8 minute read
Wine
Good vintage
Idyllic Kingscote estate in West Sussex on sale for £7m
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An English wine estate set in the beautiful West Sussex countryside is on sale with a guide price of £6.75 million. The 61.51-hectare Kingscote English wine estate features an idyllic farmhouse and 24 hectares of vineyards.
“We are not asking for small money,” Chris Spofforth, head of Savills’ rural agency for the south-east of England, told Decanter. “Last year there weren’t that many buyers around but we’ve seen a significant upturn in buyer interest this year, and we’ve had a bit more to offer,”
Kingscote is on the Sussex Weald, south of London, and is an example of an English wine estate that is “ready to go”, according to the magazine. It has a commercial winery and vineyards planted to the trio of ‘Champagne’ grapes – Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – plus Bacchus, Pinot Blanc and Regent. The estate includes a five-bedroom, Grade II-listed farmhouse with incredible views; an orchard; a holiday cottage; a barn capable of hosting wedding parties; and fishing lakes.
The current owner has more than doubled the vineyard area since arriving in 2017, but is believed to want to prioritise vineyards elsewhere.
Over the past decade, English sparkling wine has grown in stature. In 2018, Cherie Spriggs, head winemaker at nearby Nyetimber estate in West Sussex, became the first winemaker outside Champagne to win the prestigious International Wine Challenge trophy for Sparkling Winemaker of the Year.
Octavian (octavian.co.uk), the world’s number one fine wine storage facility – located 100ft underground in a retired Second World War munitions mine in Corsham – is providing exclusive guides to allow budding wine connoisseurs or established collectors to expand their wine knowledge and collections. In collaboration with prominent Master of Wine, Charles Curtis (former head of wine for Christie’s, and trained at the Cordon Bleu Paris), Octavian is releasing a series of exclusive ‘wine cards’, which are packed with guidance on what makes a wine collectible for investment purposes. There’s also a guide to the exceptional vintages across the spectrum and comments by region on the best wines to collect to yield the best chance of a financial return.
Vincent O’Brien, managing director of Octavian, said: “Here at Octavian we don’t pretend to be wine experts, we leave that to Curtis. However, we are extremely specialised in knowing how to handle and store fine wine in the best-possible conditions, as well as offering extensive security and an all-risk insurance policy. This partnership with Curtis means our customers who are thinking of expanding their collection know what to look out for, as well as understanding the value of their wine and why it’s important to store it correctly to reach its full potential.”
Shh... Keep It Quiet.
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Drinking in the Western Cape
Richard Hemming samples this vast region’s distinctive wines
Tthe Western Cape of South Africa bursts with beauty. Beyond picturesque Cape Town itself, there are millions of acres of indigenous scrubland, manicured gardens, jaw-dropping coastline and regimented rows of vineyard marching towards the horizon.
The area has grown grapevines since Dutch colonists arrived in the 17th century. Accordingly, the country is sometimes known as the ‘oldest of the New World’, and its sweet wines were especially renowned and famously referenced by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
Unfortunately, for much of the 20th century, the KWV winemaking monopoly undid much of that reputation, but in post-apartheid South Africa the wine industry was rapidly revitalised. Over the next few decades, the country developed a reputation for producing great-value wines from a range of popular grape varieties such as Chardonnay and Merlot, albeit in a rather innocuous style.
More recently, a new generation of winemakers has breathed fresh life into South Africa’s wine scene, creating distinctive, charismatic wines that reflect the natural beauty and diversity of the local landscape.
Range of styles
With such varied landscape over such a huge area – the Cape Winelands region is bigger than Wales – producers can make an enormous range of styles.
The old school of Cape reds tend to be hearty, powerful and full-bodied. The most successful tend to be made from the Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), although there are good examples made from Pinotage, the country’s very own black grape.
Contrastingly, new-wave South African reds are generally lighter in body with a more refreshing and elegant style. Pinot Noir and Syrah lend themselves to this mode, but some of the most interesting are made from Cinsault, a grape that was previously thought of as cheap and nasty, but is conjured into expressive and distinctive wines offering pure fruit and aromatic spiciness by resourceful young winemakers.
The white grape equivalent is Chenin Blanc, which for many years churned out oceans of insipid plonk, but has been rehabilitated into one of the country’s most exciting varieties. With naturally high acidity and flavours that can range from bracing citrus to rich tropical fruits, Chenin Blanc is a great blank canvas for ambitious producers.
World-class examples of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also made, alongside plenty of other varieties, from zesty Riesling to unctuous w, illustrating the vast potential of the Western Cape.
Something for everyone?
Such expansive choice makes it tricky to know where to start, but discovering the complex beauty of South African wine is all part of the fun. To get you started, here’s a selection of eight wines representing some of the best.
Iona Sauvignon Blanc, Elgin
From one of the country’s coolest regions, this Sauvignon Blanc bears more resemblance to white Bordeaux than the New Zealand version, with savoury fruit, waxy texture and great ageability.
Vergelegen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
One of South Africa’s oldest wine estates, this producer is rightly renowned for its Bordeaux-style reds, and its Cabernet Sauvignon illustrates why, offering juicy blackcurrant fruit and vanilla aromas from maturation in new French oak.
Ken Forrester The FMC Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch
This is iconic Chenin Blanc from one of the masters of the variety. Spicy oak flavours ingrate seamlessly with generous orchard fruit for a dry, appetising finish. Masterful!
Paul Cluver Dry Encounter Riesling, Elgin
Like Riesling all around the world, this is severely undervalued, delivering pristine citrus flavour plus a honeyed, sweetly spiced note and invigorating acidity. Paul Cluver specialises in Riesling, and it shows.
Kanonkop Pinotage, Stellenbosch
South Africa’s native grape might be an acquired taste, and Kanonkop makes an unapologetically authentic version full of dark fruit, smoky aromas and full body. The ultimate braai wine?
Storm Vrede Chardonnay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
Top South African Chardonnay is up there with the best of them, and the range from Storm proves why. Vrede (meaning ‘peace’) is a single-site wine with all the sophistication and minerality of Burgundy at twice the price.
Ataraxia Pinot Noir, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
Great Pinot Noir is the holy grail for winemakers around the world, and Ataraxia prove its potential in the Western Cape, creating an authentically pale red with superb clarity of fruit as well as earthy complexity.
Mullineux Syrah, Swartland
From the resurgent Swartland region, Mullineux specialises in Syrah, making wines of intensity and freshness, expressing the dark fruit and peppery spice of the variety. Using whole-bunch fermentation adds a lifted herbal fragrance.
