I read somewhere recently that, due to global warming, by the end of this century England, rather than Italy, Spain, or France, will have the ideal climate for making wine. Isnt that crazy? I must admit that, until we arrived, I hadnt really given much though to english wine... probably because its pretty hard to come by in small-town mid-western america. But now that Im here, and thanks to the locally-sourced wine list at our local pub (The Kings Head), Im excited to start trying it! Obviously, Im only just learning about it, but so far, these are on my list:
I love Gewurztraminer but in my experience, a good (ie, dry) one is hard to find. Its also very unusual for this grape to be grown outside its native Alsace region, and almost never in England, so by that fact alone, Im intrigued. This wine is meant to be dry, spicy, and fragrant.
The Bacchus grape, from which this wine is made, is apparently the UKs answer to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, so it ought to be pretty zingy. Its known for its flintiness and its gooseberry/elederflower notes, and sounds so so delish!
Summertime is Rose season and this one sounds like the best of the bunch. Its a still version based on the classic champagne blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier, and is dry, rich, complex, and redcurrant-y. Yum.
Made from Dornfelder and Rondo grapes, which Ive never even heard of, this wine has won several awards, for what its worth. Its smokey, learthery, and tannic, and apparently reminiscent of a young burgundy.
Brightwell Vineyard has a lot of wines Id like to try, but Im particularly interested in the Oxford Regatta. Also an award-winner, this clean and light red, made chiefly from Dornfelder grapes, is supposed to be a good example of how English wine making has improved over the years. Whatever that means? But it does sound good...
No comments:
Post a Comment