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| Attitudes mature to English
wine |
English wines are increasing in quality
all the time, so why is it so hard to find them in supermarkets?
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A Sussex vineyard
One of Carr Taylor’s distinctinve labels
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WHEN Hugh Johnson published the first edition of his book Wine
in 1966, there were three commercial vineyards in England. Johnson
attributed this as much to “the number of…birds that are
fond of grapes” as to climate, tradition or geology.
Today there are about 300 vineyards in England and Wales, of which
about 100 sell wine to the public. Yet only about six of these produce
wine that can be found in supermarkets, department stores or the
larger hotels. So are English wines still no more than an oddity?
We put this question to Alex Carr Taylor, who runs the family vineyard
outside Hastings. He accepts that English wine is yet to become
“a respected product in its own right”. But, within the
last five years, he detects “a gradual and subtle easing up
of attitudes”. A number of changes is at work. Alex said: “A
lot has to do with sparkling wines because they have shown consistent
quality. But it’s also coupled with a change in attitude to
the second generation of English winemakers, who have a much more
market-oriented view.’
Carr Taylor is known for its four sparkling wines, priced between
£9.95 and £17.95. But there’s more to Alex’s
15 hectares. His father started the vineyard in 1971, helped by
a German winemaker living in Kent, and the first grapes were pressed
in 1975. These were based on four German grape varieties including
gutenborner, hardly grown elsewhere but consistently good on this
site.
In 1985 Alex, still in his teens, cut his teeth on the first sparkling
wine to be produced by the Méthode Champenoise in Britain.
Their quality has helped to put English wines on the map, nowhere
more than in Sussex where soil and geology resemble those of northern
France’s Champagne region. But he also produces a range of
nine fruit wines, sold in half litre bottles at £4.95 (11.5
per cent). These can be poured over ice cream, mixed with tonics
or sparkling wine, made into cocktails, eaten with cheese or even
added to gravy.
Alex is currently maturing grapes picked in September and October
for three white and one rosé table wine (priced £5.50
to £6.95), which will be available early in 2006. We were
given tank samples of the three whites. Tasting these we predict
good prospects for all three, particularly the ‘1066’
(£5.50) medium dry white, which will contain more of the gutenborner
than was in this year’s fermentation.
‘Medium’ is perhaps a little misleading: this is likely
to be a strong and distinctive wine with a freshness that reaches
right into the palate.
The rosé is a blend of pinot noir and dornfelder grapes.
Pinot noir is produced in hot summers like 2003 when acidity and
sugar levels “are just about right”.
The last three to four years have seen an increase in natural sugar
levels, so we might see pinot noir produced soon on a regular basis.
The struggle English wine producers have had up to now in making
whites may turn to their advantage in producing good pinot noir.
Carr Taylor is no sideshow. The combination of still, sparkling
and fruit wines exploits the natural advantages of what is, after
all, the ‘garden of England’. Moreover, the philosophy
that as much as possible of the character of the grape finds its
way into the bottle without too much interference from the wine
maker, seems right to us.
Alex says you have to know when to intervene, which implies also
knowing when to leave well alone.
Developing English wines has been a hard and lengthy process. Marketing
them has proved, if anything, more difficult. These clean tasting,
fresh and satisfying wines deserve to be more widely available.
It’s time to consider a regional distribution network.
You’ll find Alex’s wines at the Food and Wine Show at
Olympia between December 2 and 4. We also recommend visiting the
vineyard as part of a day out to Hastings. In the meantime Carr
Taylor will take orders via email on sales@carr-taylor.co.uk
or on 01424 752501. Their website can be accessed at www.carr-taylor.co.uk |
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WHEN Hugh Johnson published the first edition of his book Wine in
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