WHY?
Samantha Linter, Head winemaker at Bolney Wine Estates leads one of our Best of English Meet the Winemaker dinners at Artisan & Vine
I’ve travelled a lot and lived in a few different countries. One of my favourite ways of coming to know a country or region is through indulging in the wines of that region. It’s that same old speech from me: Sense of Place, Sense of Place! There is no question in my mind that English wines are underexposed in their own, let alone in the global, market. At the same time as local food production in England is enjoying a celebrity chef inspired renaissance, English wines sit on the shelves of local community markets or the homes of wine maker’s relatives; it’s a fascinating contrast.
In order to bring the English wine experience into Artisan & Vine, I insisted on only working with winemakers who would deal with me directly – no distributors or wholesalers. I visited a wide range of English vineyards and tasted over 300 English wines to come to the 25 or so we have on our list at any one time. The wines are generally fresh, low alcohol and easy drinking – and they’re getting better with every vintage! English wine making may be in something of an infancy – I view this as an exciting thing.
After nearly three years of serving English wines to our customers I am proud to report a very positive response. The feedback we get often is that people are happy simply to be given the option to have a taste of home.
WHERE FROM?
Make no mistake, there are over 300 English vineyards out there, though far fewer produce on a commercially meaningful scale. My recommendation for a short weekend or day trip from London is “Wine Country” – north Sussex and Southwest Kent – for the heaviest concentration of quality wine producing vineyards in England. Some of these vineyards are not open to the general public without prior arrangement.
My favourites of the ones that you can drop into without a booking are:
- Biddenden Vineyards, Kent (a charming, family owned vineyard & ciderworks; great people)
- Ridgeview Wine Estate, East Sussex (great sparklies; lots of fab new winery kit)
- Bolney Wine Estate, West Sussex (you need to book in advance for tour)
- Chapel Down Winery, Kent (a great set up for learning about English wine)
Brilliant vineyards that don’t have a regularly open visitor facility but are worth peeking at:
- Davenport Vineyards, East Sussex / Kent (excellent organic wines)
- Plumpton College, East Sussex (a school + working vineyard & winery)
- Nyetimber Vineyard, West Sussex (tragically closed doors!)
Further afield, my picks outside of “Wine Country” are:
- Camel Valley Vineyard, Cornwall (the multi award winners and real industry leaders)
- Brightwell Vineyards, Oxfordshire (can be done in a London day trip)
- Three Choirs Vineyard, Gloucestershire (impossibly pretty setting)
- A’Becketts Vinetard, Wiltshire (a nice tie in with touristy Stonehenge visit)
- Warden Abbey, Bedfordshire (surprisingly impressive mineral wines)
- Quoins Organic Vineyard, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire (a lovely range of fresh whites)
- Furleigh Estate, Jurassic Coast, Dorset (impressive new winery facilities nestled in the hills)
- Carter’s Vineyards, Colchester (a good red wine in King Coel)
Of course, wines from all of these vineyards are also available at Artisan & Vine in the bar, or online (www.artisanandvine.com) from time to time.
