Latest News on What's Happening over English Wine Week
Waitrose supports English Wine Week
With over 30 English wines listed, Waitrose is well ahead of the game in offering a broad range of styles from vineyards across the country. Regional stores look to stock more locally produced wines and waitrosewine.com has the full range online for you to select your favourites. For English Wine Week, Waitrosewine have added some extra informative pages, giving lots of background information on English wines generally and their supplying vineyards as well as a listing of events taking place during the Week.
English Wines and English Wine Week in the Press
English wines have been attracting attention in the press lately - highlighting also the many activities that are going on for English Wine Week. Here are just a few:
Matthew Jukes wrote up his chioce of English wines in his column in the Daily Mail (Saturday 29th May) - it is also on his own informative website www.matthewjukes.com
Tim Atkin reveals his top English wines inThe Times (Thursday 3rd June)
This week's BBC programme See Hear, broadcast yesterday (2nd June), introduces viewers to English wines and Denbies Wine Estate- it can be viewed on BBC iplayer
BBC's The One Show last Friday (28th May) heralded a huge success for English wines in a blnd tasting with French wines - there's just time to catch it on BBC iplayer
The Calfs Head pub and restaurant, near Clitheroe, has made headlines in their regional press, by launching an English wine only wine list for English Wine Week - more here
Country LIfe (May 26th edition) featured English Wine Week with recommendations from their wine expert Amelia Pinsent.
Guardian.co.uk listed key vineyards where you can stay (21st May)
Jane MacQuitty, The Times on Saturday wine expert listed her top English sparklers (15th May) along with a tasting video where tastes her chosen three English sparkling wines.
Wine writer Simon Woods on his website tastes a range of English reds - see our news item below (28th May - left hand column).
Mercure Hotels UK Celebrate English Wine Week
Visitors to 24 of England's Mercure Hotels during English Wine Week will have a chance to enjoy a glass of local wine when they dine. Mercure hotels are located throughout in different parts of the country and each hotel will be sourcing still white and rose wines from a vineyard located nearby, or at least in the same county or region. The participating hotels are listed within each regional section on this website.
Mercure, which is part of the Accor group, is known for its individually styled hotels,
each with their own character. Hotels range from those in city centres to country
manors, in key provincial locations.
Jonathan Sheard, Director of Operations, Mercure UK and Ireland, said: “English Wine
Week is an excellent way to highlight the quality and variety of English wine, alongside
Mercure’s quality service. Mercure restaurant menus will be perfectly complemented by
the English wine offered. This week is a fantastic way to remind ourselves that great
tasting wine can be found on our doorstep, which is why we are offering diners a
complimentary glass of English wine for the week.”
Devon Wine Week Events
Once again the Devon vineyards along with other outlets in the region have created their own Devon Wine Week, with something taking place on every day of the Week. Full details can be found on their website www.devonwineweek.co.uk
Look out for special events and taking place at the vineyards throughout the week - from tours of the vineyard an winery by the owners and winemakers, to special food and wine tastings, and some music filled evenings too.
Additionally a number of hotels and restaurants around will be serving local wines. A list is available on the What's On and Wine & Food pages
English wines on tasting in Wine Society Cellar Showroom during English Wine Week
The Wine Society's UK wine showroom attached to their warehouse in Stevenage will be offering tastings of their range of English wines - 1st - 5th June. Their list has increased in recent years and now includes wines from Three Choirs, Ridgeview and Nyetimber.
New English wine listed at Laithwaites
Online wine retailer Laithwaites have added a new wine to their English wine listing - a still dry white blended especially for them.
Ashcombe Hill 2009, English Vineyards Quality Wine is a blend of Ortega, Reichensteiner and Bacchus. "a very approachable style, full of ripe, peachy fruit - this is English wine at its best!"
The wine had been blended and produced exclusively for Laithwaites by Denbies Wine Estate. Laithwaites also list three sparkling wines, South Ridge Cuvee Merret 2007 and South Ridge Cuvee Merret Rose 2007 and their very own vineyard's award winning sparkling wine from 100% Chardonnay, Theale Vineyard Chardonnay.
Experience the Camel Valley 'Terroir' during English Wine Week
Camel Valley Vineyard in the heart of Cornwall celebrates its 21st birthday this year. Winemaker Sam Lindo has chosen this anniversary to create a series of wines from small, distinct parcels of the Camel Valley vineyards, and will launch the first of these ‘monopole’ wines during English Wine Week.
