Different outcomes for winery plans

A planning inspector has backed Medway Council’s decision to turn down Foster + Partner’s proposed £30m winery in the green belt outside Rochester in Kent.

The winery building, which would have featured a café and visitor centre, was planned to be 85% underground and featured a curved roof with a chalk grassland roof. The development would also have included a car park and new access road.

Architects’ Journal, July 23

• A Kent-based wine producer has secured permission for a new winery after a planning committee voted to back the development. Chapel Down’s plans involve an 11,900 sq m winery and up to 8,000 sq m of warehouse at Canterbury Business Park, off the A2 near the village of Bridge.

BBC News, July 27

An extract from a debate about yeast

French politician Richard Ramos has launched a bill in the country’s Legislative Assembly that would require producers to state if a wine is made with the aid of commercial yeast.

Ramos argues that, while “many French people consume wine daily, the vast majority of them are unaware of its composition”, adding that “very little information is on the label”.

Patricia Taillandier, microbiologist at the Toulouse Chemical Engineering Laboratory, points out that many industries use cultured yeasts, including the bread, yogurt and beer sectors. “Why target wine in particular?” she says.

Wine Searcher, July 23

How good is your palate?

�We did a tasting not that long ago, and people kept saying that there were notes of citrus and pineapple and there was an absolute zero response from me because I couldn’t taste either. So I’ll be honest with you and say that I do rely on other members of the team because I’m not great at being able to taste various different things. I try to go along with what people say and what they’re experiencing from a taste perspective.”

Joey Hosier

�I think I have a palate for commerciality, so I I can taste wines and know that they are going to sell well to the consumer, whether I like them or not. For about 18 months after having Covid, I had a real sensitivity to acidity. We’d be tasting and I’d be complaining to the team, saying ‘this wine is really bitter’, and they couldn’t understand what I was talking about. It was quite disconcerting, really, but now it’s back and I’m really appreciative of my palate.”

Simon Parkinson

�I would say my palate is in development. It’s not bad, it’s getting better all the time, but it’s got a long way to go. I’m definitely better at picking out fruit flavours – I can identify stone or citrus fruits, but with floral notes I can probably tell you I’m getting a floral smell but can’t necessarily tell you whether it’s white blossom or something more specific. To me it’s just quite a delicate smell that I can’t put my finger on.”

Charlotte Fenwick VIN, Gateshead

�I’m learning all the time. I feel relatively confident in identifying the flavours and typical characteristics. I blind taste from time to time – my girlfriend will pour a glass of wine and I’ll try and guess what it is and try and guess the country and price as well. Probably my success rate isn’t particularly great, but it’s the only way to hone your palate, really.”

The oldest wine house in Champagne: Äy 1584