The English wine industry is booming and Sussex’s Wiston Estate is at the fore, writes Nick Mosley.
You’d be hard pressed to visit a pub never mind a restaurant in Sussex without seeing at least one English wine on the list. And, I’d say if you do find one then ask the manager why as its not exactly hard to come by with listings at all the major UK distributors meaning even the chains can share the love.
In January I did a bit of a road trip of Sussex wineries and vineyards with a colleague from the Netherlands who was less than familiar with what English wine actually is never mind what it tastes like. I thought where better to start than with my mate Tom Flint at Wiston Estate in Washington, a short cab hop to the north of Worthing. I met Tom about a decade ago when I was managing the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival, and he’s undoubtably one of the biggest champions of Sussex food, drink and hospitality I’ve met so its great to see him with his feet firmly amongst the Wiston vines.
Wiston Estate’s vineyards are part of the Goring family’s vast 6,000 acres of livestock and arable farmland and protected downland that have been under their stewardship since the mid 1700s. Located at the southern end of the wider estate, the vineyard benefits from south facing slopes, a relatively mild climate and the thin, chalky soils that vines thrive on. Unlike me, to maximise their fruitiness the vines need to be stressed.
To kick things off, we had a quick whip around the closest field for a look at the vines. What with it being January they appeared as sorry rows of rather uninspiring sticks but they need a good winter snooze before the magic starts to happen again in the spring.
Planting at Wiston is focussed on the classic Champagne grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Southern England shares a lot of the geological and climate characteristics – ‘terroir’ – of the famous wine producing region around Reims and Épernay.
Onwards to the winery where our host-with-the-most Tom explained how in the autumn the juice from the grapes is extracted on Wiston’s traditional Coquard press – a rather hefty medieval looking device that is used in the French Champagne region and one of the few of its kind in England.
The grape juice is then drained to either stainless steel tanks or oak barrels on the floor below. This is where the primary fermentation takes place with the metal tanks preserving the crisp acidity of the grapes that is perfect for non-vintage sparkling wine, whilst the oak barrels allow the juice to take on the qualities of the wood which is great for more complex wines and blending.
As with French Champagne – and Spanish Cava – the second fermentation happens in the bottle with the addition of yeast and sugar to create those all important bubbles. Typically a non-vintage sparkling wine is ‘on the lees’ for 18 months with the dead yeast cells providing the quintessential biscuity and nutty flavour profile.
Before the bottles head out of the winery to retail and hospitality business, they are riddled in mechanical crates to gently move the yeast to the neck of the bottle which is then rapidly frozen and disgorged before – if necessary – a dosage of additional wine and sugar is added. It’s then corked and caged and on the road to English wine lovers around the world.
Finally, it was on to the tasting room to sample some of Wiston’s award-winning sparkling wine. The best-selling brut is an accessible, classic non-vintage with a profile of green apple, lemon and buttery notes. Its a real crowd-pleaser but my personal favourite has always been the non-vintage rosé that is packed with red fruit flavours and a pleasing acidity; perfect to accompany a lazy summer afternoon yet also robust enough to accompany dishes such as English game or even a classy serving of fish and chips.
Like many of the larger vineyards and wineries in England, Wiston has diversified to create additional revenue streams alongside more opportunities for visitors to experience their wines and the wider journey of the industry. The old flint barns – once home to turkeys – are now home now only to the winery and cellar but also a rather impressive shop with cellar door tastings, a more formal tasting room and the stunning Chalk restaurant.
Although by this stage I was somewhat clock-watching as we had a further appointment, we managed to sample a couple of dishes including perennial favourite cured salmon white beetroot, horseradish and dill. I enjoyed this last year at a tasting dinner and its a well-balanced, multilayered dish that partners incredibly well with bubbles.
The estate also offers accommodation, regular cultural events, walking paths and – of course – guided tours to allow visitors to get really under the skin of growing and wine production.
The quality and increasingly recognisable English wine style really is testament to the growing talent of those growing the grapes, blending and aging the wines and also marketing the product locally, nationally and internationally. Today, the UK has close to 11,000 acres under vine and over 1,000 growing vineyards so its a phenomenal success story particularly in the farming sector. It isn’t hard to imagine that in another 20 years time, huge swathes of the south of England will be planted with row after row of vines.
Wiston Estate has long been one of my personal favourite English vineyards. The location in a bucolic rolling valley is beautiful, the locally-produced food menu offering of Chalk is second-to-none and the wines – whether vintage or non-vintage – scream not only finesse but are also demonstrate the skill and passion of the Wiston team. Make a date for a tour and enjoy the best of Sussex in a glass.
Nick Mosley
Wiston Estate, North Farm, Washington, West Sussex RH20 4BB
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