Britain is currently the world’s fastest-growing wine region – the number of vineyards here has grown by 75 per cent in the past five years. Hampshire has 10% of those plantings with around 1,000 acres of vines spread across the county. To celebrate English Wine Week (June 15 to 23), here’s a closer look at what’s new on Hampshire’s wine scene.
New kids on the block
Two of Hampshire’s newest vintners, husband and wife Andrew and Emily Debnam, planted 20 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier at their 80-acre farm near the village of Selborne in 2021 and had their first harvest last year.
The couple, who used to work in finance in London, began dreaming of owning their own vineyard after spending time travelling through wine regions in France and South Africa.
‘Initially we dreamed of owning a vineyard in Provence – think Russell Crowe discovering the laid-back lifestyle in his newly inherited chateau in A Good Year,’ laughs Andrew, 44. ‘It was only when we started reading about the rapidly-growing English wine scene that it occurred to us the dream might become a reality. Could we really escape the rat race and establish a vineyard in England?’
Armed with a book called Wine Growing In Great Britain, by viticultural specialist Steven Skelton, they began looking for a suitable site and ended up buying the first place they looked at, a farm in East Hampshire, and set about creating Hartley Wine Estate.
‘We enlisted the help of Alistair Nesbitt at Vinescapes, one of the main English wine consulting firms to advise on what to plant and where,’ explains Emily.
We harvested our first 16.5 tonnes last year and sent the grapes to The Grange, in Alresford, where we are having over 10,000 bottles of traditional method sparkling made, which will be ready to drink in two to three years’ time.’
Eager to share the beauty of the estate before then, Andrew and Emily have an array of holiday cottages guests can book and host regular volunteering days where visitors can help with aspects of vineyard management, such as pruning and harvest.
‘The vineyard is truly an enchanted place, down the end of a windy single-track lane, without a road or powerline in sight. The views across the rolling South Downs are second to none,’ adds Andrew. ‘We believe the beauty of our site sets us apart, and we want to share this with our guests and customers. We hope our vineyard brings forth wines that will not just be products, but representations of the place we call home.’ hartleywineestate.com
10 years of Hampshire Fizz Fest
Usually held in July, this year’s Hampshire Fizz Fest will take place on Sunday, June 23, to coincide with the end of English Wine Week. The extravaganza, organised by Vineyards of Hampshire (vineyardsofhampshire.co.uk), showcases wines from eight of the county’s leading vineyards including Black Chalk, Danebury Vineyards, Exton Park, The Grange, Hambledon, Hattingley, Louis Pommery England and Raimes. There’s also local food, entertainment and masterclasses.
This year, as the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, it will take place at The Grange (thegrangewine.co.uk), where guests will be able to see the state-of-the-art winery, which is usually only accessible to the public as part of the Alresford vineyard’s monthly tours.
The winery, which opened just in time for harvest in 2022, has the capacity to produce 50,000 bottles a year, meaning The Grange doesn’t only process grapes from its own Burges Field Vineyard but also from other vineyards on a contract winemaking basis.
‘The excitement of finally having our winemaking in-house is enormous,’ says Zam Baring, who founded The Grange with his siblings Mark, Rose and Lucy in 2011. ‘We are really looking forward to tasting these first, properly home-made wines but, as always with wine, patience is essential – the sparkling wines won’t be ready until at least 2025 and probably not until 2026.’
In the meantime, The Grange will continue to release sparkling wines that have been made for them by the team at Hattingley Valley – a rosé, white and blanc de noirs – and in-house winemaker Harry Pickering has been experimenting with still wines. A rosé is available now and a white set for release in November.
A still focus
While much of Hampshire’s winemaking reputation has been built on its sparkling wines, made from the traditional Champagne grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, some winemakers have chosen to focus on lesser-known grape varieties. Balbina Leeming, of Lone Farm Vineyard in Itchen Abbas, is one of them.
This year she is celebrating 10 years since she and her husband, David, planted two acres of Pinot Blanc grapes on the edge of the South Downs National Park, near Winchester.
It was the realisation of a dream 52-year-old Balbina, who is half Spanish and half Venezuelan, first had when she went to help with a harvest at a friend’s family vineyard in Rioja as a teenager.
