English wines Archives - It Must Be Wine O'clock

A celebration of English and Welsh wines

As we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this month, there are two more great reasons to crack open a bottle or two in June – Welsh Wine Week (4-12 June) and English Wine Week (18-26 June). Here are a few suggestions to tempt your palate. Iechyd da! Cheers!

Winbirri Solaris 2020 (Norfolk)

Winbirri Vineyard near Norwich is well-known for its award-winning wines and produces a range of still and sparkling wines.

The Solaris 2020 is a smooth, refreshing, slightly off-dry wine with medium acidity and a lengthy finish. With elderflower, apple and peach on the nose, and honey and nectarine on the palate, the wine also has its own character which distinguishes it from a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Bacchus.

If you are looking for an appealing wine with a difference to go with your seafood or chicken dish, this is certainly one to try.

Ancre Hill Estates Rosé 2018 (Monmouthshire)

Although we might automatically think of France when we think of rosé, there are plenty of other wine regions around the world producing some fine examples, including this Ancre Hill Estates Rosé 2018 from Wales.

This is a well-balanced wine with lots of flavour and a lively acidity. Pale pink with a tinge of yellow in colour, it has aromas of strawberry, bramble, apple and grapefruit on the nose, and flavours of strawberry, rhubarb, cream soda and grapefruit on the palate.

A crisp, fresh wine with low alcohol which is perfect by itself and also goes well with canapés or fish, particularly oily fish.

Halfpenny Green Penny Red NV (Staffordshire)

This recent discovery is a fine example of a wine produced in the heart of the Black Country in the West Midlands. One of the largest vineyards in the country with almost 30 acres, Halfpenny Green benefits from well-sheltered south-facing slopes and light, sandy free-draining soil to grow a wide variety of grapes.

The off-dry Penny Red is a blend of Pinot Noir, Regent and Rondo grapes. A smooth, velvety, well-balanced wine with soft tannins and a long finish, it has aromas of bramble, cherry and blackcurrant, and flavours of blackberry, damson and plum. A wine to enjoy by itself or with lamb or cheese.

White Castle Vineyard Pinot Noir Précoce 2019 (Monmouthshire)

This is a very impressive wine from White Castle Vineyard, located near Abergavenny in Wales.

A combination of the Black Mountains, the three local rivers, the relatively low levels of rainfall, the clay and loamy soil, and the gently sloping, south-facing aspect of the vineyard all converge to create a unique micro-climate.

Made from Pinot Noir Précoce grapes, this is a light, well-balanced wine. With aromas of red berries and vanilla, and a hint of oak and smokiness on the nose, and ripe red fruit flavours of raspberry and strawberry on the palate, it’s the perfect match for Welsh lamb, duck or a cheese platter.

All the above wines are available from Grape Britannia

STOP PRESS: Cambridge-based Gutter & Stars releases first Pinot Noir

Cambridge is known for many things but who would have thought it was also the home of an urban winery! Journalist and winemaker Chris Wilson established Gutter & Stars in 2020, and I was fortunate enough to try his debut vintage, a very appealing, well-balanced Bacchus, earlier this year. This has now sold out but Gutter & Stars has just released their first Pinot Noir.

Chris has produced a fruit-forward and textured wine, with red cherry and raspberry characters coming together with cola and black pepper to create a juicy, fresh and well-rounded summer wine.

Availability is limited – 400 bottles have been produced, each one individually numbered.

For further details, and to order, please see here.

A couple of English white wines to enjoy this summer (well, anytime really!)

The more I explore English and Welsh wines, the more I am really struck by the high quality of so many of the wines available from our island’s vineyards. Here are a couple more to enjoy!

Flint Vineyard Bacchus 2019 (Norfolk)

Oz Clarke was quite right when he highly praised the Flint Vineyard Bacchus white wine and recommended it in his book ‘English Wine’. The quality of the wine is all the more surprising when you consider that the vineyard was only established in 2016. The grapes come from the Flint vineyard site in South Norfolk as well as from a site in Essex and are expertly blended by winemaker Ben Witchell to produce a crisp, refreshing wine that has a complexity of layers which delight the taste buds.

With aromas of lime, gooseberry and undertones of elderflower and spice on the nose, and citrus fruit flavours with a hint of minerality on the palate, this is an expressive, well-balanced wine. Dry with a lively acidity and a long finish, it is a wine that is fine to drink by itself, or as the perfect accompaniment to a seafood dish or something slightly spicy.

Camel Valley Atlantic Dry 2020 (Cornwall)

A delightful blend of Pinot Blanc and Bacchus grapes, this a very appealing aromatic wine from one of Cornwall’s longest established wineries, Camel Valley, another of Oz Clarke’s favourites. With the vineyard nestled in the Camel River Valley on the north Cornish coast, you can almost feel the sea air and hear the waves of the Atlantic Ocean lapping the shore as you taste this very aptly-named Atlantic Dry white wine.

This is a dry, medium-bodied wine with refreshing acidity. With aromas of honeysuckle, pear, lemon and grapefruit on the nose, and flavours of apple and peach on the palate, it is a very well-balanced wine, and has a lingering finish.

Needless to say, this is a perfect wine for a fish or seafood dish.

Both wines are available from Grape Britannia.

A chance to discover the wonders of English wine – join a virtual wine tasting on June 2nd, 2021

Itching to know more about English wines? Then this online wine tasting organised by Steve Hovington from Cambridge Wine Academy is just the ticket.

Steve is a very knowledgeable and entertaining presenter and this promises to be an interesting, informative and very enjoyable evening. I recently attended one of his virtual wine tasting sessions featuring SW French wines and it was a lot of fun.

Wine samples and tasting notes will be delivered or posted to your home and a Zoom link to join will be provided.

For details and to register, here is the link.