DrinkBritain

Gusbourne Estate: in the beginning was the bud

… do great initiatives emerge.

As we wandered around the sun-drenched budding vines at Gusbourne Estate and Ridgeview, I was reminded what makes our wine industry so different and why I am launching the travel side to www.DrinkBritain.com in September. Despite the show of sun, our precarious climate makes winemaking inevitably of a boutique nature for all but a few. To make such a business work, the value of you, the potential visitor is well nigh vital for long term success.

Take our two wineries. continue reading…

Sparkling success: Pebblebed wins Dragon's backing

Within 12 hours of Geoff Bowen’s appearance on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, he had received 100 requests for more information – not something you’d normally expect from an English vigneron in the rural Devon town of Topsham.

But then there’s nothing that “normal” about the way Bowen runs his business. To begin with, rather than ending up in hock to the bank, he persuaded 20 other families to get involved with his initial Pebblebed vineyard purchase. Currently he has 22 acres spread over three sites.

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Hampshire’s Food Festival is heading towards the half-way mark, but don’t let the word “food” put you off – there’s more than a few liquid events included on its list of activities.

Take Wickham Vineyards in Shedley for example, halfway along the coast from Southampton to Portsmouth. In the news this year for buying some of the former wine shops from the now defunct First Quench chain, it continues with its original business – an 18-acre vineyard complete with celebrity chef, Atul Kochar’s out-of-town restaurant, Vatika.

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Working in a bar or restaurant and want to expand your beer horizons? Garrett Oliver, brewmaster for New York’s legendary Brooklyn Brewery will be speaking at Imbibe 2010 on Tuesday afternoon at Earls Court.

While you are there, check out the Hop & Apple Garden for a few other fruit and cereal-derived tipples. Taste your way around the globe, from Shepherd Neame’s iconic Spitfire Ale via a medley of world beers from adventurous suppliers like James Clay, continue reading…

Wine: nature or nurture?

What makes a great drink? Obviously it’s down to flavour and taste, but what are the key factors? Is it the ingredients – the fruit, the hops or the barley? Or the weather or the site? Or perhaps the thinking, be it traditionally-inspired or forward-looking? Or is it down to the people or the community from where the product hails?

With UK drinks producers getting their own category in the BBC’s highly respected Food & Farming Awards, a panel of judges led by leading chef Angela Hartnett will be examining just these questions later this year.

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Tiny price for a tiny tot

Master of Malt have introduced a mini-delivery charge for its popular Drinks by the Dram whiskies, with a new flat rate of £2.45 for a single 3cl bottle.

For those wanting a few, the standard £4.95 super saver rate  remains the most cost-effective method.

And if you are contemplating a bit of research, the first of a number of tasting sets has gone online, including the Scottish Whisky Regions set and further afield, the Whiskies of the World set. With hundreds of tiny bottles to choose from, Master of Malt sales director Ben Ellefson says they have “many, many more ideas up our sleeve”.

Touring Scotland by dram

A bit of watch that space perhaps…

www.masterofmalt.com

Oz Clarke congratulates Bob Lindo, left, and son, Sam

Sparkling rosé has a strong future in England says the UK’s Winemaker of the Year, Sam Lindo of Camel Valley in Cornwall. Having just been awarded the International Wine Challenge’s Sparkling Rosé Trophy for his Pinot Noir 2008 ahead of rivals in Champagne and across the world, Lindo said that the whole family was “delighted” and admitted that the news “was still sinking in”.

“I really honestly believe that rosé can become synonynous with England,” he told DrinkBritain.com. “There’s more raspberry and strawberry flavours.” continue reading…

How do you like your gin?

Gin is leading the charge for British drinks at Imbibe 2010, the new show from the guys behind Square Meal and Imbibe on 13-14 July at Earls Court.

Targeted solely at those in the bar and restaurant industry and covering all drinks types, with 13,500 visitors already registered, it’s likely to be a busy couple of days.

