It would have been scurrilous for an English wine enthusiast (or ‘vinthusiast’ even) not to enthuse about English wine from time to time! So, here goes …
I haven’t really paid English wine (by which I mean both wine made from grapes grown in England and wine made in England from grapes imported from elsewhere) very much attention until very recently and have been more than pleasantly surprised.
This first post about English wine focuses on wine produced in England from grapes grown elsewhere and the particular example I have personal experience of is wine produced by urban winery, Renegade London Wine, based in Bethnal Green in the East End of London, established in 2016. Other than the growing of the grapes, the rest of the process of making the wine occurs in their premises in London.
Instagram really is a wonderful thing: that is how I discovered this little gem of a producer. I ordered some Chardonnay (grown in Lombardy, Italy), Sauvignon Blanc (grown in Bordeaux, France) and Pinot Noir (also grown in Lombardy, Italy). The bottles are pretty funky, each one having a label that features a London landmark and each has a matching coloured wax seal (it’s a girl thing!). That doesn’t detract from the wine itself. The Chardonnay is all citrus and melon with a slightly creamy finish. The Sauvignon Blanc (our favourite) is super fresh, citrussy and has a subtle hint of minerality. The Pinot Noir is dark fruit, spice and has medium tannins. These wines really are an exemplar of what can be achieved in the most unexpected of places and better still, if you’re in their ‘hood, you can visit and taste their wines on site. They even put on a few special events too …