A collaberational event between The South Lodge Hotel in rural Horsham/Mid-Sussex, Carr Taylor (award winning English Vineyards) and Ben Furst of English Vine Tours.

The award winning chefs of South Lodge, in-conjunction with hotel manager Rupert Spurgeon had created a unique menu specifically to match a range of elegant, beautifully made English wines from Carr Taylor Vineyards. A glorious evening, the sun setting over the lush fields of green on what had become a magnificent Indian Summer September. Not only creating a wonderful atmosphere for the evening but further ensuring that 2009 is going to be a bumper crop for the English Vigneron.

Smoked Chicken Salad with Rapeseed Oil Dressing and Quails Eggs - Matched with Carr Taylor Sparkling Brut NV. Bordeaux Wine Challenge Winner 2009.

Slow Cooked Sussex Fillet of Beef, Caramelised Onions with Honey Jus - Matched with Carr Taylor Sparkling Rose. Mainly Made from Pinot Noir and the first commercially available sparkling rose made in England.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Prune Compote - Matched with Carr Taylor Ginger Wine. Gold Medal Sussex Taste Awards.

Cocoa Loco Organic Chocolate Mille Feuille with Praline - Matched with Carr Taylor Mead.

And to finish....fresh coffee and petit-fours. A fantastic event, set in a wonderful location and executed magnificently by arguably one of the very finest hotels in the UK. Thank you to Rupert, his superb team and the The South Lodge Hotel in Sussex. Look out for Hot & Spicy Foods matched with English Wines next...


Carr Taylor Sparkling Brut NV
2009 Award Winning Wine!

This terrific wine is the only British winner of a medal at this year's "Challenge International du Vin 2009"!

It won the Bronze, an achievement which makes it, quite literally, a unique British Sparkling Wine!

Made from a carefully selected blend, the Brut has an aromatic nose, a hint of honeyed sweetness and a warm, full flavour. It is ideal for parties and barbecues and other celebrations.

Carr Taylor Sparkling Rose NV
Having rested briefly on the skins to produce the delicate colour, the secondary fermentation has enhanced the fruit flavours of the Pinot Noir grape, creating this mellow, flavoursome sparkling wine. It was the first commercial quality sparkling Rosé in England. Grape Varieties: 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier.


Carr Taylor Ginger Wine
Gold Star Award Winner at Great Taste Awards 2009 Ginger Fruit Wine

Sweet - 11.5% vol - 50cl It has a delicious, warming flavour. It can be mixed with whisky to make a Whisky Mac, or brandy to make a Horse’s neck. Good with pears and rhubarb or poured over ice cream. Wonderful in stir fries to give an oriental flavour. Great with Christmas pudding.

Carr Taylor Mead
A sweet honey based wine ideal for summer!

This sweet wine made from honey has been popular in England since Medieval times. We follow the age- old tradition of fermenting grape and apple juices with honey, using modern fermentation techniques to produce this invigorating beverage. It is even said to be an aphrodisiac. It makes a good hot toddy when mixed with whisky or makes a mouth- watering dessert when added to thick natural yogourt. A perfect honeymoon or wedding wine.

Ockenden Manor Fine Wine Tasting

The evening setting of Ockenden Manor in West Sussex is simply stunning. The sun was starting to set, the air was cool and refreshing and the wines were opened!

A nice group of 7 directors from a London based firm were the tastees, they were staying at Ockenden for a power meeting with a wee stay-over, cause they can!!

On show I was presenting 6 mixed and interesting wines; Bloomsbury 2006 Sparkling Wine from Ridgeview in Ditchling, Clos de Ratier Menetou Salon 2006, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chanteniere 2007, Crozes Hermitage Les Gravieres 2006 Jean-Luc Colombo, Chateau Liversan Cru Bourgeis 2006 and Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2006 Cantina di Negrar.

Suffice to stay they were all superb, the white were served chilled but not too cold as to close them down, the reds were are carefully decanted;

Bloomsbury Sparkling Wine 2006
Ridgeview Vineyards/Ditchling
61% Chardonnay, 27% Pinot Noir & 12% Pinot Meunier
An award winning estate run by Mike Roberts. Quality English sparkling wine made in the Traditional or Champenois method, the same grape varieties as Champagne, similar soil and sub-soil structures. One of the many internationally acclaimed English Vineyards and wines today.


