As you can read in my last article, English Wines are rare… and quasi inexistant in Paris. For a change, together with Grains Nobles Tasting School, I have decided to bring them along for a show. Last Thursday, they were invading the Latin Quarter of Paris! (More on the English Wines Selection in this article)
The adventure was tough, English wines producers are careful with their bottles and pay attention to the French market about as much as we care about their wine… Fair Play! I wanted the wines, I got the wines. From the vineyard to London, from London to a car trunk or the Eurostar… I would have given up easily but we stayed driven!
Finally, the 80 of us starred, spitted, drunk and very much enjoyed the wines. CHEERS!
The English are famous for their sparkling wines, sometimes over passing the French Champagne in International competition. The 22nd of April, we were Lucky to have 3 methods champenoise from Hush Heath (Balfour Rosé), Ridgeview Wine Estate (Grovesnor 2006) and Camel Valley (White Pinot Noir).
We also discovered a few still wines: rosé, white and red from Polgoon and Bookers Vineyard, with very few disappointments.
Wines in England are most renown in Sussex, but they are indeed everywhere divided within 180 winemakers and 400 vineyards (whom some are selling the grapes only without making the wine). We had a selection from Sussex East and West (Ridgeview, Bookers vineyards), Kent (Hush Heath) and Cornwall (Camel Valley and Polgoon).
What was the most surprising was to try the wines that were not made with the usual grape varieties used in Champagne: pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. The Polgoon rosé and the Bookers Vineyard’s wines for instance were made with varieties like Rondo, Dornfelder or Muller Thurgau (Germany, cross of riesling and silvaner) to only name a few. They revealed to us some new aroma, astonishing!
Rondo is getting more and more widespread in England because it gives a good color to the wines. Can you see this in the Polgoon rosé?
Dornfelder is adapted to the English soil because it doesn’t rot easily, so that it is resistant to heavy rainfalls during the summer. It can also age and gives color and flavors.
Muller Thurgau: Chosen because it ripes early, which is an advantage for the British climate. It also gives great freshness and fruit to the wine.
You also find the famous Bacchus grape variety, Madeleine Angevine, Seyval Blanc, Bacchus, Ortega… for the whites (11% of the production) and a few others for the red, that still have to make their proof !
Best liked by the wine tasters
HUSH HEATH BALFOUR ROSE
Maybe it is the color, maybe it is the sweetness, maybe it is just because it is pink… but the Balfour Rosé was a real success during the Vicky English Wine Tasting. We liked the fruit, the freshness and the fusion of aromas given by the balance of chardonnay, Pinot meunier and pinot noir.
What’s more? Hush Heath is an Eden. The vineyard is known as “the garden of England” with flowers and fruit trees: it is just where I would like to be! Get more on Hush Heath here.
Bookers Vineyard (West Sussex) also had its success hours with a preference for the red: Dark Harvest (Rondo, Dornfelder). If the nose was surprising everyone by its originality, we all loved the palate, round, gourmand and fruity. A true happy wine !
The Merret Grovesnor 2006 from Ridgeview, a blanc de blanc (chardonnay) probably was not surprising enough for the wine tasters and Vicky Wine, I am a Sparkling Chardonnay connoisseur 
and there were many in the room. Famous wine critics like Tim Atkin or Oz Clarke felt for it and it gains the Silver Medal Chardonnay of the world 2010, so I believe they had good reason. Summer time is in the air and it is probably a better time for pink .
and there were many in the room. Famous wine critics like Tim Atkin or Oz Clarke felt for it and it gains the Silver Medal Chardonnay of the world 2010, so I believe they had good reason. Summer time is in the air and it is probably a better time for pink .
Finally, the ciders from Polgoon. Favorites: Polgoon Aval (apple) and Polgoon Peren (Pear), more details in the next article on Vicky English Wines Selection.
2 Comments
I've never heard of Polgoon so will have to look it up. Glad you liked the Hush Heath, it's one of my favourites. Interesting to see what the French think of English wines. And what a great turn out, who knew so many French would want to try English wines.
Polgoon is fun and cool and Hush Heath was really enjoyed for its color and quality. So many people came but many also kept their position on English Wines. Next time I'll do it blind ;)