Wine tasting at Bluebell Vineyard

 

Yesterday I was invited to The Bluebell Vineyard for a tour of their vineyards and a wine tasting.

They have just reopened after the country being in lockdown and some of their tours are fully booked until September! You can tell that we are all itching to get out to do fun things again.

I have visited before which you can read here

Located near Sheffield Park Gardens, set amidst bluebell-strewn woods from which the vineyard derives its name, Bluebell Vineyard Estates is an award-winning vineyard and winery in the heart of Sussex, on the edge of the Ashdown Forest.

They are a family-run vineyard and winery with a passion for producing world-class sparkling wines.  

Since 2005 they have been driven by the desire to produce sparkling wines that can rival the best in the world, and work meticulously from the 'grape to glass' to achieve this. 

2019 sees the release of our first range of ‘Ashdown’ still wines. Made from grapes grown, harvested, fermented, bottled, labelled and packaged at Bluebell Vineyard Estates.

Bluebell vineyard grow the classic sparkling wine grape varieties and use the traditional method of production, but the goal is to create something distinctively English: terroir-driven, bottle-fermented, hand-crafted sparkling wines bursting with fruit character. Their still wine grapes are grown with devotion and hand-harvested producing vibrant, aromatic wines.

There are five different cuvées in the 'Hindleap' range.  

All are estate bottled. All are vintage. All are medal-winning. You can purchase their wines from Waitrose and local farm shops.

Tours start from as little as £8 per person, we were greeted and shown around the estate, along with the four golden labs who followed us around. There was a real sense of a family feel. I have visited numerous vineyards over the years (mainly hen weekends!) and this was a relaxed, informal setting with superb views of the Sussex countryside.

We were treated to a flight of four wines, we opted for mainly sparkling wines as that is what my untrained palate prefers. They were soft, delicious and after discovering the amount of manual labour and love that goes into making each bottle, we felt at around RRP £24 for a bottle, it was very reasonable.

Our guide was very friendly and personable, I learnt a few things that I didn't know before and it made me even prouder to be British knowing that our country can produce award winning wines like the Hindleap range.

Sadly the weather was a little 'brisk' for our visit and the vines were bare. I think for beautiful images of the vineyard the best time to visit would be July and August but if you want to visit to see the vineyard in action then September and October are the best months to see the harvest and wine making process.

In truth, I think I have a terrible 'nose' for wine. I can't pick up on the different notes but I do so love listening to the official wine notes such as 'raspberry and apricot brioche on the nose though to zesty citrus undertones'. I find it all so romantic and deliciously worded.

The range includes 'Blanc de Blancs 2016'

The signature wine, only the finest Chardonnay grapes are selected for our Blanc de Blancs.

Classic Cuvée 2015

A Chardonnay-dominant blend, underpinned by the red fruit characters of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Rosé 2015

The epitome of our fruit-forward style, only the most characterful Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier base wines are selected for our Rosé.

Seyval Blanc 2015

Made from 100% Seyval Blanc, this grape is perfectly suited to the English climate and the 2015 vintage has resulted in a sparkling wine that has aromas of green apple, pear and elderflower that give way to lime, orange and tropical fruits on the palate. Creating a wine with zesty acidity, rich mouthfeel and a lovely long finish.

Barrel Aged Blanc de Blancs 2016

Produced from 100% Chardonnay this 2016 Blanc de Blancs has been aged in barrel for six months giving it delicious honey and vanilla tones underpinned with citrus freshness.

Established on the site of a former pig farm, the transition from swine to vine began as a hobby: the creation of a fine wine collection, an eye opening visit to Romaneé Conti in France and the belief that truly exceptional wines can be produced in England.  The site, once home to thousands of Large Whites, Landrace and Blue Cross Pigs is now home to over 100,000 vines growing premium quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier vines along with Seyval Blanc, Bacchus, Ortega, Chasselas and Merlot. 

Since the first plantings in 2005, the vineyard has more than doubled in size and have now nearly 100 acres under-vine stretching across East and West Sussex. 

They craft the wines using the traditional method of production and strive to produce wines with the perfect balance of fruit character, acidity and ageing.  All Bluebell wines are vintage wines, that is to say they are made exclusively from grapes grown in a single year. This means that every Hindleap and Ashdown Vintage is unique.

Since first commercial release from the 2007 vintage our wines have gone on to critical acclaim.

It seems the South East has really upped its game when it comes to the produce of wine; their are numerous vineyards in the region all producing a range of wines that are strong contenders for the supermarket shelves and high end restaurant menus.

The range of ‘Hindleap’ sparkling wines has been awarded over sixty national and international awards in just 5 years, confirming our reputation as one of England’s leading producers.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and am eager to return! 

As I mentioned, this was a gifted invite but the opinions are my own and I wouldn't work with a company or brand if it wasn't a place that I would be happy to recommend to others.

Thank you for having me!