‘I saw the love, dedication and hard work that was involved in taking care of the vines, culminating in a gathering of strangers and family members sharing happiness over this magical juice that was making everyone smile,’ she says. ‘Ever since, my whole life has been one vineyard tour experience that has taken me to incredible corners of the world like Argentina, Australia, France, Italy, Spain and many more.’
Following a career in finance, Balbina moved from London to Hampshire in 2007 and soon began noticing nearby land was being planted with vines to make traditional method sparkling wine.
‘I made the decision to start looking into the possibility of doing the same,’ says Balbina who studied at Plumpton College’s wine division. ‘However, I planted 100% Pinot Blanc as I did not want to make sparkling wine but still wine, which was not very common in the UK at the time.’
Initially Balbina sought help from Simon Woodhead and Tom Barlett from Stopham Estate Vineyard in West Sussex, which is known for its still winemaking, but now makes her wines in her own micro winery at Lone Farm.
‘I manage the vineyard organically and biodynamically and use as many regenerative agriculture methods as I can with as little intervention as possible and with spontaneous or wild fermentation,’ she adds.
Balbina makes four wines under the BSIXTWELVE at Lone Farm Vineyard brand – two white wines (one aged in an Amphora made from some of the chalk from Lone Farm Vineyard), an orange wine and a pet nat, all from Pinot Blanc. Visitors are welcome at the vineyard by appointment only, visit bsixtwelve.co.uk.
Foodie adventures
‘A meal without wine is like a day without sun,’ said French epicure Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and indeed food and wine do go hand-in-hand. If you’re looking for some ways to pair English wine with food this English Wine Week, Hampshire’s vineyards have you covered.
Following a takeover by Berry Bros & Rudd and Symington Family Estates last year, Hambledon Vineyard’s (hambledonvineyard.co.uk) long-awaited restaurant is scheduled to open this summer. In the meantime, the estate, which is situated near Waterlooville and is Britain’s oldest commercial vineyard, has launched its Cellar Door Dining experiences. Set in the newly enhanced tasting room, the experience is designed to offer a home-away-from-home for diners with a weekly menu, overseen by head chef Nick Edgar, that celebrates the richness and diversity of English flavours. Two, three and six-course menus start from £25.
For something a little more laidback, Black Chalk Vineyard (blackchalkwine.co.uk), regularly hosts ‘Friday Night Late’ sessions, where it invites artisan food producers to showcase dishes alongside their wines against the backdrop of the UK’s only circular vineyard.
This month’s session, on Friday, June 21, will feature Fried Chicken by Son of a Bun, while on Saturday June 22, the Andover-based vineyard will host its first Summer Supper Club, showcasing the best of British seafood from The Whistling Oyster. Fresh shucked oysters will also be available throughout the evening. Tickets cost £65 per person.
Foodies are also in for a treat at Penn Croft Vineyards (penncroftvineyards.com) in Crondall, where Saturday food trucks offer everything from Indian to Canadian-inspired street food. There are also pan Asian dishes from Liphook-based Little Fish Sushi served from Thursday to Saturday and the cellar door café is open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday to Sunday and dinner Wednesday to Saturday. Penn Croft has also recently joined forces with The Red Lion (redlionodiham.co.uk), in Odiham, to offer a Pinot and Pyjama break. The package includes a two-night weekend stay at The Red Lion with early check-in and late check-out, a welcome glass of wine per person, two nibble dishes to share, a £100 food and drink credit and 10 per cent off a Penn Croft Wine Tasting and Tour.
3 Hampshire sparkling wines to pop in celebration of English Wine Week
Raimes 2019 Vintage Classic, £34
A classic ‘Champagne’ blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the latest available vintage of Raimes’ classic sparkline wine is elegant and expressive. Apples, pears, patisserie – everything you’d expect and more from a classic English sparkling wine.
raimes.co.uk
Louis Pommery England Brut Rosé, £36
Vranken Pommery made history in 2018 by becoming the first Champagne House to produce English sparkling wine. This spring, Louis Pommery England released its first rosé – a brilliant expression of the grapes grown at Pinglestone Estate, in Alresford.
louis-pommery.com
Hattingley Valley Blanc de Blancs 2015, £44
Bold and crisp but with delicate bubbles, this showstopper of a wine, made from 100 per cent Chardonnay, has a zesty, lightly floral nose, layered with accents of apple tarte tatin. Hints of caramelised apple continues on the palate, which has a beautifully soft and creamy finish.
hattingleyvalley.com
