Next up is England!
England has a long history with wine as grapevines were first introduced by the Romans over 2000 years ago. Please note that some of the wines in the “Around the World in Seven Days of Sparkling Wine” were provided to me as trade samples.
In 1662 Christopher Merret, an English physician and scientist, documented secondary fermentation in his paper “Some Observations Concerning the Ordering of Wines” to the Royal Society.
However, commercial production didn’t take off until the 1960-70s. Now 65% of all wine made in England is sparkling. As a result Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are the most planted grape varieties.
The majority of wine production is in the Southeast of England and Kent, known as the “Garden of England,” is the largest wine-producing county.
This brings us to today’s featured sparkling wine, Chapel Down NV.
Chapel Down winery is located in Tenterden and is Kent’s oldest commercial vineyard and one of England’s largest wine producers.
Chapel Down NV is a blend of 48% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir, 5% Pinot Meunier, 5% Pinot Blanc (The same grape varieties that are allowed in Champagne.) The grapes are sourced from vineyards in Kent, Essex, East Sussex and Dorset.
This sparkling wine is made in the traditional method, which has been aged an average of 18 months on the lees. The dosage is 8.5g/l which makes it a brut sparkling wine.
Chapel Down NV had notes of apple, citrus and a hint of toast. The bubbles were very fine and initially very active.
This was my first time trying wine from England and I was not disappointed.
I look forward to visiting Chapel Down Winery and English Wine Country one day.
