i just spent a day of total bliss in the english wine areas south of london. starting in surrey. traveling east towards sussex and finishing up in kent. and with the english sun entertaining us once again with temperatures in the high twenties it was a superb day to be out sorcing wines and searching for wines of noble birth. the english have never be recognised as a wine producing country per se. but i beg to differ. especially after one visit in particular today. i mighty not agree with some of the cultivars that are planted. most of them german and very aromatic. i dont see these cultivars making big waves. however. the english certainly have something to offer in the bubbly sector. and it is here where i tasted a piece of heaven today. at a small family owned estate in a small village called dithcling common in sussex called ridgeview wine estate. winemaker simon roberts was kind enough to squeeze us into his busy schedule. and we joyfully tasted through his range of bubblies with him. the sublime flavours and finesse that his wines expressed was phenomenal. the elegance and freshness was apparent. while the diversity in his range was exquisite. i truely salute his craftsmanship and having spent the last three years of my life tasting the top bubblies around the world his efforts rate in my top 5. so to simon and his team - a heartly congratulations. if you are ever down in the that neck of the woods do yourself a favour and stop for a taste of magic at ridgeview. for the rest of the english wines. i have tasted some interesting wines. a lot of pleasant aromas. but i am still not as impressed by the still wines as i have been by the standard of english sparkling wine...and in particular ridgeview. i am not surprised that the french president recently on a visit to britian mistook the heavenly bubbles of ditchling with their own from hautvillers...
No comments:
Post a Comment