The Camel Valley winery is truly something special . Special wines , from a special place , made by a special family . You can visit the winery , where they run tours and tastings , or you can simply order online ( simply go to camelvalley . com where you can buy their wines by the case or in mixed cases ). Highly recommended .
Polgoon Here we travel further down towards the tip of Cornwall , towards Lands End . The Polgoon winery , another family run affair , is found on the outskirts of Penzance .
Again , we find some excellent sparkling wines ( the Pinot Noir Sparkling Rose , the Seyval Blanc Sparkling White , the Polgoon Sparkling Elderflower Wine and the River Cottage Sparkling Elderflower Wine ). From a still perspective we have the Polgoon Sauvignon Blanc , the Polgoon Rondo , the Polgoon Rondo and Seyval Blanc Rose and the Polgoon Art Bacchus and , interestingly , a strawberry wine too .
Again , the winery runs tours , and you can buy their wines from the shop at the winery or online ( visit polgoon . com ). On my recent visit to the winery the purchases included : ( i ) the 2017 Seyval Blanc Sparkling White ( at £ 24.95 a bottle a wonderful sparkling wine ; fresh and lively with delicate fruit and citrus flavours ); ( ii ) the 2017 Art Bacchus ( at £ 19.95 a bottle , this is currently a limited edition wine ; fresh with great fruit on the nose and on the palate ); ( iii ) the 2019 Polgoon Sauvignon Blanc ( at £ 15.95 a bottle the wineries own website simply states : “ Our Sauvignon Blanc has its own characteristics . It ’ s different to a French or New Zealand ; it can only be described as wonderfully Cornish ”. What does this mean ? Well , this is again a wonderfully fresh wine with plenty of fruit ( lime and pineapple ). Very different from the various sauvignon blanc ’ s you may have tried , from elsewhere in the wine world , before – but great stuff and well worth a try for something a little different .
Tarquin The distillery produces small batches of hand bottled artisan gins from the heart of Cornwall . I had drunk the Tarquin Cornish London Dry Gin previously , on a number of occasions , before I was lured into their shop in St Ives . I was aware that they were also responsible for the production of several other gins . What I hadn ’ t appreciated was the number of outstanding different gins that were available ... so I got stuck in ( all tasted neat )!
So , what did I walk away with ? Well , it was a difficult choice ... but three bottles left the store with me . Firstly , of course , the Tarquin
London Dry Gin . This is made using 12 botanicals from around the world but , as you would expect , including some that are locally foraged on the Cornish coast itself . As always this was a wonderful fresh , crisp , dry gin . Worth every penny at £ 35 a bottle . Second was the Tarquin Cornish Sunshine Blood Orange Gin . This gin is infused with blood orange , summer fruits and aromatic gentian root . Tasted neat … it was wonderful . Tarquin themselves , as well as drinking this with tonic , recommend using it to make cocktails / summer spritz ( Blood Orange Gin , sparkling wine , Mediterranean tonic or sparkling elderflower ). Well worth £ 36 a bottle . Finally , the Tarquin Hibiscus and Lemon Gin came home with me . Described by Tarquin themselves as : “ A celebration of English springtime , the beautiful flowers that begin to scatter the Cornish coast , the return of sunshine and days at the beach ”. The gin is distilled with rose , lemon and hibiscus petals . Again , tasted neat , this was a wonderful , aromatic gin . Again , at £ 36 a bottle , worth every penny .
All the Tarquin gins can be purchased online ( shop . tarquinsgin . com ). You can also book a tour of the distillery , and there are Tarquin Gin Schools in both Padstow and St Ives ( which includes a hands-on experience where you can make your own gin ).
So , yes , Cornwall has a spectacular coastline , beautiful sandy beaches , picturesque harbours , wonderful gardens , grand stately homes and a rich history and culture , but it also home to the production of some fabulous wines and gins . Give them a go , or pay a visit if you are ever down in that neck of the woods .
Finally , and before signing off , I also need to give a mention to two other vineyards . Whilst neither are in Cornwall , they are next door in Devon . They both , also , represent all that is great about wine production in the UK today . I have , in the recent past , purchased wines from both these wineries ( always on the lookout to find new , exciting , wines ).
Firstly , a shout out to the Lyme Bay Winery near to Axminster . From the winery I have recently purchased their Shoreline white . A blend , mainly consisting of bacchus and chardonnay , this is a pale , crisp , wine with an abundance of citrus notes (£ 15.49 a bottle – lymebaywinery . co . uk ).
Secondly , and finally , a mention for the Sharpham Winery near to Totnes . From them I have purchased the Sharpham Pinot Noir . It is a wonderful example of a cool climate Pinot Noir . Youthful , light , juicy , with an abundance of strawberry , cherry and red fruit . Great wine at £ 19 a bottle ( sharpham . com ). wirrallife . com 35