04/01/2021
What with 2021 just getting started, and hopefully the end of the Corona Virus in sight.... at last, it means we can get back to some form of "normality". For me this usually means eating delicious food and drinking some rather tasty grape juice too.
I made a number of discoveries in 2020 (despite a few obvious restrictions), that really made me think heavily about what we are drinking and how it's all made.
As I've made pretty clear, I'm a huge advocate for anything "local", Organic, Biodynamic and Natural, and there certainly are plenty to choose from within this remit at the moment. Most are small family ran Domaines, with a real sense of place, character and are full of nothing but good juice to drink.
Davenport Vineyards, Horsmonden Dry White, 2018
This delicious blend of Ortega, Bacchus, Siegerrebe, Faber and Huxelrebe, has been produced consistently every year since 1993. Will Davenport has been well known for producing wines using Organic methods since 2000, with 24 acres planted to 9 grape varieties. The vineyards are grown mostly at Horsmonden in Kent, and a much smaller vineyard next to the winery in Rotherfield, East Sussex too.
10% of this wine was fermented in large oak Foudres (barrels), giving the wine a much more rounded feel. The wine is unfiltered and produces a small amount of sediment - not that there's anything wrong with that!!!
Its a dry, zesty number, full of fresh gooseberries, zesty grapefruits and a steely minerality. Utterly delicious. A great alternative to those who enjoy their New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.
Available from www.grapebritannia.co.uk for £14.99
Be sure to check them out at www.davenportvineyards.co.uk
Another rather cheeky discovery was a Shiraz from Australia.
Free Run Juice, Samurai Shiraz, South Australia, 2019
Based down in South Australia, Free Run Juice produce outstanding natural wines under their own label, but also allow small vineyards to produce wines using their facilitates. They believe in sustainability and very high quality for a reasonable price.
This isn't your classic aussie Shiraz. This wine is a "low-intervention" take on a classic style. Its very ripe, full of rich, dark fruits, with this lively crunchy texture too. It has seen a small amount of oak influence giving it texture without that overripe jammy flavour you can often get from a Shiraz. Fantastic with hearty dishes as the weather seems to be getting colder and the nights are drawing in.
Available from Buon Vino www.buonvino.co.uk for £9.95