produced by Chapel Down

Still fighting for its share of voice outside of the UK, English wine has become a well-known commodity locally and most will have at least sampled a bottle of the country’s most distinguished legacy in the category, English Sparkling Wine - very possibly a bottle of Chapel Down’s English Sparkling Wine at that.

Chapel Down has vineyards across Kent and is the largest producer of English Sparkling Wine. Its brand is well-known to English wine drinkers and it is a great place to start for newcomers due to accessibility (it’s one of a few British wine producers that is stocked in most major UK supermarkets).

Much like in Champagne, English wineries create sparkling wine using Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes with the traditional method - a process where a second fermentation allows wine to age on the ‘lees’ (dead yeast) for a time before the sediment is encouraged into the neck of the bottle then removed. It’s largely romanticised due to the skill required to manually complete the process and major sparkling wine producers, like Chapel Down, will take the time to explain the manual technique to visitors. However, today the traditional method relies more on machinery than skilled labourers.

While the combination of grapes often mimic Champagne, English Sparkling Wine more commonly gives Chardonnay the leading role in the blend, whereas French winemakers tend to favour Pinot Noir. With a milder flavour profile, Chardonnay is much more influenced by winemaking and in the case of the traditional method this means that the wine can more easily take on “yeasty” flavours like brioche, toast and pastry.

A good example of this Chardonnay-forward sparkling wine is Chapel Down’s ‘Three Graces 2016’, which we had the pleasure of sampling at the vineyard. It comes at a higher price point than their more well known ‘Brut NV’, due to an additional 18 months ageing on the lees as well as a proportion of barrel fermented wine in the blend that adds to the body, or mouth-feel.

Both wines have full malolactic fermentation in common, which is a process that allows sharper acidic flavours to be rounded into creamy and buttery notes in the wine - although the addition of ‘Pinot Blanc’, while small, retains a little more of that high acidity which makes any sparkling wine the perfect antidote to deep fried foods.

Perhaps predictably, Chapel Down also has a range of still wines from Bacchus (a German grape which has become synonymous with English wine), and a sparkling, in its range. Well aware of the limits that come with growing vines in England, their range is yet to feature a notable still red. Instead, their ‘Great Minds Drink Alike’ collection looks to European producers for full-bodied reds, sourced by head winemaker Josh Donaghay-Spire.

Chardonnay vines at Chapel Down Vineyard

Roses at Chapel Down Vineyard as a symbol of tradition. They are sometimes used as an early warning system for growers - they attract aphids and fungal diseases before the vines.

The walled Herb Garden at Chapel Down is available as a wedding venue.

Leaf growth in mid-May on single guyot trained vines at Chapel Down Vineyard

Leaf growth in mid-May on a single guyot trained vine at Chapel Down Vineyard

Traditional Method Riddling, wine bottles are facing down to encourage dead yeast cells into the neck of the bottle. They are turned over time to help with this encouragement and then the neck of the bottle is frozen so the dead yeast can be disgorged before a dosage is added and the cork is inserted into the bottle.

The Swan Restaurant, Chapel Down Vineyard

For more on vineyards producing British Wines read produced by Tillingham & produced by Black Chalk. Otherwise, you can check out ‘Vineyards of Britain’ in our book club selects to find more recommendations for English & Welsh Vineyards/Wineries.