English Vine Tours – Valentine’s Day Experience

Well the weather turned out nice, a relief!

English Vine Tours joined forces with the superb country hotel – Newick Park, Newick, East Sussex for a superb Valentine’s Day Experience. Alice and Richard, whizzed down from south London in their mini-coupe and checked into the hotel for 2pm. Collected in an executive vehicle they were whisked off to Carr Taylor Vineyards near Battle in East Sussex.

We toured the vines, described the grape varieties grown, the English weather and how things are done in the vineyard. Following the vineyard tour we entered the winery and took a good look at all the various pieces of equipment used in the making of still wines as well as sparkling wines. Gaining in knowledge they felt comfortable now to tackle the hard part- the wine tasting.

We sampled dry whites, off-dry whites, rose wines and sparkling wines. Feeling brave we then went on to sample the estate’s award winning fruit wines, which were enjoyed by all. Upon completing this superb experience we drove slowly back to the hotel where waiting in their room was a chilled bottle of sparkling English wine, Sussex chocolates and a dozen red roses. At this point we left our clients in peace to enjoy their stay, 4 course meal and all the comforts offered by Newick Park Hotel.

Our next vineyard extravaganza is set at Pelham House in Lewes, coupled with a half day vineyard tour on the Saturday afternoon followed by an afternoon at Plumpton Races. To book this experience call up Pelham House in Lewes – 01273 488 600, or check our website – www.englishvinetours.co.uk

Follow the path from grape to glass and book your English vine tour today!

English Vineyard Tours

The weather was good, a great omen!

English Vine Tours launched their first tour with a fantastic group of 8 into the wilds of deepest East Sussex and then ventured into Kent. Gathering early morning at The White Hart Hotel in Lewes for coffee and croissants, the eager beavers gathered and awaited collection.

Georgie & Ben Furst (English Vine Tours) duly gathered the troops at 9.30am and set off. First port of call was Carr-Taylor Vineyards in Westfield near Battle. Met by David Carr Taylor we enjoyed a coffee and pre-amble chat before the tour. David introduced us to his vines, informative and witty chat, tour of the vineyard and a brief of how wine is made. About an hour of touring followed by the tasting. Each wine was presented individually by David and we listened and we tasted. Apres the tasting we gathered for a brief lunch with a glass of wine. The troops then enjoyed a wee spot of wine shopping before we set off once more and into Kent we went.

Biddeneden vineyards, just through Tenterden and hang a left. Another well run family run estate, specialising in Ortega. Of their 22 acres they have over half to Ortega. Which is actually a really lovely off-dry aromatic wine that makes truly easy quaffing. The vineyard tour was swiftly followed by a further glass of wine and then the winery tour. The estate actually produce far more cider than they do wine and a brief explanation as to the process was also included.

Following the this we were given free range to sample each and every one of their beverages – ciders and wines. Having enjoyed and further shopping we set off back to Lewes where everyone received their gift packs.

We’d really like to thank everyone who came on the tour as well as the vineyards for their hospitality and we eagerly await the next tour embarkation. Red Hot Poker on Monday 23rd February looks like another superb day out.

Food & Wine School

Well our 2nd semester is firmly under way and the latest session proved to be, once again very popular.

On show from resident gourmet chef – Steve Dennis were three classic and very tasy Pork dishes. Using only excellent locally sourced Pork. The three supreme dishes conjoured up were, Porc a la Normandie using copious amounts of Calvados as well as cider. A braising dish matched harmoniously with Sedlescombe Organic Rose. Produced organically in the heart of East Sussex by Sedlescombe Vineyards.

The next dish was a Saltimbocca alla Romana where the pork escalopes were married with thyme and Parma ham. The selected wine was the supreme J Lohr Wildflower Gamay. Completely different to the Gamay of Beaujolais and more akin to a juicy Loire Cabernet Franc with a sweet blueberry finish.

Lastly, Steve prepared Escalopes of pork with a wild mushroom sauce and saffron risotto. Another delicious dish matched with a Peter Lehmann’s My Word is My Bond Grenache. Light in colour but big on the nose and palate again with a sweet lingering finish, Deceptively at 14.5abv, a very well matched wine.

