ENGLISH WINE WEEK

Celebrating Local With Lyme Bay Winery

By Angela Mount

There’s nothing like celebrating local, or even national success in the world of wine, and what better time to do this, than in English Wine Week.  There may still be a few wine lovers out there who aren’t entirely convinced of the credentials of English sparkling wine, but please do read on. English Sparkling wines are world class. Fact.

The growth in reputation and sales of English wines, and English Sparkling wines in particular, over the last 5 years has been nothing short of phenomenal, with demand soaring off the rictus scale.  From Her Majesty showcasing English fizz at state dinners, to Wills and Kate’s wedding celebrations, English wines have come of age, and rightly so.

Zoom back in time 15 years, and English wines, in their humble, artisanal, and experimental format, wilted apologetically in the wake of their far more famous European counterparts. Today English wines stand proud, and, particularly for sparkling wines, are right up there, on the world stage, winning international awards, and now producing over 5 million bottles per year.

It’s even better when the wines come from your own neck of the woods, in this case, the West Country. The Axe Valley in Devon, to be specific; the Lyme Bay Winery.  Lyme Bay was originally set up in 1992, as a cider and mead producer.  Today, whilst still producing these traditional drinks, Lyme Bay is creating waves on the wine scene, with its range of still and sparkling wines.  The team have recently been rewarded with a flurry of awards both at the International Wine Challenge, the world’s most meticulously judged wine competition and at the Sommelier wine awards, where its Classic Cuvee won one of only 5 prestigious gold medals handed out to English sparkling wines.  But the downside with English fizz is the limited production, for all sorts of reasons – scale, and of course our intemperent weather, which this year has caused considerable damage to the vines due to late frosts. So when you see these award-winning wines, snap them up quick, quantity is limited.

I recently tasted through the Lyme Bay range, and the awards they have won are well justified.  The Lyme Bay Classic Cuvee (was £26.50 now £25.00) is a blend of classic Champagne grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with an enticing, creamy richness of flavours, yet balanced by a delicate citrus, green apple and greengage freshness.  It’s absolutely spot on with seafood; if you’re Bath-based or relatively local, head over to the Terrace at the Abbey Hotel, where they are featuring this sparkling delight with a seafood extravaganza every Friday evening on their terrace between 6 and 9pm throughout the Summer.  I sauntered down for the launch last week (fizz and seafood? What girl could resist?), and tucked in to a swooningly delicious selection of seafood bites, all served, on  beautifully elegant 3 tiered afternoon tea stands.  Luscious mouthfuls of tender lobster and sweet mango; creamy crab salad on crunchy, baked pitta bread; tangy crayfish in a bloody mary sauce served in crisp baby gem lettuce leaves; an audacious placing of the freshest of sardines balanced on a triple cooked fat chip with chilli and garlic; a palate-tingling tempter of scallop, lime and coriander ceviche; and finally for oyster addicts, such as me, the saline, mouthwatering freshness of oysters with rhubarb and shallot vinaigrette.  It’s my new Friday evening go to. Seafood and fizz heaven.

Back to the wines.  My favourite from the Lyme Bay range is the Lyme Bay Blanc de Noirs 2014 (was £26.50 now £25.00), winner of a coveted International Wine Challenge Silver medal. This is serious stuff, super-elegant, lively and poised with an incredible freshness about it, full of bright red berry fruit and citrus, with a green apple tang and true purity of flavour.

The third sparkling wine is the range is Lyme Bay Sparkling Rose 2014 (was £26.50 now £25.00), a delicately pale, purely Pinot Noir blend, which wafts aromas of rosehips, tangerine peel and cranberries. Taste it, and enjoy its delicacy and brightness; it’s fruity, refreshing, and brimming with summer berry flavours – entrancing in its elegance.

The other unique thing about Lyme Bay is what great value they provide – I’m used to tasting award-winning English sparkling wines that are in the mid £30s price range; I was amazed to find out that these are on average £10 cheaper, but really deliver on flavour and style.

But English wine isn’t just about fizz; vineyards in southern England have been producing still wines for years, which are now starting to gain recognition, generally using Germanic grapes, which suit our volatile climate.  Bacchus, Seyval Blanc and Reichensteiner may not be grape names that trip off the tongue easily, but are increasingly gaining recognition for producing great wines in the UK. Lyme Bay are keen to pioneer English still wines, alongside the international success of sparkling wine, and start to build a similar reputation.  If the Lyme Bay Shoreline 2015 (was £14.95 now £13.95) is anything to go by, they’re on the right tracks. Another award-winner, it’s a vibrant and mouth-wateringly fresh dry white, with floral and citrus character, with a zesty tang that just cries out for seafood, picnics, or just a chill out afternoon in the sun.

For a business that only moved into wine in 2008, and produced its first wine in 2014, the achievements are nothing short of spectacular. If you’ve never tried English wine before, this is the time to do it.