Yesterday we had the joy of hosting a table at the Cambridge Wine Fair, showcasing seven of our fabulous English wines. We thought we would run you through the favourite tipples of the day.
The event was hosted at the Clayton Hotel in Cambridge and organised by Cambridge Wine School. We were surrounded by other local wine businesses including our friends at Saffron Grange, Thorne Wines and The Wine Rooms. With so many fabulous wines on offer from all corners of the world – such as Brazil, Slovenia and Romania – we were overwhelmed by customers’ enthusiasm for English wine. Everyone in the room was keen to learn more about the wines of our homeland and, most importantly, to get some of the precious liquid into their glasses.
The Favourites:
Sparkling:
If I’m completely honest, I thought most people would favour the Simpsons. Made from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay, this is the classic English fizz we’ve all come to know, love, and respect.
But the Giffords Hall really gave it a run for its money yesterday. Many customers preferred the brightness and crisp green apple notes in the Giffords Hall Brut, while others favoured the fuller-bodied and more complex Simpsons Chalklands.
In conclusion: both are fabulous sparklings, suitable for different people and occasions.
White:
The Sussex Reserve by Nutbourne Vineyards was one of the wines of the day. This fabulous Riesling-style field blend of Germanic grape varieties knocked people’s socks off.
Powerful aromatics on the nose had this wine jumping out of the glass at you, yet it was surprisingly restrained on the palate — that was the consensus from our taste testers. At only £14 a bottle, this is one of the best-value English still wines out there.
We also had great feedback for the Giffords Hall Madeleine Angevine. Much more subtle next to the Nutbourne, its gentle notes of grapefruit and blossom had customers commenting, “This is just far too easy to drink.”
I can’t see the problem with that!
Rosé:
Another 50/50 split between these two pale Rosés: Simpsons Railway Hill, 100% Pinot Noir Rosé, versus Folc, a blend of seven grape varieties.
Folc won the hearts of our Provence drinkers — it’s as pale as Rosé gets, subtle in fruit character and bone dry.
Simpsons won over many with its concentration of bright Pinot Noir red fruit and a little more texture than the Folc.
Red:
We only displayed one red — “Let’s not try to compete with a room full of bold reds from Spain, Portugal, and France,” we thought.
Oh, how wrong we were.
Riverview Pinot Noir was our wine of the day!
Everyone was so excited to get a splash of English rouge in their glass, and Riverview did not disappoint.
Made from grapes grown in the warmest part of the country and aged in Burgundy oak barrels, this Pinot Noir shows everything you would expect from a fabulous Volnay, but British!
If you’re looking for top-quality English red, this is your wine.
Thank You
We would like to thank Mark at Cambridge Wine School for asking us to be part of this event. It was great to wave the flag for English wine, and we can’t wait for the next one.
Couldn’t make it to the fair?
No problem — you can shop all the wines we showcased online with us.
Use the code SHOW10 at checkout before the end of May to get 10% off your order.
Perfect time to discover (or re-stock) your new favourites!
Do you have a wine or food fair near you? Get in touch and let us know where you’d like to see us next.
We can’t wait to meet more of you at our next pop-up tasting table, wherever that may be.