The next wo evenings that we are presenting at The University of Brighton’s Culinary Arts Studio in Eastbourne are:

• Tuesday 10th March 2009 Classic France
• Tuesday 16th June 2009 The Enigmatic Gourmet Supper

Places avalaible, but book early to avoid disappointment.

A Day at the Races

A quick forth coming attraction announcement:

Red Hot Poker from English Vine Tours will be departing from Lewes on February 23rd. If you fancy a superb day out for only £109 then perhaps this one is for you. Start the day with a coffee and croissant at The white hart Hotel in Lewes for 9am. Then a minibus with driver will collect you and whisk you over to Plumpton Vineyards and Wine College. Where Paul Harley will guide you around the vineyard, facilities and present a tutored wine tasting for your enjoyment. After wine tasting enjoy a sumptuous buffet lunch.

Then you shall be transported onto Plumpton Race Course for a unique Turf Tour. Have a look behind the scenes at one of the UK’s best small race course, get a complimentary £5.00 Tote Voucher and enjoy the rest of your day. departing from the races at around 5pm back to Lewes.

If this grabs your fancy then book online at www.englishvinetours.co.uk or call 01273 48 33 12.

Cheers.

Plumpton College Wine Tasting

Well many thanks to Philip Priddle for organising a lovely event. We sampled a range of excellent wines from northern Italy, mainly from Veneto plus a few from Piedmont. Attending were some wine students, faculty members and lecturers.

On show were the folowing wines – The Whites were Soave Classico Cantine Valpantena, Garganega Cantine Valpantena, Gavi di Gavi Nichola Bergaglio. All showed beautifully and all tastee’s were pleasantly surprised at how clean, fresh and well made all the whites were. Re-drawing the line on Italian whites!!

From the red corner we sampled the following – Corvina Cantine Valpantena, Barbera Bricco Tondo Fontanafredda, Valpolicella Classico Cortefigaretto, Ripassa Valpolicella Cantine Valpantena and to finish the wonderful Tesauro Recioto Cantine Valpantena.

The wines were all enjoyed, indeed more than just enjoyed and challenging people’s perceptions of how they felt about Italian wines. The quality on show was superb and all were great examples of proper well made wines, indigenous grape varieties and each wine in-tune with it’s environment and history.

Next up for us will be Mayfield Wine Society, sampling some great unique wines from Argentina.

Bad News and The Future

Well whilst for some Christmas went down well we unfortunately suffered an office break-in. So not only was all our stock stolen but also all equipment and some cash! Grim all round, so coming back to work in January has been very tough indeed. Whilst we have no stock on shelves to sell we are gong forward concentrating on our superb website, mail order, tastings and events programmes.

Kicking off the new year we have a goodly amount of wine tasting presentations which is great but most exciting of all is that the first tour of the English Vine Tours (our sister company) will be underway on 24th January. This interested small group of people are gathering in Lewes/East Sussex and will be escorted to two English Vineyards for a tour, tasting and lunch! This is a proud moment for us as www.englishvinetours.co.uk is a new venture which we have high hopes for. Not only are we starting to educate about the virtues of our own wines and local wines but also in such hard times it is so mportant to promote local wherever possble.

For those of you who are interested in knowing more please log onto www.englishvinetours.co.uk. For those of you who simply enjoy the range of mail order wines from us again log onto www.thesussexwinecompany.co.uk or call us with your queries to 01273 477 205

Kind Regards & Happy New Year

This Christmas We Shall Be Mostly……..

The gloves are off and we are putting our money where our mouth is, starting this Christmas! No more Christmas morning Champagne, this year we shall be mostly drinking quality sparkling English wine. It’s delicious, local and we should be bloody proud of it!!

So to start the morning with scrambled eggs, screaming excited children daddy shall be opening a fine bottle of Sedlescombe Organic Sparkling Pinot Noir. If you have never tried it, you must. Deep purple in colour, great fruity nose and good weight on the palate yet not too high in alcohol as to wipe you out for the rest of the day!

To follow, by way of a wee pick-me-up we shall be mostly drinking Sedlescombe Organic Dry White. A wonderful dry, citru-sy crisp clean refreshing wine. Taking the edge off the sound of new toys going clatter, bang, we-wa-wa-we-wa…………………………Gosh it’s noisy!

