English Still Wines

English wine has come a long way from the tart flabby wines of old to the 120 awards won at the International Wine Challenge 2016, and now even Tattinger, the French Champagne house, has bought some land in Kent to invest in English Sparkling wine. But its not just the sparklers that are outstanding, here are some English white, red and rose still wines I think are worth a try.

Ranked by price low-high, supermarket retailers shown where available.

Stanlake Park Hinton Grove, Berkshire (£10.49 Stanlake Park)
Although this is an off-dry aromatic wine, it is beautifully balanced so you don't notice the slight sweetness, making it an easy drinking tipple. Soft and interesting, like spotting an unusual butterfly. Made from Madeleine Angevine, Reichensteiner, Schonburger, Wurzer and Ehrenfelser grapes, this is a complex, well structured wine that will go well with Asian dishes like Thai Green Curry. Also Available from Rebellion Brewery in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

Oaken Grove Benham Blush, Oxfordshire (£11.49 Waitrose or £50 for six if you buy direct)
A dry rose made from 100% Pinot Noir. Enticing strawberries and cream on the nose with hints of apple, peach and cherry cobbler flavour characteristics. Great served with pork chop and green beans. Reminiscent of sitting in an English country garden.

Chiltern Valley Dry, Oxfordshire (£11.95 Old Luxters)
Made with the Reichensteiner grape, this light and crisp white is refreshing and delicious, particularly if partnered with BBQ'd fish with a wedge of lime. Bright and breezy like standing outside on a ferry.

Sharpham Whole Berry Rose, Devon (£14.99 Waitrose)
A pale pink rose with strawberries and cherry blossom aromas. Made from 100% Dornfelder grapes and pressed as whole bunches, resulting in an off-dry wine with summer berries and soft tannins on the palate. Bright, fun and friendly, like a picnic in the park.

LDN Cru Bacchus (£15 London Cru)
Made from 100% Bacchus grapes grown in Kent with the wine made in London. Flavours of elderflower, cut grass and lemon rind, with a lovely mouthfeel from the lees-stirring (batonnage). Complex fleeting floral aromas, like walking through a meadow.

Bolney Estate Pinot Noir, West Sussex (£15.99 Waitrose)
A lightly oaked pinot noir, with medium body, packed with cherries, and a slight coconut aftertaste from the toasty oak. Fragrant and fruity, like walking around a farm shop. Great served with baked Camembert or glazed ham.

Litmus White Pinot, Surrey (£22 M&S)
An intriguing white wine made from red Pinot Noir grapes which results in a dry wine that mixes red and white characteristics, showing both red berry and spice with honey and floral notes. A lovely full body with light oak. A great match for prawn tempura or turkey steaks in a creamy sauce.

Trevibban Mill Black Ewe Red, Cornwall (£33 Trevibban Mill)
A violet colour accompanies forest fruits and star anise on the palate, with a lingering taste of raspberry leaf tea. Comforting and mildly exciting, like picking raspberries in your granny's garden. A complex full-bodied wine with soft tannins made form 100% Pinot Noir.

I ask you to try one (or more!) of the above and let me know what you think.

I will be serving a flight of three English wines at my next pop-up event in Marlow on 2nd and 3rd of June, come and say hello! Email soma@princessandthepinot.com to reserve a table.

To find out more about Princess and the Pinot and our pop-up wine bars please visit www.princessandthepinot.com

Challenger wine #8

Marlborough 2011 Black Cottage Rose

What a delicious and refreshing rose!I normally avoid roses because I find they remind me of pot pourri. I tend to look for much drier roses to avoid that sticky sickly taste. This one, however, is dry, but everso fruity so you could mistakenly think it was off-dry.

Strawberry, vanilla, cherry and almond flavours. Almost like a bakewell tart,  but lighter. visions of candy stripes and old-fashioned sweet stalls.Fresh, vibrant, tasty.

I think that by being made in New Zealand this rose has managed to shed the frumpy moth-ball coat.

We jointly scored it a 3 for quality and 3 for likeability (I gave it a 4 really). In terms of quality, its very hard to find a very good quality rose, especially at the £10 price point. = 6/10

Whispering Angel Chateau d'Esclans Cotes de Provence 2011 (Price: 1)

Another rose, which is unusual for me, but since I tend not to like roses, any good ones I will be posting up here. This is a beautiful pale pink and is made of a combination of Grenache, Rolle, Cinsualt, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes. There is a sexy combination of peach and redcurrant flavours, sharp & sweet, fruity but shy. It's dry and I would guess it was a white wine if I was tasting it blind, but it is oh so much more delicate with a secret complexity. A very good wine and definitely deserving of the name.

I'm lying on a chaise longue with feather cushions, and a gentle breeze floating through the white muslin drapes. Rosehip tea is served from an antique silver teapot.

A great wine to try if you don't like roses but want to.

Sharpham Vineyard, Devon UK

I went down to Devon this weekend and had the pleasure of visiting Sharpham. Beautiful Devonshire countryside, a walk by the river Dart and through their vineyard followed by a well-educated tasting. Delightful. As with most English vineyards, the focus was on white wines, but they also make some charming roses.

The most interesting was the Sharpham Whole Berry Rose (Price:0), which is made from the Dornfelder grape that they grow. It is beautiful in colour, it tastes off-dry but has an unusually dry finish, so you're not left with that claggy feeling. It also has no remnants of pot pourri, it is very fruity, with raspberry and strawberries, and has been awarded "best rose in the country" award, which a few years ago wouldn't have amounted to much, but with standards in South England rising rapidly, that actually means something!

I also enjoyed their Summer Red (Price: 1), which has had malolactic fermentation to make the Rondo grape tannins soften, it's light (Sharpham pride themselves on lower alcohol wines), and strangely reminds me of morello cherry yoghurt.

For only £6.95 you get to walk through the delightful vineyards, taste four wines and two cheeses. No need to book but try to get there before the lunch rush. http://www.sharpham.com/