well as Bronze at the Decanter World Wine Awards and Gold at the Sommelier Wine Awards) – but sadly, they have none available to sell as their stock was stolen from its bonded warehouse earlier this year. You can, however, get a taste of High Clandon, as the Tindales will be launching their 2010 Magna Carta Cuvée this month.

Wines to match the season

English asparagus has hit the greengrocer’s shelves and Jersey Royal potatoes will soon be joined by mainland British new potatoes – the hungry gap is well and truly over and we can soon look forward to more delicious, fresh and local produce.

And to drink?

Fashionable it ain’t, but Muscadet is just right for the season – fresh, vibrant and with a slight tang that is redolent of the sea. Château du Cléray Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine sur lie 2013 (£9.99 or 8.49 from Majestic on their mix and match any two offer) is a classy example which goes well with asparagus, pan fried salmon and the like.

Gaillac Perlé is an interesting wine style created in the 20^th century in the Gaillac region of Southwest France. It’s lightly sparkling (but not enough to require a Champagne-style bottle or cork) which adds to the sensation of freshness. And at around 11-12% alcohol, this is a perfect lunchtime glass. These wines are pretty consistent, whichever one you come across, but The Wine Society lists Esprit de Labastide Gaillac Blanc Perlé 2104 for £5.95, which is clean as a whistle and does the job nicely.

More patriotic would be something English (or Welsh). These wines are going from strength to strength.

Surrey’s own Denbie’s estate produces a wide range of wines, including their Whitedowns Cuvée (£21.99 from Denbie’s online shop, £17.99 from Waitrose, also available elsewhere), a blend of Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc and Reichensteiner. It’s youthful, light and frothy with a delicious combination of creaminess, lemon sherbet acidity and a hint of spice – perfect for an outdoor afternoon tea. 

Chapel Down’s Vintage Reserve Brut (£20.99 at Majestic and elsewhere, £20.79 at Waitrose) is a classic blend of the Champagne varieties, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier – with just a dash of Reichensteiner. It has a floral aroma and is a youthful, light, fresh and vibrant palate. 

A wine less ordinary - Churton, New Zealand

There are some wines that are like catnip for wine writers – we just can’t get enough of sherry or Riesling – but which never seem to float the boats of consumers. Conversely, there are wines which have enduring commercial success, but which we in the trade find it hard to get excited about. And perhaps the prime example of this is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

I suppose we have just tasted too many – and too many poorly made, unexciting and “attack of the clones” Kiwi Sauvignons – to get excited. Which is a shame, are there are plenty of good ones – just too much poor stuff as well.

So it was good for me to be made to taste the wines of Churton (I know, poor me, who’d have the job of a wine writer?) recently.

From the outset there are signs that Churton is not just A N Other Sauvignon Blanc. Viz, an ex-pat English owner/winemaker with a background in selling fine wine here before he crossed the world to New Zealand; ageing of the wines before release rather than bottling almost before the fermentation has finished; and use of biodynamic methods. The vines are grown on slopes above the valley floor, where the majority of vines grow on flat land that is easy to work and harvest by machine.

I think you can tell from my preamble that these wines are not going to be cheap – but I would argue that, given their quality and the care and attention that goes into them, they actually represent good value for money.

Churton Sauvignon Blanc 2013 – Hennings have the 2012 on offer for £11.85, Berry Bros for £15.95; Tanners have the 2013 for £13.60

2013 is the current vintage for Churton - and 2013 was a great vintage here. The ageing on lees gives the wine a lovely richness and texture, but it retains its acid structure and the finish goes on and on. The fruit is citrussy, with notes of elderflower and a hint of flintiness.

Also look out for Churton Best End 2013 (yes, as in best end of lamb), a single parcel Sauvignon Blanc made in this exceptional year, which has been given the barrel fermentation and ageing treatment. Churton’s Viognier is a revelation and their Pinot Noir is, as you might imagine, not too shabby either.

