On the 5th of September 2023, I went to the annual WineGB Trade & Press Tasting, where 312 wines from English and Welsh producers were on display. The event had separate stands for individual exhibitors, stands that represented regional vineyard associations with smaller commercial producers on display and special tables emphasising the diverse wine styles now being produced in Britain. Additionally, there was a dedicated tasting table presenting the Trophy winners from the WineGB Awards 2023.
I sampled many wines and these are the ones that particularly caught my attention:
The award winning wines I tried were the Digby Fine English, 2013 Vintage Reserve Brut, Ridgeview Blanc de Noirs 2015, Sandridge Barton Pinot Noir 2020, Greyfriars Non Vintage Cuvée and Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Bacchus 2020. The Digby had a fine balance and this wine won Best Vintage Cuvée and was the Supreme Champion. The Sandridge Barton Pinot Noir was light with no tannins. Greyfriars is my local vineyard so I am used to their high quality wines. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier combine to give dry lemon, apple and mineral flavours. Their award winner is particularly affordable, compared to the others, at £22.
Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Bacchus caused me to have a mini Bacchus comparison tasting. The self-pour wine tables enabled comparison of similar wines. Intrigued by the award winning Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Bacchus, I tried Cotswolds Bacchus, Chapel Down Bacchus 2022, Lyme Bay Bacchus and Stopham Bacchus 2022.
Bacchus is sometimes seen as England’s answer to Sauvignon Blanc, producing wines with vibrant acidity and aromatic profiles of tropical flavours peach and passion fruit.
These wines were closer in taste than I anticipated. The Lyme Bay was slightly sweeter, while the Stopham had a sulphury note at first. As expected, the standout was the award-winning Kit’s Coty Bacchus.
Here are more wines I tasted with a few notes:
- Derringstone Pinot Meunier 2022, the first Pinot Meunier produced in the UK, flavours of pear, creamy taste.
- Lyme Bay Shoreline, mineral, I expect good with seafood.
- Oxney Rose NV, dry, red fruit, apple taste.
- Oxney Rose 2022, refreshing, more citrus than NV, slightly sour.
- Oxney Classic Chardonnay 2018, apricots and brioche taste.
- Hidden Spring Classic Cuvée, citrus.
- Hidden Spring Blanc de Blanc, more toasty than the Cuvée.
- Ridgeview Sparkling Red. Richer red, cherry flavour, different and novel.
- Montgomery Rose 2020, Welsh, red fruits and hint of citrus.
- Hattingley Classic Reserve, citrus, 4 years on lees, brioche taste.
- Hattingley Blanc de Blanc, Chardonnay, Toasty/buttery due to having been 7.5 years on the lees.
I came away with the thought that the quality of British wine is consistently good. Also, as the climate becomes more favourable, we’re seeing an increasing number of British still wines each year. More details of the tasting wines, including recommended prices are on the WineGB web site.
If in the UK, the next time you fancy a bottle of Champagne, why not opt for a UK sparkling wine? It’s a worthy, usually less expensive, alternative that provides a novel talking point while championing local vineyards and supporting homegrown viticulture. Buy direct from a local producer, from Waitrose, by far the largest supermarket stockist with nearly 100 wines, or online at places such as Grape Britannia and The English Wine Collection.
