The quality of English wines has risen so much over the past 10 years or so that we are now able to select from any number of well-made and characterful examples. The fact that our summers are becoming more reliable and consistently warmer than 20 years ago, no doubt due to global warming, and the expertise of dedicated English winegrowers has increased significantly now affords us with an opportunity to source many good examples of clean, fresh white wines and even sometimes red or sparkling.
With such a wide range of good quality wines available we have elected to source our English wines from two Devon vineyards who have consistently outperformed other wineries in the South West; Sharpham Vineyard in Totnes and Manstree Vineyard at Shillingford St. George.
Mayval, 2005 - Manstree Vineyard, Shillingford St. George, Devon
The award-winning Mayval Manstree Vineyard, a blend of Madeleine Angevine and Seyval Blanc, is an extraordinarily good wine. It has a lovely floral bouquet and a crisp, zesty aromatic fruitiness combined with a perfect balancing acidity. It accompanies a wide variety of foods or is excellent when drunk as an aperitif.
We may occasionally have diabolical summers but, somehow, a few producers in our green and pleasant land manage to make some really quite exciting white wines.
Manstree Vineyard, owned by the Boyce family and run by Tim and Simon Boyce, is situated 1½ miles from Exeter's city boundary and has been producing white wines for the past 20 years. The previous owner, Gerry Symons, planted the vines over a ten year period, between 1979 and 1989, the site having been selected for its excellent drainage and its position in an area known as “Devon’s Frying Pan” which has unusually low rainfall. There are five varieties planted on the 4½ acres of vineyard, the principal three being Seyval Blanc, Madeleine Angevine and Siegerebbe.
This fine dry style exhibits the best qualities of English wine. Characterised by its pale lemon colour and long refreshing finish it is an elegant wine. The taste of Fresh fruits gives a youthful fresh sensation with good balance and length. It is a great apéritif wine and an ideal accompaniment to fish.
At the forefront of vine growing and wine making in the UK, Sharpham is widely recognised as producing some of England's most outstanding wines. They have been producing wine for over twenty years and their awards include regional, national and international medals - including four Seals of Approval at the 2004 International Wine Challenge. Offering intense fruit flavours and aromas, these stylish wines are made from carefully selected grape varieties grown on both their own sheltered slopes overlooking the River Dart, and occasionally from other carefully selected vineyards across the south west of England.
This thousand year old farm consists of five hundred acres owned by the Sharpham Trust. The house, designed in 1770 by Sir Robert Taylor, overlooks the fields and wooded slopes above the River Dart, two miles downstream of the ancient market town of Totnes. Sharpham's aim today is to farm successfully in the modern context and to produce world class wine and cheese in harmony with the environment and the natural beauty of the Estate.
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