Clos de Ratier Menetou Salon 2006
Domaine Henry Pelle/France
100% Sauvignon Blanc. A lesser know classic Loire wine region. Just South West of its more famous cousins Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. The vines are grown on similar soils as Sancerre and the best wines from the region are hard to tell apart from Sancerre. The wine is produced and aged in tanks on the dead yeast cells or lees until bottling, adding a weightier and more aromatic style of wine. A similar process is carried out with Muscadet (Sur Lie), which lies at the mouth or estuary of the Loire near Nantes.


Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chateniere 2007
Domaine Gerard Thomas/Burgundy-France
100% Chardonnay
The white wines of Saint-Aubin (1er Cru), are classic white Burgundians. A stone’s throw away from both the villages of Puligny and Chassagne Montrachet situated in southern Burgundy. 20% of this wine is in new oak and ageing is for 10 months. Whilst good young this wine will mature and fatten over the next 3-5 years.


Crozes Hermitage Les Gravieres 2006

Jean-Luc Colombo/Northern Rhone
100% Syrah
Arguably one of the finest producers in Northern Rhone today. The vineyards of Crozes Hermitage are just on the outskirts or the surrounding lower slopes of the Hermitage. The vines are on average 40 years old, hand harvested and matured in small, new oak barrels for no less than 6 moths. The resultant wines are deep in colour (long maceration period during fermentation), notes of raspberries, blackcurrants and vanilla hints. Smooth with soft tannins and will mature further over the next 2-4 years.


Chateau Liversan Cru Bourgeois 2006
Grand Vin de Bordeaux
60% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon & 1% Cabernet Franc
Liversan has been a classified growth in Bordeaux since 1932 and has never lost this classification, which is testament to its consistency of quality. Each grape is fermented separately then blended after a period of rest then matured in new French oak for no less than 12 months. The heavier depth of Merlot makes a more forward style of Bordeaux and is more easily accessible from a younger age, yet will/can benefit from further ageing.


Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2006
Cantina di Negrar/North Eastern Italy
Corvina, Rondinella & Molinara
One of the most famous wines from Italy. A blend of three indigenous grape varieties that have been hand harvested and left to dry over straw mats for a period of 3-4 months. The resultant grapes are shrivelled leaving less water and higher sugar and potential alcohol. Soft and rich on the palate with heady notes of dried fruit, prunes and red berries.


Ben Furst has been involved in the wine industry for 20 years. Having gained his WSET Diploma several years ago, Ben regularly presents wines to corporate and private groups throughout Sussex as well in London. Ben also consults for an English Vineyard as well as arranges group tours (and tastings) of English Vineyards, in addition to sourcing and advising on fine wines to private clients.

ben.furst@btinternet.com
07787448506

Paul & Natalyia English Vineyard Tour

Well the weather was kind to us having poured down the previous day. Natalyia had treated her significant other, Paul, to a great day out, wine tasting in glorious East Sussex.

Pelham Hotel in Lewes for coffee, tea and croissants in the garden, surrounded by art, wisteria in full bloom and happy looking breakfast-ers! Fed, watered we set off for the first stop at Carr Taylor Vineyards near Westfield in East Sussex. The vines are flourishing, flower burst had turned into bud burst with grape bunches now developing nicely. Standing amongst the rich greeness, sun on our backs it was almost transcending, very beautiful and idylic indeed.

Having viewed and discussed an established vineyard we took a look at a recently grubbed-up and re-planted vineyard. Swiftly followed by a look into the workings of a winery, followed by the tasting.

Ah the tasting, this is where it gets good. We are always amazed at others reactions to how good English wines are. "Wow I really never knew English wines were this good!!" A regular exclamation and one that brings a smile to our faces, we moved elagantly from dry/aromatic whites, to rose through to three sparkling wines and then onto the versatile fruit wines!

After a lovely Sussex Ploughamn's Lunch we drove only 15 minutes further down the road to the village of Sedlescombe and into Sedlescombe Organic Vineyards. Roy was pottering about on his tractor, Irma was charming and their vines looked great. The Solaris swelling up magnificently, the Regent too also looked great. True eco-warriors they exemplify what others talk about but never do! From the converted caravan into an office, their self-build home, lazy door-stop cat, flourishing vegetable plot, self-maturing manure, hand-sewen clover ground cover for added nitrogen the list is endless. It is always a tremendous pleasure in bringing our guests into this unique and much loved vineyard. The wines are not too shabby neither!!

