The launch of our Summer Drinks List at the end of this month (the 27th to be exact!) is a monumental one for us here at Peach. For the first time ever we are featuring an English sparkling wine!
The production of English wines has been on a steep incline the last few years, with most wineries having chosen to focus mainly on sparkling, after discovering it’s best suited to our not so hot climate, where grapes do not ripen as fully as on the continent, and the band of soil in the south is the same as the Champagne region.
Hattingley Valley is a key player in this revolution and the producer we have chosen to feature in our 17 pubs with its 2013 Classic Cuvée. Following a successful career as a lawyer in the big smoke, Simon Robinson established Hattingley Valley in 2008, with the first 28 acre south-facing vineyard being planted in May of that year, and the first crop being harvested in 2010. This crop was enough to produce 25000 bottles of wine, but after much expansion in recent years, production has now increased to 60000 bottles of the 2013 Classic Cuvée alone! Today, the winemaking team is led by Emma Rice and Jacob Leadley, who both studied at Plumpton. In the short time since they launched, they have racked up some incredible awards, with possibly the most prestigious one being for their 2011 Rosé, which won Best Vintage Sparkling Rosé. A phenomenal accolade.
The 2013 Classic Cuvée, along with all other wines Hattingley produce, is the culmination of years of preparation, and meticulous blending of grapes. Spending eight months on their fermentation lees, 12 months ageing in the bottle spending ‘time on lees’, and finally approximately two months in cork before being ready for sale. The final wine is a blend of Chardonnay (48%), Pinot Noir (33%), Pinot Meunier (17%) and a tiny hint of Pinot Gris (2%).
We can say from experience that this sparking wine is not just as good as those from Champagne, but better, and the perfect summer drink to whet your whistle.