English Wine Week is an annual nine-day campaign taking place during the early summer when vineyards are in full bloom. It’s a chance to celebrate our wines and producers – connecting wineries directly with consumers and highlighting local restaurants, wine bars and bottle shops that choose to showcase English wine.

To celebrate at NORD this year, our Sommelier Charlotte took a trip to Henners Vineyard in East Sussex, before hosting our own English wine tasting in the private dining room.

Henners Vineyard Visit

After a very early start, a train to London, a two hour coach ride and a couple of hastily-consumed pastries: we arrived at Henners, in the historic town of Herstmonceux. It was gloriously sunny, and we were immediately greeted with glasses of Henners Brut NV,  which were very well received after a warm & sleepy journey. We walked through the vineyard, as head-winemaker Collette discussed the English wine industry as a whole and vineyard management. I loved how Collette spoke about producing wines that feel inherently ‘English’: inspired by Champagne in terms of fermentation and technique, but that have their own identity. She spoke about wanting a fresher, leaner style of sparkling wine, with a mineral edge that speaks of their proximity to the sea. Wine that is reminiscent of English produce: orchard fruits, bright green apples, soft pears, gooseberries, elderflower and fennel. For the rose’s: summer berries. Fresh strawberries and raspberries, delicate rose and jammy blackberries. Nigel, sommelier for Boutinot also managed to top up my glass a fair few times during this portion of the day.

We then entered the winery. I think for me the most significant part of the visit was actually seeing the scale of production. Whilst very impressive, and having recently expanded, the winery is still quite compact and just shows how small-scale and artisanal the production is. I knew before the visit that England’s entire wine production equates to around 16.5 million bottles per year. For context, Champagne produces around 320 million, with 30 million being produced by just Moet Hennessey. Essentially, our entire industry is smaller than just one champagne house! Henners produces around 100,000 bottles per year, but seeing this in person really put it into perspective for me just how small that is.

We then had a guided tasting, where we tried their 2018 vintage, new Blanc de Noir release, rose & Gardner Street Classic Bacchus blend. At this point, all of the bottles were opened and free pouring of any and all wines was encouraged. Groups broke off to play football or sit in the sun with their chosen bottle, and before long we were all loaded back onto the coach for the journey back to London. With a fair few bottles of fizz to entertain us, of course.

Back to the Restaurant: English Wine Tasting

Returning to the restaurant with a fresh perspective on English wines – we began to share this experience and knowledge with guests; opening up the private dining room to host an intimate tasting.

I personally really enjoy showcasing English wines and choose to list them at NORD for a range of reasons. Firstly, we use mainly local produce in the kitchen at NORD, collaborating with local producers and suppliers like Edge & Sons Butchers and Growing @ Field 28. It feels quite fitting to also list wines which follow that trend and feel ‘local’, although there’s no scouse wineries. The quality of English wine is also fantastic, and I think it really can surprise people. Guests often have a preconception of what English wine can be – and so I love to introduce people to wines that challenge those notions.

We started with Oxney’s Brut NV on arrival, before tasting Henner’s 2018 Vintage. We talked a lot about the use of reserve wines and the production of a house ‘style’. I am an absolute nerd for learning about all the intricate details of vinification and in particular how wineries choose to tackle any challenges, like inconsistencies in weather or fruit. Use of reserve wines allows producers to blend across multiple vintages and have a consistent quality product, no matter the weather. Speaking of things that are a touch more unusual, or challenge our guests – we tasted a Cornish ‘pet-nat’ cider, made using the méthode ancestrale and disgorged. Followed by Oxney’s Woodhouse Pinot – Pinot noir and Pinot precoce aged in a solera system! Again, another way to work across multiple harvests and produce a cool climate red with amazing depth. All punctuated by some gorgeous canapes throughout.

We finished with a British-made amaro, Dispense, distilled with distinctly British botanicals and hops. I’m really into my amaro and digestifs – it’s one of the first things I added to the list when I started at NORD, and again – having a British version just feels right at home next to our menu. Since this was the first tasting we’ve run in the private dining room, I wanted to thank everyone for attending – and so as a little send off, we poured some English sambuca.

We’ll be hosting more tastings like this – with the next taking place on Thursday 27th August. We’ll be exploring all things light and chilled reds, and I am super excited about the line-up! If you’d like to join us, please head to Eventbrite to secure your seat. With more wine tastings in the planning!

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