What came first, the wine or the vineyard? Did you fall in love with a wine and head for its source or did you visit a vineyard and find treasure that stayed with you? I have some personal examples of both and we’ve tried to reflect that on our website, with the Directory and Wine Shop that link together.
An exciting Special Report on English Wine has just been produced by Tom Hewson and published by Tim Atkin, with wines scoring 88 points or more rated ‘worth tracking down’. We thought we’d take that literally and use the report to inspire some recommendations to visit.
It was notable when reading the report that a good number of the highest scoring wines don’t come from vineyards or wineries you can visit, so for these purposes, we’ve just ignored those.
There is a charge to download the review, but at just £10, this well-written and considered report is definitely worth picking up a copy of.
Ridgeview West Estate
Home to no less than 4 wines scoring more than 88 points, including ‘Blanc de Blancs of the Year’, in the form of their 2009 Limited Release Magnum (94 points), Ridgeview also met the grade with their Limited Release Blanc de Noirs Limited Release 2015 (89 points), Rosé de Noirs 2016 Limited Release (89 points) and Oak Reserve NV (88).
This summer has seen the Wine Garden started last year go from strength to strength and although it’s closed right now for harvest, Ridgeview are open all year round and have extensive opening hours for their cellar door as well as bookable tours, mainly at weekends. Based on the edge of Ditchling in Sussex, there’s lots more to do in the area as well, from walking to art and eating.
Denbies surprised Tom by winning Blanc de Noirs of the Year with their ‘Cubitt’ Blanc de Noirs 2014 (92 points). Together with 88 points for their Chardonnay 2019 (88) and Blanc de Blancs 2014 (88) leading an impressive range of wines meeting the ‘worth tracking down’ criterion.
So why surprise? Denbies have been long established on the edge of Dorking with vines planted in 1986, way before many of the other names we talk about joined in the English wine scene. Over that time, the quality of their wines has increased massively, notably with the appointment of Litmus Wines to run the winemaking in 2010, a fact that has been poorly communicated (especially as Litmus’ own brand wines attract near cult status). This fact, together with the ‘garden centre’ feel of their café belies the quality. Our tips – do the ‘vineyard train’ tour or explore on your feet via the many footpaths. As well as being good quality, the wines are well-priced and cellar door offers are frequently available, too. There’s even a hotel on the site.
Winning the Rosé Brut of the Year with their Vintage Rosé 2014 (93 points) and also scoring well with their Leander Rosé (89) and Vintage Reserve 2013 (88) négociant Digby confirmed what a consistently class act they are with with sparkling wines.
Despite contract arrangements with grape growers, meaning no vineyards to visit, Digby do merit a place on our website and app due to their very smart tasting room in Arundel. Pop in or book your tasting in advance. With a train station not too far from the town centre (online resources suggest a 13 minute walk) and a frequent train service (just under an hour and a half from Clapham Junction) makes this an extremely appealing day trip from London, with boutique shops and plenty of places to eat making the journey well worthwhile. If your thoughts are already turning to Christmas shopping, it’s a great option.
Winner of the Best value Sparkling with their Classic 2015 (92 points) and also achieving 88 with their Blanc de Noirs 2016 are Raimes in Hampshire, a family farm where grapes are just one of the crops grown.
While visitor activity is reduced over the winter, Raimes are open all year round with cellar door opening on Saturdays. Small group tours run from May to September and the Summer Courtyard does what it says on the tin.
The final visitor-friendly award winner is Stopham Estate’s Pinot Blanc 2020 (90 points) who also scored highly with their Pinot Gris 2020, scoring just one point less at 89. The Pinot Blanc has long been a personal favourite of mine, with consistently high levels of quality over a good number of years, although when I’ve been at comparative tastings, the Pinot Gris is usually a little more of a crowd-pleaser.
In terms of visiting, Stopham is more at the ‘geek out with the winemaker’ end of the spectrum than a visit to a shiny tasting room, although we understand that more extensive visitor facilities are in the plan. Meanwhile, enjoy a Saturday tour (which can include lunch at the local pub, if you like) or call in advance for cellar door sales.
That selection misses out Gusbourne and Balfour Hush Heath, both in different parts of Kent and both of which have an excellent range of wines and outstanding visitor facilities, so I’m going to pop those here and and head off around the rest of the country.
With 5 more vineyards to pick, I’m going to be guided by reflecting some of the areas not yet covered, yet still producing wines worth seeking out, as well as great visitor experiences and different wine styles.
As a long time fan of wines from East Anglia and a lover of dessert wines, I’m going to pick New Hall in Essex, who scored 91 for their ‘Purlai’ Gold. With an excellent range of wines and a good few other vineyards worth visiting in the immediate vicinity, this could be one for a weekend away?
Langham in Dorset scored 89 points for their Rosé NV and with a couple of other well scoring sparklings and an excellent café on site, they definitely merit inclusion here. While not quite so close together, a good few vineyards not too far away could definitely combine to make a few days away.
The South West is a big place, so let’s carry on through to Devon to get to Sharpham. This is another vineyard that flies a bit below the radar, this time because most of their wines are sold locally. With 88 points for their Pinot Noir Rosé and a good range of wines, not to mention their own delicious cheeses, they are well worth a visit. Don’t miss out on the self-guided tour along the river, it’s a real treat.
There are many, perhaps surprisingly many, good things going on in the Thames Valley. With 3 wines scoring in the ‘worth tracking down’ range, Blanc de Noirs 2015 (92), Brut Reserve NV No. 5 and Brut Rosé 2018 (both 89) Harrow & Hope are clearly a producer not to be ignored. Close to the delightful small town of Marlow, their opening hours are not extensive, but they do run occasional events.
While Worcestershire might not be your first thought as a UK wine growing region, Astley Vineyard scored 88 points with both their Old Vine Kerner 2020 and their Sparkling Kerner 2015. As the furthest north of wines forming part of this review and with a smart tasting room, they are certainly worthy of inclusion. Tours have now finished for the season and will start up again around Easter, but the Cellar Door is open Friday to Sunday, April to December.
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Is there a definitive list of vineyards to visit? No, of course not, it depends what you are looking for. In the same way that Tom has diligently reviewed wines, but is only able to taste wines from those producers who supplied wine, largely driven from those he asked for, we have used his scores to inspire these recommendations.
There were many other wines mentioned from producers we didn’t have room to include, and many excellent wines from vineyards that don’t welcome visitors, but we hope we’ve given you a taste of what’s out there to enjoy.
Elisabeth
October 2021
Main photo © Denbies Vineyard
The post 10 Vineyards to Visit for Wines Worth Tracking Down appeared first on Wine Cellar Door.
