Jo’s recommended still wines from Kent and Sussex.
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Our cool emerald isle is starting to make a name for itself with the award winning sparkling wines produced by a growing number of vineyards across the southern counties. But what of still wines?
Back in the 1980’s, we only produced still wines, it was certainly too cold to ripen grapes like chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier- all the grapes used in traditional method sparkling wine. So a few wine producers grew german grapes that did ripen nicely, and made wines a lot like Liebraumilch and Hock - sweet, fruity and aromatic. Back then, it was exactly what we were all drinking, but then the new world captured our interest and we couldn’t get enough of oaked chardonnay, and gooseberry laden sauvignon blanc. So England’s wine production faltered for twenty years or so, until some brave new vineyards started planting the grapes used for champagne, and a very interesting new hybrid from Germany called Bacchus.
Fast forward to 2021, and we are producing some very exciting still wines, some that have beaten very fine wines from Burgundy in global competitions. We are even producing red wines, which are normally the product of much warmer climates.
So I collected together five still wines from Kent and Sussex that cover a range of styles, but all of them surprised and delighted Jules and me as we tasted them for BBC Radio Kent. Here’s what we found.
Stopham
Bacchus 2018
£14.95
Stopham is owned by Simon Woodhead, who used to design components for TAG McLaren F1 cars. He learnt winemaking at Plumpton College and bought land in Pulborough, very close to other successful vineyards including Nyetimber. The vines have been established for 14 years and have thrived in south facing sandy soil close to the river Arun. We tasted his 2018 Bacchus, a citrussy white wine with a beautiful floral nose and a delightful fresh orange peel and grapefruit taste. Bacchus is a white grape that originated in Germany and grows very successfully across the south of England. If you like Sauvignon Blanc, you’ll find this is a very pleasing alternative - and from a vineyard near you!
Simpsons Wine Estate
Derringstone Pinot Meunier 2019
£19.50
If it says Simpsons on the label, I would urge you to try it! Ruth and Charles Simpson have made a very successful business with their french vineyard, Domaine Sainte Rose in the Languedoc. They returned to the UK to plant vines in Barham near Canterbury, concentrating on the noble grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. They’ve just won a very prestigious award for their Roman Road Chardonnay, beating the Burgundians at their own game.
This white Pinot Meunier is the first of its kind. Pinot Meunier is a red grape used in sparkling wines. No-one has marketed a still white wine from it, and this is a resounding success in our opinion. It has a rich golden colour, with hints of poached winter fruits like pears and plums on the nose. There’s also savoury notes, as if there was balsamic in the poaching juice. It has a gorgeous creamy finish which makes it even more moreish! That’ll be from the malolactic fermentation - a process that winemakers use to change the harsh acids into softer, creamier acids.
Oxney Organic Estate
Pinot Noir Rosé 2019
£18
Oxney is one of the very few certified organic vineyards in the UK, but it was Kristin Sylvetik’s dream from the moment she sold her PR business in London and bought land near Rye in Sussex. It’s not easy to grow grapes organically in our cool climate, because they are prone to mildew. It’s much easier to spray them with chemicals, but if you’re committed to organic farming you do not have this option. If you get it right, the fruit is always more flavoursome and the wine more complex. Oxney produces delicious still and sparkling wines, and we tasted their 2019 Pinot Noir Rosé, a beautiful looking wine with plenty of red fruit character. It’s refreshing with lovely acidity, with tart fruit flavours like cranberries, raspberries and rhubarb.
Rosé wine can be made in one of two ways - either by mixing white wine with a little red at fermentation stage, or by leaving the skins of the red grapes in contact with the juice for a little while before fermentation. Kristin chose the latter, and it’s created a gorgeously pink, refreshing wine that can be enjoyed all year round. Jules particularly liked this one!
Bolney Wine Estate
Lychgate Red 2018
£15.99
Bolney is a family run vineyard near Haywards Heath, headed up by winemaker Sam Linter, a visionary who had the guts to plant vines that produce red grapes in far higher proportion than was advised at the time. Her gamble paid off because now Bolney Wine Estate is the largest producer of good red wine in England.
There’s a range of red wines to try at Bolney, including an elegant Pinot Noir and a very interesting sparkling red wine. Jules and I opened a bottle of the Lychgate Red 2018, which is a robust blend that reminds me more of a Cabernet Franc, with good tannins and earthy hedgerow aromas of blackberry and a crack of black pepper. It’s hard to believe that this well structured red wine could have come from England, and it’s a glowing testament to Sam’s winemaking team.
Biddenden Vineyards
Gribble Bridge Dornfelder 2018
£12.90
Biddenden is the oldest vineyard in Kent, established 52 years ago and now run by the second and third generation of the Barnes family. Julian and his family make award winning still wines using grapes that have been established in their vineyard for decades, one of which is the red Dornfelder grape, a hybrid from Germany. This was harvested in 2018, that crazy long summer we all complained was too hot - the vines loved it and generally produced 3-4 times more fruit than in previous years. You wouldn’t normally see a 100% Dornfelder, it’s usually used in blends, but after a summer like that, Biddenden were able to make some delicious red wines that can’t be repeated every year.
It’s an off dry, light fruity red that bursts with raspberries and summer fruits. Like a Beaujolais, it can be lightly chilled and enjoyed on a hot summer’s day, but we enjoyed drinking it at room temperature, pairing it with some delicious Sussex cheeses.
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