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GUSBOURNE AT THE ART SCHOOL
It was in 2020 that Oz Clarke ’ s book , simply entitled ‘ English Wine ’, hit our bookshelves . The front cover simply states : “ FROM STILL TO SPARKLING – THE NEWEST NEW WORLD WINE COUNTRY ”.
His book talks about the Nytimber effect . Many of you will know of the Nytimber Vineyard nestled in West Sussex and about the fabulous wines it produces . The point made in the book is that , from its inception in 1988 , it has been responsible for transforming English wine . Today there are many outstanding wineries in England , producing an array of truly wonderful wines . Many are , as most will know , sparkling wines . However , that is not today the whole story . There are many outstanding still wines available too .
This is where we run into the Gusbourne winery . The winery is based in Appledore , near to Ashford , in Kent . It concentrates on producing wines using predominantly Burgundian grape varieties on land in both Appledore itself and in also in West Sussex . Its selfstated vision is to “ create the finest wines in the world ”. As such , it only produces vintage wines . There are no non-vintage wines emanating from the winery . There is also remarkable attention to detail when it comes to all the wines that Gusbourne produces . Accordingly , we find a winery that now produces not only awardwinning wines , but some of the best of their type around . The wines are mainly sparkling , with 95 % of their production falling into this category . The remaining 5 % are still wines .
If there is any doubt that Gusbourne is now one of the best producers of English sparkling and still wines …… just read Oz Clarke ’ s book ! It gets mention after mention . It has as big a write up as any , with its Blanc de Blancs , Rose , Guinevere Chardonnay and Pinot Noir being picked out for special praise . The Blanc de Blancs is described as ‘ imposing ’. The Pinot Noir as a wine that ‘ turns heads ’. High praise , from a man that knows what he ’ s talking about .
And , so it was that , recently , a number of us had the opportunity to put all this praise and acclaim to the test . The location for the test was the Art School restaurant on Sugnall Street in Liverpool .
As some of you will know Paul Askew , the renowned chef patron at the Art School , periodically hosts Winemaker ’ s Dinners . Keep an eye out for them . They are well worth a try . They are an occasion where you can taste world class wines , each matched to one of the Art Schools great dishes . So , you have a winery whose vision is to create the finest wines in the world and a restaurant with a chef patron that “ carefully prepares a bewildering array of ambitious modern dishes full of colour and contrasts ” ( the latter not my words , but the words from the Michelin Guide ).
So , it came to pass . This November the Art School , and Paul Askew , hosted a Gusbourne Winemaker ’ s Dinner . It was presented by Gusbourne Ambassador Steve Kirkham ( all the way from Kent ). As well as the food and wine on offer , those in attendance were taken through a bit about the winery ’ s history , its journey , its vision and , one by one , through each of the wines tasted …… all , I noticed , without a note in sight ! The evening consisted of :
Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs [ 2018 ] As the name , and label , states this is a sparkling wine made from 100 % chardonnay ( 50 % of the grapes from Kent and 50 % from West Sussex ). This was a classic Blanc de Blancs . Great minerality with citrus , stoniness , ripe green apples , a touch of yeast extract and a hint of spice to the fore . This wine had wonderful acidity , purity , finesse , freshness and elegance . One would suspect that this wine has the potential for aging . A great glass of wine served on arrival with a selection of Chef ’ s snacks , Amuse bouche , Art School Breads and kombu and oak smoked raw milk butter . Not a bad start to the evening !
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