So the veggies and the turkey, having been prepaired earlier are in the oven cooking s….l….o….w…..l……..y. What to open next – well it’s either a fine bottle of Hepworth’s Organic Lager or Sedlescombe’s Organic Rose, another fantastic wine.

After this well it’s out for a wee walk before coming home to carve the bird, open more Sedlescombe Sparkling Organic Pinot Noir and Organic Dry White, steam the veggies and set the world to rights!

Not too big on Christmas Pud, but for those of you who indulge, try Sommerset Cider Brandy, a great match. There you go, everything from our own borders, local where-ever possible and bloody gorgeous!

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Is Upon Us

Well Christmas is nearly upon us again but a different climate is in the air with our current economic climate and global downturn. So how best to enjoy yourself and spen wisely when money is tight.

Well, when buying wine our heartfelt tip has always been to buy less but buy better. Don’t spend with the multiples but go and visit your quality independents, ask for advice and spend in with the knowledge that your money is going back into your community.

Some top wine tips for great Christmas drinking is Argentina. In particular Malbec’s from Mendoza. Superb wines of power, elegance and complexity. Fast growing in quality and arguably these reds will be amongst the best red wines available from anywhere in the new world.

A few specific tips, Gouguenheim Malbec and Gouguenheim Cabernet Sauvignon, Crios Susana Balbo wines both white and red. Top Argentinean reds from Benmarco especially Pedro Marchevsky’s straight Malbec and his wonderful Expresivo blend.

So enjoy your Christmas, spend your hard earned money wisely and lets all hope and pray for a positive start for us all in 2009.

The Hypocracy Of It All!!

Whilst waiting on my Chinese take-away last night I was flicking through The Daily Mail, as one does! A step up from The Sun anyway. When I was completely stunned to happen across a full page ad by Tesco, the UK’s largest multiple retailer.

They were advertising a quality single 12 year old malt whisky from Speyside. List price is £24.99 reduced to £12.99!! As an independent wine merchant I was amazed at how these large untouchables are able to continue to promote alcohol at what is obviously below cost price, thus increasing binge drinking and all the ills that we in this country are now suffering from.

The Government in its wisdom (bollocks – stealth tax), see to increase duty on alcohol twice a year now in the name of promoting safer drinking and spreading the message against irresponsible binge drinking. We all know this is merely a stealth tax by any other name, yet nobody or organisation has the slightest intention to tackle the main promoters of binge drinking – multiple retailers selling alcohol under cost price!

We have allowed these monopalising monsters to destroy our high streets, promote cheap where ever possible and now promoting under cost alcohol. As proud Brits we must think about it a wee bit more as our “enlightened toothless government” don’t seem to have the bxxxs to do anything about it other than tax us us more.

Rant Over. Have a great day. Please think about putting your hard earned cash back into the community rather than lining the pockets of faceless multiples who seem to be able to bulldoze themselves anywhere regardless of community, social responsibility et al.

With All My Love

It is with all my heart that I would like to take this opportunity to say a very special thank you to my partner and wife, Georgie Furst!

Last night at our annual Portfolio tasting we launched our latest business venture, English Vine Tours – www.englishvinetours.co.uk. The concept of small and exclusive English Vineyard Tours being offered to all to view the wonders of of the English wine making fraternity. From it’s concept, organisation, design, administration Georgie was a marvel to behold!

We are both extremely excited about the business and can not wait to hit the road with expectant and thirsty customers. All the tour concepts, special days to gift vouchers were created with passion and energy by Georgie to provide a unique service that had not been, up until now available.

The English wine industry is one to be proud of, built by enthusiatic, energetic and passionate families and smaller producers. Our sparkling wines are firmly on the map and the future looks good for our wines and wine industry. Let us say a big thank you to all the winemakers in the country who have toiled upstream to take us to where we are today and to a place were we can stand proud of another great achievement on English soil!

As a husband and business partner I am more than proud, in awe of Georgie’s achievement and consider myself extremely fortunate to have such a capeable, creative and dyanmic friend close to me at all times!

To everyone who wishes to follow the path from grape to glass please have a look at www.englishvinetours.co.uk and book up for your vinous UK adventures.