Squerryes English Sparkling Wine

A few weekends ago I paid a visit to the Squerryes Estate Tasting Room in Westerham Kent with my wife and family. My wife and I live nearby and we have driven past their  winery and tasting rooms, in Beggars lane,  so many times that we can't remember; but always with the intention of going in to taste some English bubbly. My sister and brother-in-law were with us and we had an hour to spare to taste some decent wine.  The tasting rooms were well worth the visit as they also house a small brewery and a restaurant.

https://squerryes.co.uk/sparkling-wines/

Squerryes wine production is part of the Squerryes Court estate which is set in 2,500 acres of the the Kent country side. The House and the major part of the estate are located just south of Westerham. The winery and tasting room is located a mile or so away to the east of Westerham and there is a vineyard to the north of Westerham near the main road to Biggin Hill.

The estate planted 35 acres of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier grapes  in 2006. The vineyards are located just below the rolling slopes of the north downs. The geology is based on chalk deposits and is very similar to that of the Côte des Blancs champagne producing area in the Marne. The Squerryes estate geology and climate are well suited to the production of English Sparkling Wine or dare I say it "English Champagne". My wife is from Champagne and she has no objection to my use of the term "English Champagne".

The growing conditions here in Kent are, of course, different to the Côte des Blancs. In Kent the winters are warmer and the summers are cooler and there is more rainfall. The climate in Champagne is semi-continental. The vineyards in Kent are a couple of degrees further north than the vineyards of the Côte des Blancs. Nevertheless the Squerryes vineyard is capable of producing wines which are similar in taste and quality to the vineyards in Champagne.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_des_Blancs

We tasted three " English Champagnes" the 2013 Vintage Brut, the 2013 Rosé and the 2010 Vintage Brut. The winery does not make non-vintage bubbly. My wife and I thought that the 2013 cuvées were a little light but they had all of the attributes of a good and well balanced sparkling wine. We thought that the 2010  vintage Brut was of much higher quality with a lovely biscuit taste, it was savoury with a taste of cider and, of course, fermented yeast. It had a taste of its own and this marks it out as good wine. It was well balanced for acidity and sweetness. This wine is well suited for opening on a special occasion with its fine bubbles. The 2013 vintages can be laid down and they will improve with age. The wines compete well with other English Sparkling Wines and for taste and quality with many Champagnes.

The Squerryes bubbly does not in anyway compete on price with Champagne even with the pound plunging. Our bottle of 2010 to take away cost £50. If you think I am rich then I am not; just an enthusiast for good wine. You can still buy a bottle of Pol Roger Non-Vintage Brut for less than £40 in Waitrose. We can buy top quality Chamapagne direct from the makers in France for 16 Euro  a bottle - with the falling exchange rate and commission our favourite Champagne has now gone up to 16 quid a bottle.

Even with such high prices I still think that it is worth supporting English Wine producers who have to contend with a very variable climate, the lack of demand and the high unit cost of production. The quality of English Sparkling wine is much higher than any still English wines that I have ever tasted.

If you are in the Westerham area then why not give yourself a treat and visit the Squerryes winery. It is obvious that the staff and management are just as dedicated and skillful as their counterparts in France and that they have pride in their product. All this shows through.

Westerham is a charming town where you can go to visit some good pubs and Quebec House. Chartwell, the home of  Sir Winston Churchill, is also nearby.