Hencote, Solaris, 2018, Shrewsbury, UK
The UK makes good white wine, excellent sparkling and ok red wine but this Hencote, Solaris from Shrewsbury, that’s up north! Is really good, excellent you could say.
It’s fresh and vibrant with smells and flavours of grapefruit, lemon, lime and a mineral undertone on the taste. There’s acidity there which would pair this well with shellfish.
The fact it come from so far up north is amazing and shows the skill of the wine maker.
Simpsons, Derringstone, Pinot Meunier, 2019, UK
Simpsons, Derringstone, Pinot Meunier from the UK it’s the first pinot meunier that I’ve tasted. Normally this is a great that’s so mixed in sparkling such a champagne, it’s rare to have it on its own and I sort of see why, but I can’t say I disliked it.
There’s lots of pear and apple in this with notes of citrus, grapefruit but also yeasty notes, a creaminess but this a very interesting wine. Slightly thicker in texture and and not much acidity, so I would drink this on its own or with light food. We had it this with a full roast and it probably had a job on its hands keep up with the food, but this is one I would definitely recommend trying.
It’s a shame it’s going to be by about £18 a bottle as this will put a lot of people off.
Camel Valley, Bacchus Dry, 2015, Cornwall, UK
Bacchus is the english grape as Sauvignon Blanc is to New Zealand and its generally good. There are exceptions and this 6 year old Bacchus from Camel Valley in Cornwall is flippin great. 6 Years old and its still fresh, crisp, light in texture but with loads of flavours of citrus, gooseberry, and a hint of elderflower.
This is wine making at it finest and quite frankly at about £15 a bottle its not cheap but there is value here for the quality.
Chet & Waveney, Solaris, 2017, Norfolk, UK
Chet & Waveney is in Norfolk in the UK and has been making wine for a while and for a while its been good stuff. In the last year they have built a new winery and expanded. This white is made with the Solaris grape and while from 2017, its still excellent.
Its light on the nose but has favours of goosebery, lemon, lime and grapefruit with decent length and freshness that you can’t help but want another glass. its not complicated or fussy.
This is what I like about english wine, its just enjoyable.
Hencote, Solaris, 2018, Shropshire, England
English white wine is pretty good and this Solaris from Hencote in the north of England is fresh and clean on the palate. There’s citrus, gooseberry, grass and mineral flavours which are subtle but easy. Thats the best part because you don’t get much in the way of aromas.
The only other bad part is the cost, which at £20 a bottle is far to much. At £10 it would be worth getting.
Vagabond, Ortega, 2018, Oxfordshire, UK
There are some absolutely fantastic English wines but I’m not entirely sure this one made of Ortega grapes can be classed as one.
It’s clear and crisp but it’s very acidic and a little one-dimensional on flavour. There’s lots of lemon with bits of lime coming through but that’s it. This would be really good with seafood as the acidity is very high but we have tried better wines from the UK recently that are worth trying though.
New Hall, Bacchus Fume Reserve, 2016, Essex, UK
New Hall in Essex has been making Bacchus for a long time and they are getting better and better. They make a lot of different wines which can be a little confusing, so its best to pop a long to an open day and sample!
This 4 year old Fume Reserve is light with aromas of elderflower and mellon, flavours of apple, lemon and hints of gooseberry. Its not what you may call sophisticated but it is what you would all wonderful.
At £12 a bottle it’s decent value given the quality you are getting.
Aldi, English Bacchus, Chapel Down, England
Aldi have some great wines at great prices, sure you can look down your nose at them but you will be missing out as this Bacchus made by Chapel Down shows. How do I know this is from Chapel Down, their post code is on the back!
Bacchus is the English/German Sauvignon Blanc. There are aromas of Melon and Gooseberry with additional flavours of citrus and tropical fruit. Its dry, light and refreshing, perfect with asia food, sea food or in the garden on a summers evening enjoying the sun.
At £7.99 per bottle its cheaper than the 6 case price (£60 for 6 bottles) of the branded Chapel Down Bacchus from the vineyard and much cheaper than the £13 per bottle price. Aldi have done it again with a great wine at a great price.
East Anglia can produce some fantastic Bacchus wine and Tuffon Hall is in this category. A wonderful light lemon color with aromas of grass, green apple and hints of pineapple. It’s a light wine in texture and the flavors are subtle with citrus, lemon, pineapple and a creaminess undertone that makes this dry white wine absolutely delicious.
At about £12 a bottle it’s on the money for English wine, which is a shame in some ways as it will put some people off what is an excellent white wine.
Tuffon Hall, Bacchus, 2015, East Anglia, England
From the oldest vineyard in Kent this was my first Ortega white wine.
Its a medium wine in most respects, a fair bit of fruit, peach, apples, a little grapefruit and flora hints. Its got high acidity and has reasonable length. There is better english wine out there, tI would call this a pleasant wine and it was nice to try a different grape. At £12 a bottle is OK value.
Biddenden Vineyards Gribble Bridge, Ortega Dry 2014, Kent, UK