I have previously blogged about trying English Sparkling wine from Stanlake Park, (view here), however I still hadn’t been to the actual vineyard. This all has now changed!
I would suggest that anyone who is learning anything about wine, whether it be English still or sparkling wine, or any Old World or New World wine to go to a vineyard as it just brings all those words written in a book to life! And it’s a lot easier for people to go an English vineyard than hop on a plane and go to Bordeaux or Australia!
Stanlake is perfectly situated for those living in the Reading and nearby areas. You can have a walk around the walled vineyard which is currently displaying some amazing fruit and also contains their one Merlot vine which is tucked away. You can even learn about the different grape varieties as you go around!
You can also taste the wines which obviously I didn’t say no to! I got to try the following:
- Bacchus: “is now a popular English variety becoming widely grown. Bacchus is fresh and crisp with a clean off-dry finish, infused with hints of pineapple. We only grow a small quantity of this delicious grape. A very distinctive taste, great lightly chilled by itself, or with pasta or chicken.”
- Regatta: “is named after the Henley Regatta which takes place only a few miles from our Vineyard. It’s one of the first wines ever made by Stanlake and has been a consistent blend of several of our grape varieties, such as Ortega and Schonburger, to make a dry, crisp, fresh wine, with a clean herbaceous finish. Try it with fresh crab or lobster!”
- Hinton Grove: “is named after the original name of Stanlake Park from the year 1166 - Hinton Pipard. It is an off-dry, aromatic white wine, especially enjoyable with spicy, oriental foods or just by itself. It is made from Madeleine Angevine, Reichensteiner, Schonburger, Wurzer and Ehrenfelser grapes. The most aromatic grapes are picked and fermented separately”.
- Kings Fumé:”is named in honour of King Charles 1st who donated a special window dated 1626 in Stanlake Park. The wine is aged in French Oak casks and has often been compared to a dry, oaked Chardonnay. Enjoyable with or without food. It is made from roughly equal proportions of Ortega, Regner, Scheurebe and Bacchus grapes. Soft vanilla oak and buttery fruit characters are perfectly integrated with hints of fresh garden mint. This wine continues to improve with age and is our top award winner. On the wine list of the Dorchester hotel in London.”
- Pinot Blush: “is named after the famous Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, which together with white grapes such as Ehrenfelser and Scheurebe go to make up a lovely delicate wine with a rose petal bouquet. Blush is increasingly popular all year round - either by itself or with a meal.”
- Ruscombe: “is named after the local church in Ruscombe, where Richard Aldworth III, who lived in Stanlake Park, and founded the Reading Bluecoats School, was buried in 1680. Ruscombe can be enjoyed whenever the need for medium bodied red wine arises. It contains the following grape varieties: Triomphe and Dornfelder. Serve at room temperature.”
- Heritage Brut: “is a quality sparkling wine which undergoes a secondary fermentation in bottle and is then left stored on its yeast lees for at least 18 months - the ‘traditional method’ of making sparkling wine. It is made from grapes such as Seyval Blanc, Muller Thurgau, Reichenstein and Pinot Meunier. It has a rich bouquet complimented by a creaminess on the palate. A light bodied sparkling wine that is crisp, dry and refreshing. A perfect bottle of bubbly!”
As every wine drinker knows it is not possible to just try wines, they must also be purchased so a clinked out of the Cellar shop with a bottle of the Regatta and Hinton Grove. It was tough to choose though as honestly all the wines were good and could easily stand up against any other countries wine. So why not get behind the British wine makers and start drinking British!
If you are in the London area you can pick up some Chapel Down wines in certain Majestic Wine stores.