Meet the new, old Chile

Chile has a reputation for being sort of middley – a source of good value, reliable wines that are predictable and safe. Almost uniquely among wine producing countries, its sales are built on exports, rather than domestic consumption, so they have played their hand astutely, making wines with broad international appeal.

Sometimes it can feel all a bit corporate, as if men in suits are the ones in control, deciding which grapes are grown, and where and how the wines are made.

But recently there have been signs that the winemakers themselves are getting restive, tired of turning out glossy, international-style wines that could have been made almost anywhere and that they themselves don’t want to drink. 

This quiet revolution is taking inspiration from the past in the form of the re-discovery and re-evaluation of old plantings of untrendy varieties like Carignan and Païs; a return to picking grapes earlier so that they retain natural freshness and acidity; and eschewing new oak barrels for ageing wines in favour of bigger, older vessels which don’t mask the flavours of the grapes. There is also an impetus forwards to the future of wine, pushing the boundaries of viticulture east up into the Andes, west to cool coastal areas, south towards the ice fields of Patagonia, even north to high altitude sites on the way to the arid Atacama desert.

Where to find the new, old Chile:

Morandé Vigno 2009 - £29.10 from Hedonism Wines

A taste of old vine Carignan from the Maule Valley, a field blend that also incorporates Syrah and Chardonnay, it’s tangy, fresh and alive with flavours of red fruit and dark, rich cocoa. It also won a Silver Outstanding Medal at the IWSC.

Viña Casa Silva Cool Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2014 – around £14-15 from independent merchants including Avery’s and Oxford Wine Company

Zesty, pithy, citrus flavours and a distinct minerality – this is a new style of Chilean Sauvignon from the chilly, Pacific-cooled Paredones vineyard.

Think you know Australia? Think again

When Australian wines first burst into our collective consciousness, it was all about big bold flavours, oak and alcohol. More recently, however, Australia has been quietly producing more nuanced and sophisticated wines – structured and poised, yet full flavoured, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from cooler areas, for example.

And there’s more to the story: it seems those “sunshine in a glass” wines that slapped you round the chops with their bright fruit and hefty alcohol were something of a blip in Australia’s wine history. 

The Aussies had long been making more elegant, food friendly wines and you can still find them now, if you know where to look. Here are a couple of clues to get you started.

Hunter Valley Semillon

If you drink these wines at under 5 years old you’ll wonder why you bothered – lightly alcoholic lime juice sums it up. But give them time and these crisp, naturally low alcohol wines will thrill with notes of lime marmalade, even toast – and over time they will only increase in complexity, while maintaining their fresh acidity. Sauvignon Blanc eat your heart out.

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon is the daddy – Majestic list 2002/3 for £25 in selected stores; several independent merchants stock a variety of vintages for around £25-30.

Marsanne from Victoria

Tahbilk is the specialist with this white variety that originates in France’s Rhône Valley and they preside over the largest vineyard holding of Marsanne in the world.

Château Tahbilk, as it was then, was the first Australian white wine that I tasted on my very first wine appreciation course back in the 1990s, and what a shock it was to someone whose experience of Aussie white had hitherto been limited to Lindeman’s Chardonnay. Taut, only slightly fruity, definitely herbal – this is another white that ages beautifully.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2012 is £9.95 from The Wine Society and while you’re at it you can pick up a bottle of the 2008 for £11.95 to get an idea of how the wine develops. A range of independent merchants also stock various vintages from around £10.50 to the £13 mark.

Austria, land of red wine

Have you tried red wine from Austria before? If I say that I’m not counting anything that was served hot as part of the après-ski, then I’m guessing there are few of you with your metaphorical hands up.

Austria is predominantly a white wine country, with white varieties accounting for around two thirds of total production; but the tide is turning towards red. In 1999 just over a quarter of production was red; ten years later it was over a third – and there’s no reason to think that this trend will not have continued.

Austria’s wine lands are crowded into the relatively flat (or at least not mountainous) eastern end of the country, around the capital, Vienna. While there’s no denying that winters in Austria are cold, the continental climate here also means that summers can be surprisingly warm – hence the ability to ripen red grapes.

