Kicking off the beginning of English Wine Week, our Wine Fair on Saturday 15th June celebrates the best of local winemaking from family-run, independent wineries, exploring low intervention, organic and sustainable winemaking. Alongside the wine makers pouring and speaking about their wines, including Oxney Organic Estate, Artelium Wine Estate and Wiston Estates, we have a full afternoon programme of events: learn to taste like a pro at an expert-led tutorial, find out about the future of English wine at the panel talk or listen to award-winning sommelier Honey Spencer give a talk from her new book Natural Wine, No Drama.
The fair will be a chance to sniff, swirl and taste and meet the winemakers leading the charge in the English wine scene, while in the evening our wine supper is a chance to taste more samples, paired with seasonal sharing plates from Head Chef Jed Wrobel. Tickets for both the day and evening supper are selling fast so please book soon to avoid disappointment. Read on to find out more about Oxney who will be showcasing their single-estate organic wines at the fair.
Oxney is the largest single-estate producer of English organic wine. From their vineyard just outside Rye, about 20 minutes drive from Water Lane, their 35 acres of certified organic vines produce around 20% of all organic grapes grown in the UK, which winemaker Kristin Syltevik uses to make an increasingly celebrated and beautifully expressive range of still and sparkling wines. The team believe that the future of English wine is organic; the proof is in the bottle and the results speak for themselves.
The vineyard team work hard to promote natural disease resistance and vigour in the vines which sit on well-draining sand and silt loam, teeming with the microbial life essential to organic grape growing. Compost and farmyard manure from cattle grazing on pasture land within the wider organic farm estate result in stronger vines and healthier grapes. Oxney's sustainable, low-intervention approach continues into the winery, where the team favour wild ferments, no filtration and minimal use of SO2. We’re looking forward for to raising a glass of two of Oxney with everyone on the day. Cheers!
In the evening, stay for our Wine Supper. Cooked by Head Chef Jed Wrobel and his team, the seasonal menu of early summer produce will be served sharing plate style, with each course paired with an English wine. It's going to be delicious.