English grape wine / vineyards

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English grape wine / vineyards
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gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 06 3:12 pm Post subject: English grape wine / vineyards

Not so much seasonal as local, s'pose.

Anyone actually drink it, either occasionally or on a regular basis ? (e.g. if you live further south and have a vineyard / winery near where you live).

What do you reckon to it ? I last drank some several years ago when I lived in Sussex, and it was better then than its reputation a couple of decades ago (sweet and horrid). Has it improved again in the last few years ? Which producers or which wines / grape varieties would you recommend ?

We mention local produce a lot, but what about (grape) wine ? Do we support our local wine producers ?

Does anyone here live in the south, grow grapes and make wine from them ?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 06 3:31 pm Post subject:
The little man what serviced my pickup says he has a deal with an Essex vineyard where he buys all the wine off a row every year, he says he's very happy with it.

Leonie

Joined: 13 Sep 2005
Posts: 731
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 06 4:37 pm Post subject:

Yes! I buy all my wine (well most of it) from Denbies Vineyard in Dorking, Surrey. They do mail order too. I support them because: the wine is lovely (Surry Gold is my favorite and Yew Tree Pinot Noir but very expensive so that's for special occasions), it's local and they are an independent (no shareholders) family run business. They're a little more expensive than the cheap wines in supermarkets but I'd rather drink less wine, keep it local and not line the pockets of big retail supermarkets. If you want to have a look at their website they're at www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk . I also visit quite often just for a walk around the estate and to take photographs, especially at this time of year because it's beautiful there.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 06 4:50 pm Post subject:
We've bought some in the past and have been reasonably impressed. Being localish to several vinyards we must pop in to try their wines. Denbies isn't that far away. I might even get away with calling it research, i wonder if it's tax deductable?

Leonie

Joined: 13 Sep 2005
Posts: 731
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 06 4:57 pm Post subject:

definitely worth a visit, the lunch in the upstairs restaurant is gorgeous and in May when we were there it was all seasonal produce. Incidentally, the lady who does the wine tour has been there for quite a while, we last did the tour about 8 years previously and she is the same lady doing the tour. It's nice to see a business whose staff are obviously happy with their jobs and like who they work for, she showed an enormous amout of respect and admiration for her employers.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 06 5:47 pm Post subject:
the local farm shop sells brightwell wines We've tried the red and it was very nice but at �8 a bottle not every day wine. Bothy Vineyard isn't far from us but we've not tried any wines from there so far. Looks like they've not had a good year judging by the news page.

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 06 6:12 pm Post subject:
We often get wine from here: https://www.three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk/ Their basic wine, which is still excellent, is about �6 -�7 a bottle. We usually have a bottle of their better stuff for christmas day

Vic

Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 387
Location: Sherborne, Dorset

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 06 10:28 am Post subject:
Anyone who's interested might find this useful https://www.english-wine.com/content.html We've tried and been very impressed by the Sherborne Castle wine - they do three dry whites at about �6 a bottle, and a rather fine fizzy one at a bit more.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 06 10:45 am Post subject:
And don't forget the Welsh ones! The Ffynnon L�s vineyard near Aberaeron does a surprisingly gluggable dry white (haven't tried any others yet). We have also bought quite a lot from Wroxeter Roman Vineyard near Shrewsbury. Last year's wines were variable, but still worth exploring.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 06 10:47 am Post subject:

Penny wrote:

We often get wine from here:

https://www.three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk/

Their basic wine, which is still excellent, is about �6 -�7 a bottle.

We usually have a bottle of their better stuff for christmas day

Can vouch for that one too. Not sure whether they're still making wine from the phoenix grape variety, that one was I thought one of their best... Anyone know?

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 06 10:58 am Post subject:

cab wrote:

Can vouch for that one too. Not sure whether they're still making wine from the phoenix grape variety, that one was I thought one of their best... Anyone know?

Wroxeter do an enjoyable Phoenix wine.

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 06 11:50 am Post subject:
I bought some english white wine at the Ludlow food festival, but was told that it should be left for two or three years to age !!

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 06 12:10 pm Post subject:

We have a vineyard here in the village at Wake Court, owned by the Digby family from Sherborne Castle Estate. I drink the wine when I can find it, and it's very good. Not the cheapest, but couldn't be more local unless you count the buckets in the kitchen!!

Company name: Sherborne Castle Estate Wines
Contact: Annie Hamshaw-Thomas or Paul Carter
Summary:
The tradition of winemaking on the Sherborne Castle Estate started in the Middle Ages when Biship Roger planted a vienyard that by 1146 was sufficiently mature to be mentioned in the bull of Eugenius III. In 1982 the tradition was revived by Mr John Wingfield Digby, the present owner of Sherborne Castle Estates at Wake Court in Bishops Caundle. The vineyeard has 1.27 hectares of vines on a south-facing slope with soil types of loam, limestone and clay. The wines on sale are the 'Special Reserve', a blend of three grape varieties, 'Bacchus Reichenstiener' and 'Schnoburger' all of which are excellent aperitifs or accompaniment to food. In addition there is an eight-year-old distilled brandy from the wine of the Seyval grape. The wine-making is done locally using the latest technology and is sold at the Castle shop and local farmers markets. For the future a champagne-method sparkling wine is being made and matured which will especially complement wedding reception
Address: Cheap Street
Sherborne
Dorset
Post code: DT9 3PY

Telephone: 01935 813182
Fax: 01935 816727
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.sherbornecastle.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I believe their champagne-method is up and running now too, will ahve to give that one a go.

Vic

Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 387
Location: Sherborne, Dorset

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 06 1:36 pm Post subject:
Sarah the new wine shop in Sherborne (Vineyards, by the tourist info centre) sells Sherborne Castle Wine.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 06 1:43 pm Post subject:
We sometimes buy from Wroxeter, too. As Judith says, they can be variable, but usually good.

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