The most popular red varieties are Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, but UK consumers might feel more comfortable opting for Pinot Noir, which, while still a niche wine in Austria, is also gaining ground – and international recognition.

These are not the easiest wines to find here – yet – but here are some to look out for:

Stift Göttweig Pinot Noir “Göttweiger Berg” 2013 - £15.50 from The Good Wine Shop

Aromas of fresh strawberry mingle with herbal freshness.

Johanneshof Reinisch Holzspur Pinot Noir 2012 - £15.90 from Eclectic Tastes

Classic Pinot profile of red fruit and spice; light, dry and refined.

Wieninger “Grand Select” Pinot Noir 2011 – Noel Young Wines have the 2006 for £21.89

Beguiling combination of oak and delicately perfumed fruit that has enough grip for food.

And if you’d like to explore Austrian wines in more depth, head to speicalists Alpine Wines (alpinewines.co.uk).

Beyond bubbles: the essence of Champagne

Sparkling wines are on the crest of a wave in the UK. In a shrinking market for wine consumption overall here between 2009 and 2013, sparkling wines have been the only growth category; and they are forecast to continue the positive trend in future.

Prosecco has been the fizz making all the noise in recent years, but, perhaps surprisingly, in tough economic times, Champagne has managed to hold its ground against its rivals, and the UK remains its number one export market.

Sparkling wine can be made anywhere in the world, in a variety of ways. Just what is it about Champagne in particular that keeps us so loyal and fascinated?

First of all is the location of Champagne, the furthest north of France’s quality winemaking regions. The climate here is most definitely marginal for wine production – a potential disadvantage which has been turned into a virtue, as barely ripe, high acid and fairly neutral wines make perfect raw material for turning into high quality sparkling wine.

The chalk bedrock of Champagne also plays a key role. Chalk makes for poor soils - often an environment in which vines give the best quality grapes; chalk won’t hold onto too much moisture in this rather rainy part of France – vines hate having wet feet; yet it does provide nicely regulated access to moisture to help prevent vine stress in times of drought. Finally, chalk makes for easily dug, ideally humid underground cellars – the perfect dark and cool environment in which wines can evolve and mature slowly.

Most Champagne is made from a blend of three grape varieties, two of them black-skinned: Pinot Noir, which gives power, structure and longevity; and Pinot Meunier, an earlier-ripening variety which gives expressive fruitiness, especially early in a Champagne’s life. They are joined by the white variety Chardonnay, which provides elegance and finesse. Together they complement each other to make a harmonious whole.

The Champagne region also has a particular structure in terms of the people who make it. Most vines are owned by one of the more than 15,000 individual growers across the region – but we rarely see their names on the bottles, as most sell their grapes to one of the “grandes marques”, the Champagne household names.

The houses can therefore draw on a variety of wines from vines from across the region in order to make up their final Champagne blend. As well as varying the proportion of the grape varieties used, the same variety will have a different flavour profile when grown in different soil, with a different aspect and so on.

Champagne gets its sparkle from a second fermentation of those light, high acid base wines, which occurs in each bottle. Before it can be released and sold as Champagne, though, the wine has to stay in bottle, where the wine interacts with the sediment of dead yeast cells (or lees) which, over time, contribute complex, toasty flavours which are typical of Champagne.

And we can’t forget the historical perspective. The people who make Champagne today are carrying on a tradition which goes back hundreds of years, during which time the region has dedicated itself to this single style of wine. It has also built up a powerful mythology; associations with famous historical figures which help to set Champagne apart from other “mere wines”.

So there is no single “magic bullet” which sets Champagne apart from all other sparkling wines.

Other parts of the world can make sparkling wine using the same traditional method, with the same blend of grape varieties. They can even, like right here in Southeast England, have the same chalky soils and marginal climate. But Champagne itself can never be replicated: the unique combination of factors, both natural and manmade, which exists there, is, in the end, what creates the essence of Champagne.