Jo
FOOD + DRINK
UK FIRST AS BIDDENDEN VINEYARDS RELEASE STILL GEWÜRZTRAMINER
On The Grapevine
In England , our climate is marginal , which means that we can ’ t rely on the weather to give us what we need to ripen our grapes consistently . In Kent , we have more sunshine than any other county , but it ’ s still a bit dicey at times .
As I write , it ’ s nearing the end of August and I am blissfully happy that we have had some bursts of great sunshine following July ’ s little warm patches that were not enough to allow all the flowers to pollinate and form grape berries . The issue with sporadic sunshine is that in some vineyards the yields may be affected and our harvest could be light . Last year we had an extraordinary harvest and some vineyard owners will be planning to reduce the yields anyway , in order to give the vines a necessary rest to build up their carbohydrate stores again . Whatever the strategy of the wine producer , everyone will be hoping for a much warmer , drier second half of summer than the first . I am sure most people would agree with that , whether they grow grapes or just drink the wine !
Despite the unsettled weather , we have had an amazing summer meeting people at events and opening their eyes to the incredible wines we produce , and the fantastic estates they come from . There ’ s also been an impressive haul of medals and trophies for our Kent vineyards in the annual national and international wine competitions . More and more people are coming to Kent to try our wines and spend time amongst the vines and we couldn ’ t be happier about that .
If you haven ’ t been to one of your local vineyards yet , now is such a wonderful time to go . The grapes are hanging heavy on the vines and they are starting to change colour . Harvest is due anytime this month , and there is a sense of excitement building as the vineyard teams prepare for the busiest time of the year .
Balfour Winery ( balfourwinery . com ) is a great pace to start your wine tourism journey . It ’ s just minutes from Marden station and there is a wealth of tours and experiences bookable on their website . Or , you can just turn up on any day of the week and take a self-guided tour around the vines and ancient woodland followed by a tasting flight and leisurely lunch in a choice of restaurants . Balfour produces a wide range of wines , beers and ciders , but historically it was just a sparkling rosé producer because the owners , Richard and Leslie Balfour-Lynn , wanted to make wine like their favourite Billecart Salmon Champagne . Richard famously said : “ If we can ’ t sell it , we ’ ll drink it ourselves !”. Luckily , it was very successful and within the first vintage it had won awards and got itself on the menu of every first class BA flight from the UK . So , why not go along to Balfour Winery and taste your way through all their rosé wines in the sunshine ? It ’ s a good start , isn ’ t it ?
Cheers !
Jo
JO GINN , BRAND MANAGER WINE GARDEN OF ENGLAND
jo @ winegardenofengland . com winegardenofengland
Kent ’ s pioneering family-owned vineyard , Biddenden , continues to push the limits of still wine making in the UK announcing a new release from 2022 harvest , Biddenden Gewürztraminer 2022 , the first of its kind in the UK .
Gewürztraminer is an aromatic grape variety which grows well in cooler climates . Pink skinned when ripe , this variety is a white wine grape with high natural sugars . Very particular about soil and climate , the vine is vigorous , even described at times as unruly , but hates chalky soils . Biddenden boasts sandy loam over clay soils and this grape variety was originally planted here by Julian Barnes in 2013 to see what sort of ripeness was achievable . Gewürztraminer buds early , so is very susceptible to frost , needs dry and warm summers , and ripens erratically and late .
Following the exceptionally long hot summer of 2022 , Tom Barnes saw the perfect opportunity to create this first Gewürztraminer vintage . Thanks to Julian ’ s foresight in planting this variety in 2013 , and after years of vine care and careful management , Biddenden are delighted to see this hard work come to fruition with the release of this very special still wine .
Commenting on the launch , Tom Barnes , GM and third generation of Biddenden Vineyards , said : “ As a family , we ’ ve been producing wines for over five decades , now with a focus on still wines and Ortega being our flagship variety . Biddenden ’ s site lends itself to still winemaking and through our passion and skill as growers , and knowledge passed down from my grandparents to dad and myself , we are able to continue to push the boundaries , which is shown through our successes in our special edition wines including our Ortega Late Harvest and limited release Gamay Noir , with Biddenden being one of the only vineyards to grown this variety in the UK .”
With less than 100 bottles of this first vintage available , this wine has been released exclusively to Biddenden Vineyards newsletter subscribers , who will be amongst the lucky ones to taste a piece of history . Wiith a 2023 vintage on the horizon , however , and many other exciting projects in the pipeline , there is much more to come from Biddenden .
106 • www . insidekent . co . uk