Hindleap Brut 2009 Bluebell Vineyard Estates - English Sparkling Wine

This is superb vintage English Sparkling Wine from East Sussex. We drank a bottle of this wine as an aperitif with friends. I tried to fool them that they were drinking Champagne but they did not fall for it. Our friends do not usually drink Champagne as they prefer Cava. Most of the Champagne that they drink is with us and we like to serve Champagne from the Aube which is much stronger tasting.

I wonder how many people would be able to tell the difference between this sparkler and Champagne, from the north of the region, in a blind tasting?

Hindleap is more similar to the Champagne from the Montagne de Reims. We know a family producing Champagne in Bouzy which is one of the top villages and Hindleap is able to compete on the basis of both the quality of the wine and its taste.

The soil of the Bluebell valley estate is similar to the best areas for growing Champagne grapes near Epernay and Reims. The alluvial soil is situated over chalk. This soil is ideal for growing the Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay grapes used for the production of Hindleap. The soil encourages the grapes to produce the acidity required for good quality Sparkling Wine. So does the climate.

The climate in the UK remains cool, despite global warming, therefore the grapes do not ripen as fully as they would further south. The grapes, therefore, keep their acidity. But, the climate in the UK is often too wet to maintain the quality of the grapes year after year. This represents a severe problem for the English Wine industry. The unit cost of producing wine in the UK is higher than in France or Italy and of course this is reflected in the price.

It took one sip of the Hindleap for me to recognise that this is very high quality wine which has been produced by the traditional method but with loving care and high quality grapes. The 2009 vintage helped and it was a good vintage across most of France too.

The back label described the wine as elegant with a floral nose and I couldn't agree more. It also tasted a little bit of toast and I could taste the flavour of the breakdown of the yeast added for the second fermentation in the bottle. It is not just flavour which makes good Sparkling Wine; it is the balance of the acidity and sweetness (or lack of it) and of course the bubbles. Hindleap's bubbles are particularly fine.

We did not eat with this wine even though tidbits were available; everyone just enjoyed the taste of the drink. I enjoyed the last half-glass of the bottle with my dessert which had retained its bubbles throughout a rather long meal - well, I deserved it as I had the good taste to both find it and serve it.

On the website, Bluebell Vineyards claim that they avoid intervention, as much as possible, in the vineyard with the use insecticides, herbicides and other chemicals. I think that this shows through in the wine. The French wine producers call this "la lutte raisonnée" or the reasonable struggle. This is good practise as the vineyard can be saved from disasters such as mildew setting in in damp conditions. However, in good years the vines can be left to grow "naturally".

http://www.morethanorganic.com/lutte-raisonnee

I am not a lover of English Wine in general especially the still wines which I find vapid and lacking in body. The price has to be high, so in terms of value for money they are terrible so I buy English Still Wine just for sentimental reasons. The industry needs any support it can can get. Gradually, there will be an improvement as the climate will get warmer but if this means more rain in the summer then there could be problems building up.  Luckily the climate looks favourable for Sparkling Wine production and long may this continue.

Vines  need to rest in the cool of the winter. The UK winter of 2013/14 was exceptionally warm so the vines probably did not rest properly and insect pests probably survived better. I can foresee problems for the 2104 vintage because of this and especially for producers brave enough to attempt "organic growing" techniques. "La lutte raisonnée" is therefore a very good policy and a sensible choice for Bluebell Vineyards.

Despite the British weather and climate Bluebell Vineyards are producing a superior product with their Hindleap Sparking Wine. One that easily competes with Champagne for drinking on a special occasion and one which puts Cava into the shade.

No wonder it is a prize winner. It is a pity that English Sparkling Wine cannot find a brand name that rolls of the tongue easily. Hindleap is worthy of the name "Champagne" if not in law then in spirit.

I bought this wine at Waitrose for £17 a bottle and at that price it is superb value for money. Try some; you will be pleasantly surprised.

http://www.bluebellvineyard.co.uk/

http://www.waitrosedirect.com/product/bluebell-vineyard-hindleap-rose/856837

Top Ten Drinking Nations

Some figures were just published regarding the average amount of alcohol consumed by people over the age of 15 for most of the the countries of the world. All of the "top ten nations" were European.  Top of the list was Belarus at 17.5 litres per head of population (over 15 years of age). This is an awful lot of alcohol which is poisonous. Given that fact that some people do not drink at all or are moderate drinkers then the amount consumed by some heavy drinkers must be shocking.

Portugal was tenth on the list and the average consumption was 12.9 litres per capita. Portugal is mainly a wine drinking nation.

I am a moderate drinker and I have calculated that my consumption of alcohol is about 10 litres pa. I do not drink every day of the week or usually exceed  2 bottles of wine per week. I might have a pint of beer or two per week. I drink a shot of cognac or spirits maybe once a quarter.

I was rather surprised by this figure.

It is easy to calculate how much alcohol you consume. Wine is about 13% alcohol by volume. A pint of bitter or beer is 3.5 to 4% alcohol by volume and spirits are usually 40% alcohol by volume. You must be honest with yourself about how much you drink.

One of my best friends was an alcoholic for all of his adult life and he consumed more than a bottle of scotch per day despite the efforts of his friends and family to persuade him to cut down. He remained hooked on alcohol and cigarettes for all of his adult life which ended in his early sixties. He was divorced twice.

I calculated that he consumed over 100 litres of alcohol pa. This is what I mean by shocking.



http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/13/worlds-heaviest-drinking-countries-revealed-infographic_n_5314613.html?utm_hp_ref=uk