With half a dozen premium players – Sipsmith, Sacred, No 3 London Dry, Greenall’s, Geranium and Whitley Neill – there’s every chance to see what it is about these gins that is catching people’s eye – and palates. continue reading…

All the fun of the fair

Those of you within striking distance of Hampshire have a fun month ahead. Hampshire Food Festival returns for its tenth appearance throughout July.

With everything from watercress workshops to wine tasting, events kick off in earnest this weekend.

Head to Portsmouth for the Gunwharf Quays Festival, where the star turn will be Raymond Blanc in the food theatre, plus a 40-strong real ale festival, an Italian food market and regional food stalls. Open Fri-Sun.

If you are in Basingstoke, drop by Festival Place, where inimitable wine expert Olly Smith will be keeping chefs Ed Baines and John Burton Race chained to the stove for their cookery demos. Sat 3–Sun 4 July

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Don't be shy, there's plenty to go around

Now is a great time to be a whisky explorer. Although nothing beats a trip around the distillery – see below for some ideas on where to get started if you are heading to Scotland this Summer – Charles Maclean’s World Whisky, out last year, is to be joined by Dave Broom’s World Atlas of Whisky this autumn. Typically beautiful – well it is produced by those lovely people who brought you the World Atlas of Wine and Dave’s other evocative book, Rum – this sizeable tome is likely to be a welcome addition to any malt-lover’s bookshelves.

Placing this most complex of products in its context, both in terms of history and flavour, is a fascinating exercise. Where else can a dent in the production vessel have a pivotal role on the final taste – or be so imprtant that any new containers must replicate said “flaw”?

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The artisan innards of boutique brewery, Grain

A bit like the Easter Bunny, Tindall’s Summer Loving makes just one appearance a year and this year’s public sighting will be at Grain’s Summer Festival, Saturday 26 June.

Perfectly poised near the Suffolk / Norfolk border near the picturesque village of Alburgh (pronounced Arrbraa), Grain is one of East Anglia’s most go-ahead small breweries.

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More than just music: Glastonbury Abbey revives cider magic

Festivals have played as much a part in sharing the joy of cider with a wider audience as any amount of ice-cube inspired campaigns. So, as tents get pitched and guitars are tuned, the news that a Glastonbury Cider beat off 360 rivals at the Royal Bath & West Show to be named Supreme Cider Champion might not be too surprising.

What is unusual is its origins: the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. Apples have been grown here since medieval times with records showing the monks enjoying a tipple or two, but 2009 was the year the Abbey teamed up with cider revival pioneer, Julian Temperley of the Somerset Cider Brandy company.

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King Sam, UK Winemaker of the Year

For the second time in four years, Cornwall-based Camel Valley has picked up the Winemaker of the Year Trophy in the English & Welsh Wine of the Year annual awards. Not to be outdone, sparkling wine specialists RidgeView Wine Estate took the Wine of the Year trophy for the second year running. Top medal tally goes to Kent’s Chapel Down Wines for its haul of five golds, two silvers and four bronzes. continue reading…

Andy Howard, centre with SEVA trophy winners Andrew Weeber and Kevin Sutherland

Senior M&S buyer and chair of the SE Vineyard Association’s judging panel Andy Howard is looking forward to M&S developing closer links with the English wine industry, perhaps by working with Plumpton College, the UK’s leading practical wine educational establishment, or devising initiatives for next year’s English Wine Week.

At the moment M&S stocks five English still and sparkling wines, including top sparkling rosé, Balfour Brut, and a few from Chapel Down. Howard said this might change in the future. “We can’t have a huge selection,” he told DrinkBritain.com after the SEVA 2010 awards. “But customers do want to see new things, there’s a lot more interest in English wine and local sourcing helps.”

Howard’s words of advice for the UK wine industry? “Keep a focus on quality. Push that forward even more, and keep an eye on the diversity of styles.”

