English vineyards gain credibility

[Craig Camp]

For most people, "English wine" conjures up images of elderflowers, bell jars and dreadful plonk. Yet in recent years English vineyards have gained credibility.

[jayrayner]

No they haven't. Every single one of my wine writing colleagues does one of these pieces about once every two years. My own newspaper's wine columnist did it a couple of weeks back. But here's the thing: whatever the FT says, I have yet to drink an english wine that didn't make me wish I was actually drinking a wine from france, italy or spain or New Zealand or indeed anywhere other than Kent. They ahve all, to the last drop, been 'shite', which is a techincal food and drink writers' term.

[AdamLawrence]

Jay, go get yourself a bottle of Nyetimber, which is a sparkling wine from Sussex. It's the one true world class English wine I've come across.

Adam

[Simon Majumdar]

world class English wine

The most unlikely combination of words since the use of "Balic" with "Soap"

I am with Jay on this one and Shite is a good technical term

S

[Adam Balic]

Or "Majumdar" and "surprisingly not a twat".

Have never tried these wines, is it worth it even for experimental/curiousity reasons?

[AdamLawrence]

I'm not kidding. Try the stuff. Ten years from now there will be several English sparkling wines with big reputations - our climate and our soils are very similar to those you find in Champagne.

Camel Valley Brut from Cornwall is really good too.

Adam

[Adam Balic]

But still Champagne is not that exciting and from what I have read it isn't the Champagne vareties that are being promoted in the England, rather some of the Germanic hybrids - and I'm not sure the world needs more Sket (sp?).

[Adam Balic]

But still Champagne is not that exciting and from what I have read it isn't the Champagne vareties that are being promoted in the England, rather some of the Germanic hybrids - and I'm not sure the world needs more Sekt (sp?).

Edited May 1, 2003 by Adam Balic (log)

[AdamLawrence]

Nyetimber's prestige product is a blanc de blancs - 100 per cent chardonnay. Camel Valley is chardonnay and pinot noir, and I think has pinot meunier too. I agree that _most_ English wine has been Germanic up to now, but I suspect that you'll see a shift towards champagne grapes in those who are making fizz. There is a realisation in the industry that we don't have the climate for table wines - not enough heat. But sparkling wine is rather different.

As to champagne not being so exciting? Ordinary champagne I agree with you. Good champagne is not exciting? The market begs to differ, so do I.

Honestly, if you get chance to taste Nyetimber, do. It's not cheap - about seventeen quid a bottle I think - but it is really worth trying.

Adam

[jackal10]

Our local Coton Orchard used to make a quite acceptable light lunch wine.

Unfortunately they have been taken over, and once the new accountants calculated the true cost, the vinyard has been grubbed up.

[Adam Balic]

As to champagne not being so exciting? Ordinary champagne I agree with you. Good champagne is not exciting? The market begs to differ, so do I.

I should have said "Still" Champagne (eg. not sparkling), not still Champagne. Hehehe, stupid English language.

How would this "Nyetimbe"r, rate against the NZ "Pelorus" or Tasmanian "Pirie"?

[AdamLawrence]

Ah, I see - I read a comma where there wasn't one. You're dead right about still champagne - have you tried Bouzy rouge? - it's not great IMHO.

I haven't tasted those wines against each other, though I've had a lot of Pelorus and several bottles of Pirie (best New World fizz I've had). Maybe a bit less upfront, slightly more restrained? But not outclassed in any way, I'd guess.

Adam

[mogsob]

There is a great episode of Chef where Garreth enters a cooking competition in France and, after a series of predictable mishaps, is forced to go to a wine store (in France) to ask for le vin anglaise.

Classic.