Said Sam, ‘although we usually vinify our grapes from different parcels of land separately, they are eventually blended together after much tasting and trialling. I have always wanted keep some fermentations separate to see how they develop alone, and I am delighted with the results we have achieved this year doing just that. We have a range of diverse soils here and all the vineyards performed well in 2009, producing enough top quality fruit for the trial.’
During English Wine Week, Camel Valley Vineyard will be open as usual from Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, with tours at 2.30 pm Monday to Friday and a Grand Tour and Tasting at 5pm on Wednesday.
Exclusively English Wine List at Calfs Head
The Calfs Head, a hotel restaurant based near Clitheroe will only be serving English wines from their list during English Wine Week. Patrick O'Reilly from Calfs Head spent several months earlier this year visiting vineyards and sourcing a wide selection of English wines for his list. The response from customers when he first launched the list was extremely positive and supportive, he reported (see news report).
To celebrate English Wine Week, Calfs Head will not be serving any wines other than English! A try before you buy option on their comprehensive range of English wines will be offered, to really find the style that will complement the delicious menu choices. They have also added guest red wines, one from the Bolney Wine Estate and three red and a Chardonnay from the Strawberry Hill Vineyard.
Fifteen London celebrates English Wines
Throughout the month of June, part of which coincides with English Wine Week, Fifteen London will be celebrating English wines. Further information to follow.
English wine celebrated in style at Stanlake Park
Stanlake Park Wine Estate near Twyford, Reading is celebrating English Wine Week all week and looking forward to welcoming customers and new visitors. Their cellar shopwill be open all week with a host of tastings. This year they are offering personally guided tours of the vineyard and winery on Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th and Monday 31st May (Cost £10 per person, to inclkude a glass of bubbly and a tutored tasting).
Or why not enjoy the truly indulgent experience of wine and chocolate. Stanlake are launching their partnership with Rumsey's Chocolaterie where they have developed some exclusive English chocolate to pair with their wine..... probably the first vineyard in England to have done so.
You can take the opportunity to picnic in their winery gardens, purchasing all you need from the Cellar shop - fresh bread, British cheeese, olives and pickles - and you can hire a picnic basket and essentials to add to the experience.
Stanlake will also be releasing their 2008 Pinot Blush - which proprietor Peter Dart says is the best ever.
Full information is available on their website.
English Wine Tasting in Cambridge
'English Excellence' is the theme for this tutored tasting with wine expert Neil Courtier on Wednesday 2nd June at the Hotel du Vin in Cambridge. If you want to learn more about English wines and taste a comprehensive selection, this is the tasting for you. The event runs 7.30-9.30pm - tickets price £20 per person. To book a ticket and for further information please contact tel:
01359 270318 or email: grapesense1@aol.com.
Map of the vineyards of England & Wales now available
A new, fully-revised map of English and Welsh vineyards has been produced by the UK wine industry. An ideal accompaniment for the wine enthusiast, the map shows the lcoation of 163 vineyards throughout England and Wales, with cross referenced listings by county, full contact details (with postcodes for easy location), websites and a brief description.
The back of the map contains valuable at-a-glance background information such as wine styles and grape varieties, and colourful advertisement from a selection of the featured vineyards outlining the many facilities that are now available.
For a free copy, please contact English Wine Producers.
East Anglian vineyards at the Suffolk Show
If you are heading for East Anglia, be sure to visit the Suffolk Show, taking place on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd June. A number of East Anglia’s vineyards will be on show, where you can taste and buy from a large range of styles. More information on the Suffolk Show please press here.
English asparagus and English wine … the essence of England
 Don't foget that English Wine Week falls in the middle of the English asparagus season. The pairing of English-grown asparagus and a wine from the UK is so quintessentially English, not so much screaming as quietly emphasising this green and pleasant land …
The intense grassy flavours from English asparagus can test many wines, but the crisp zinginess of an English wine, with its bright, fresh acidity and delicate aromatic fruit can complement its vegetable partner impeccably. An English Bacchus, for example, can provide a perfect accompaniment to lightly grilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce.
There are further suggestions of what to pair asparagus with on their website www.british-asparagus.co.uk. The website contains lots of information on asparagus: where to buy, asparagus festivals taking place around the country and some mouthwatering recipes as well. |