Winning duo: Gusbourne's Andrew Weeber, right, with his "perfectionist" of a winemaker, Mike Roberts, Ridgeview

“Astonishment!” That was the one word reaction from Gusbourne Vineyard’s owner Andrew Weeber on the news that his Classic Blend 2006 had picked up not just Gold for its inaugural appearance but the South East Wine of the Year trophy for 2010 at the SEVA’s annual awards ceremony on 8 June.

“Our grapes were wonderful,” Weeber continued. “And Mike Rogers [who makes the wine for Gusbourne at RidgeView] is the most wonderful perfectionist. This is a reflection of his commitment to producing wonderful wines for himself and for others.” continue reading…

Brit Beer takes over at Tate Modern

Forget Brit Pop, it’s Brit Beer turning heads at the UK’s leading galleries. The Tate Modern is trialling an all-British beer list with a view to extending the concept to all its other bars and restaurants.

The 20-strong list reads like a Who’s Who of the new British beer movement, with Punk IPA and Paradox from Scots rebels, BrewDog, alongside Lovibonds’ summery wheat beer, Henley Gold, and Sambrook’s Wandle from up the Thames in Battersea. continue reading…

Full house: English Wine Week at Artisan & Vine

Over 40 people flocked to Clapham wine bar Artisan & Vine for its English wine tasting on Wednesday evening. Paying a tenner each, 29 wines were available to try, from the likes of top sparklers Nyetimber, Ridgeview and Camel Valley, through whites and rosés to a quartet of reds, including the one Jancis Robinson MW made her Wine of the Week a fortnight ago, the Biddenden Gamay 2009.

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a'Becketts: a farm with a view

Fresh from their appearance at the Bristol Eco Veggie Fair, the guys at a’Becketts are back at base for walks, talks and tastings during English Wine Week. Located halfway way between Avebury and Stonehenge this family-run vineyard will be launching its Vine Rental Scheme for the next year, with 60 ‘units’ available for those who want to get involved.

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Parva Farm: a river runs below it

It may not be on quite the same scale, but vines have definitely taken root across the Welsh border.

The oldest vineyard in Wales, Parva Farm will be open during the whole of Welsh Wine Week. Located five miles from Chepstow, overlooking Tintern and the River Wye, Parva Farm also has a farm shop and picnic area for visitors. As throughout the year, visitors can take a self-guided tour and the new 2009 wines will be available to taste for the first time. Alongside other local produce, Welsh cheeses feature in the farm shop and will also be on taste during the week.

Wernddu Vineyard in Pen-y-Clawdd, Monmouth is opening its doors on Sat 5 and Sun 6 June, 11am–7pm, offering a taste of its new organic sparkling wine with free strawberries, plus a chance to say hello and feed Leigh and Frank Strawford’s friendly pack of alpacas. Wernddu also produces organic cider and perry.

Details

Parva Farm Vineyard, Tintern, Chepstow, Monmouth, NP16 6SQ; 01291 689636

Open from 10.30am–6pm

Wernddu Organics, Wernddu Farm, Pen-y-Clawdd, Monmouth, NP25 4BW; 01600 740104

Biddenden: so how do you ripen red grapes in England?

Even the most enthusiastic supporter of English wine has to admit that red wine is a bit of a struggle for us here on Blighty. With our delightful climate, it can be difficult to get depth let alone texture. Yet the oldest family owned commercial vineyard in Kent, Biddenden, managed to pull off a coup with its Gamay 2009. Not only was it one of Jancis Robinson MW top scoring wines at this year’s Annual Trade Tasting (see her Purple Pages for full notes), it was the one selected for her Wine of the Week.

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Biodiversity rules supreme at Bothy Vineyard

For those who missed the tours and free tastings at highly sustainable Bothy Vineyard near Oxford over the Bank Holiday weekend, Sian and Richard Liwicki are opening their doors again on 5 and 6 June at 11am for English Wine Week.

As part of their commitment to cultivate grapes “in as environmentally friendly way as possible”, no insecticides are used, native grasses and trees have been planted to encourage biodiversity, 100% of the energy used on site is from renewable sources, and 95% of winery waste is composted on site.

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