A great day was had and once again Georgie & I are honoured to be playing hosts cum tourguides to an array of such really wonderful people, may it continue...........

An Introduction to Wine @ Sussex Downs College

Sussex Down College Newhaven Faculty


An Introduction to Wines
5 Part Series

Enjoy wine and want to learn more? An Introduction To Wine offers you the opportunity to look at wines more closely. Over the 5 tutorials we shall be looking at how to taste wine and assess its quality professionally. Using this knowledge we will then look at classic grape varieties as well as a look at some classic wines from around the world. The last two tutorials focus on English wines, looking at the grape varieties used as well as visiting an English vineyard for a hands on field experience. An additional £5.00 supplement per tutorial for the cost of the wines plus £45.00 for the last tutorial, which will be the field trip. The vineyard trip includes all travel to and from the college, fully guided tour, tutored wine tasting and light lunch. We also recommend that you bring a small bottle of water for drinking during the tutorials.

Tasting & Assessing Wine
£5.00 wine supplement per person
Each student needs to bring 1 glass and water
A look at grapes, basic wine production methods. Sampling 2/3 wines analytical tasting approach and assessing quality
1.5 hours (11 – 12.30)

International Grape Varieties
£5 wine supplement per person
Each student needs to bring 1 glass & water
Looking at 6 classic grapes varieties and tasting together using techniques learned previously. 4-6 wines to sample
1.5hours (11 – 12.30)

Classic Regional Wines
A systematic approach and look at 6 classic wine of the world. Looking at unique styles, flavours of their main grape varieties and characteristics.
1.5hours (11 - 12.30)

An Introduction English Wines (Part1)
£5 wine supplement per person
Each student to bring 1 glass & water
Sampling between 4-6 English wines we assess their quality and unique styles. Focusing on 2-3 vineyards
1.5hours (11 – 12.30)

An Introduction to English Wines (Part 2)
Visit an English Vineyard, in Sussex. Guided vineyard tour, winery tour and tutored wine tasting. This can be run in the morning with a lunch afterwards.
Fully escorted with collection from and return to the college.
£45.00 per person
(10am – 1pm) Collection and return from college


Thursday Tutorials

4 x 1.5 hours from 11-12.30

1 x 3 hours from 10am-1pm

English Wine Week Tours Available to Book

English Vine Tours are delighted to offer three unique wine tour experiences for English Wine Week. English Wine Week runs from 23rd May to 31st May 2009, a great week of events spread throughout England to promote the variety and uniqueness of English wines and vineyards

English Wine Week wine tours are now available to book. Visit our website for more information...

English Vine Tours does BPS Supper

The 2009 annual British Psychologists Society supper, being held this year at the Holiday Inn, Brighton was organised by Ruth Raven with guest speaker, Miles Thomas.

English Vine Tours and Ben Furst, were invited to present a range of Italian wines, featuring indigenous grapes to a crowd of over 200 guests.

Prior to the wine tasting there was a wine talk on the psychology of wine, enjoyment and purchase by Miles Thomas. A great guy who spoke with passion and knowledge.

Miles covered the many concepts of the psychology of buying wine. He discussed the use of music by wine merchants experimenting how it affects purchasing behaviour of customers in shops. For example those retailers who played classical music found their customers bought fewer bottles of wine but higher value wines.

According to Miles findings, consumers experience of wine is related to the amount they spend as their expectations are higher, ie the more people spend on wine the more they savour and enjoy it.

The wine tasting presented by Ben Furst, consisted of 4 great Italian classics, Fiano, Soave Classico, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Chianti. Ben disucssed the importance of indigenous grapes and terroir, placing an emphasis on wines that have been forged through history and time: not a concoction of kiss me quick international grape varieties with high alcohol and a big bouquet. As such the wine went down well, all bottles were milked dry and as hunger set in Ben bowed away with thanks to Ruth and Miles.

English Vine Tours & Ben Furst are next presenting on 22nd April, for St George's Day - event to be announced. A final word: remember when buying wines, buy carefully with thought to price and provenance. Better to buy local or spend a bit more if buying wines from the new world. That way you won't be disappointed. Drink with a meal and friends and you will get more from your grapes!