Until very recently, I had never tasted an English wine, let alone taste a Sussex wine! But I got the opportunity on a cold morning last month, when Dave and I visited Bookers Vineyard. Located in a very picturesque spot near Bolney in West Sussex, the vineyard is only a 30 min drive for us and you know how I love local producers! We arrived on a fairly dreary day but it didn’t matter as we were looking forward so much to our visit.
We joined a party of about thirty others and followed Duncan as he showed us around the vineyard, winery and bottlery. All the while, he gave us the benefit of his vast knowledge in the history of English wine and I learnt so much about wine-making itself. Duncan explained how the vineyard’s location decides very much which grape varieties are chosen and why English wine had such a distinct flavour apart from other wines. Duncan’s tour was really superb, he told us all about the story behind Bookers, how the vineyard was created, how it has expanded and how everything is maintained with today’s expertise and technology.
The visit culminated in the tasting of a variety of Bookers award-winning wines. I’m a red wine girl myself but I was delighted by the freshness of the white Pinot Gris and the Barts Rose sparkly was an absolute hit with me. I’m not a fan of dry sparkling wines but the Rose was slightly sweeter and reminded me of cream soda. very drinkable indeed! I had thought of English wine with some scepticism but I was pleasantly surprised. I found these Sussex wines much lighter than their meditteranean cousins, but no less fruity and vibrant. The tasting also enables you to buy wines which you’ve tasted and enjoyed, so we came away with a bottle of Pinot Gris and another of the Pinot Noir. Luckily I wasn’t too tipsy, otherwise we would have bought a lot more!
Finally, to top off a wonderful morning, we had a ploughmans lunch of the most delicious local produce, including hand made cheeses from High Weald Dairy, just a few miles away in Haywards Heath. The cheeses were so good, I am planning to write an article just about them!
I was fascinated and delighted to discover such an outstanding wine producer, so local to me and I can’t encourage you enough to visit them! I am already planing to return later in the year, to fully appreciate the vines in their full leaf and fruit glory. In the meantime, check out all the photos we took of our lovely morning at Booker Vineyard.
If you are interested in visiting Bookers Vineyard, take a look at their website for full tour info and directions.
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