Oxney Organic Estate Rosé Brut NV, Sussex

Poor old Wiston – not Winston; I think I have mentioned his dire fate on numerous occasions, if not dosn't really matter - is still rotting away in a veritable dungeon in the persumed, alleged and very formal intellectual heavens of mankind – I know that's really cryptic – and I am not sure if I will be able to free him in the foreseeable future! Hence, I need to go for an adequate substitute in my rather fizzy year 2021. A fizzy year without some British bubbles wouldn't be complete, I suppose. That's why I sent my tongue out to East Sussex to Englands oldest and largest organic winery: Oxney Estate! The quite juvenile Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Seyval Blanc vines for today's Rosé Brut NV have been cultivated on Tunbridge Wells sand, which is a fine sand and silt loam above clay bedrock, just a few miles north the English Channel alongside the border to Kent. Sound quite fine and champange'ish to me so far. Well, sure about this old school proto hybrid-grape – so to speak - Seyval Blanc … whatever, let's give it a try ...

"Pinot weit weg" goes Prowein ... inkl. ein wenig Koshu

Nach gar nicht so wenigen Jahren der Abwesenheit hat es mich endlich mal wieder auf die Prowein verschlagen! Da habe ich mir gedacht: eine gute Gelegenheit viele potentiell interessante „Pinots weit weg“ probieren zu können! Leider, wie nicht selten bei solchen Großmessen, gab es viel Schatten und nur all zu wenige Lichtstrahlen, die sich durch die Wolkendecke der pinot'igen Belanglosigkeit  hindurch kämpfen konnten.

Sparkling from England (don't be afraid): Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2000

 
I simply can't write too much about this sparkling wine. Try it, if you have a chance to do so. It consists of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, which I think by the way is a very adequate mixture. The perlage was very well and quite noisy. The mousse was just magnificent. I hardly can remember a better one (slight exagg.) . The taste itself was wonderful and almost sublime, too. The concentration was very dense, which provided this very fizz a rather strong body. Only the acid was slightly too strong. Just try it. I think it was a really great fizz. Unfortunately you will have problems to get it outside the UK. I assume in the future it won't be so difficult anymore, because the winery is about to enlarge their vineyards. I wonder if they can maintain this high level quality in a substantially lager company. I very much hope so!