Surrey vineyards ~ the best of Surrey wine ~ Albury, Denbies, Godstone, Greyfriars and Painshill

Originally published in Surrey Life magazine May 2011

Surprising though it may sound, our vineyards here in Surrey enjoy near perfect conditions, and in recent years their wines have been taking the world by storm. Matthew Williams takes us on a tour through the vines

Photo: Andy Newbold

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FIND YOUR LOCAL SURREY VINEYARD (full feature to follow):

Albury Organic Vineyard, Weston Lodge, The Street, Albury, Surrey GU5 9AE: 07768 863650 Web: www.alburyvineyard.com

Denbies Wine Estate, London Road, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6AA: 01306 876616 Web: www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk

Greyfriars Vineyard, Hogs Back, Guildford, Surrey GU3 1AG: 01483 813712 Web: www.greyfriarsvineyard.com

Godstone Vineyard, Quarry Road, Godstone, Surrey RH9 8DQ: 01883 744590 Web: www.godstonevineyards.com

The Iron Railway Vineyard, 11 Vincent Road, Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 3DH: 01737 551829

Painshill Park Vineyard, Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey KT11 1JE: 01932 868113 Web: www.painshill.co.uk

Surrey Life Wine Trail

Albury Organic Vineyard
Weston Lodge, The Street, Albury, Surrey GU5 9AE: 07768 863650

A brief history…
Established in 2009 by Nick Wenman, the ambition of Albury Organic Vineyard is to produce the finest quality organic sparkling and rosé wines from vines grown exclusively in the Surrey Hills. An initial planting of around 8,500 vines, mainly the traditional Champagne varietals of Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, was followed by a further 12,600 vines planted in May of last year. The site is on the southern slopes of the North Downs and is operated to organic standards.

Pick of the bunch…
Their main aim is to produce a top quality sparkling wine made exclusively from organic grapes but you can be forgiven for not having seen this in the shops yet; it won’t be available for sale until 2014 at the earliest. All being well, a still rosé should be available next year. There are no names for the wines yet but they will be branded, ‘Fine Wines from the Surrey Hills’.

What comes next…?
Albury’s first harvest will take place this autumn and, in the first year at least, the grape harvest is expected to be managed by family, friends and local Albury residents. Owner, Nick, is new to the viticulture and wine business having spent most of his career in computer software, but is ably supported by a team of experts including Stephen Skelton, who is an expert in UK viticulture, vineyard manager Alex Valsecchi, and John Buchan, an agronomist specialising in organic viticulture.

Denbies Wine Estate
London Road, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6AA: 01306 876616

A brief history…
Established in 1986 by the White family, Denbies Wine Estate currently has 265 acres under vine and is England’s largest vineyard. Producing a range of internationally award-winning still white, red, rosé and sparkling wines, the flint-clad Chateau-style visitor centre hosts two restaurants, a diversely stocked wine and gift store and garden farm shop, as well as daily indoor and outdoor tours. The vineyard was placed firmly in the minds of the nation a couple of years ago when James May built a full-scale Lego house, for his television programme Toy Stories, among its vines.

Pick of the bunch…
Surrey Gold is England’s best selling English wine. An aromatic blend of Muller Thurgau, Bacchus and Ortega, Surrey Gold encapsulates the essence of English winemaking.  

What comes next…?
The vineyard has recently produced an exclusive wine for Tesco Finest, which was launched in March. This is the first time that Tesco has selected an English wine to be included in their Finest wine range. The vineyard has also recently announced the release of a brand new premium blend, Ranmore Hill, a still white wine made from Ortega, Bacchus and Pinot Gris grapes.   

Godstone Vineyards
Quarry Road, Godstone, Surrey RH9 8DQ: 01883 744590

A brief history…
Established by the Deeley family in 1985, Godstone Vineyards is planted on a gentle south-facing slope along the North Downs Way; the soil type is perfect for viticulture, a rich greensand that is free-draining and warms quickly in the spring. In fact, the soil type is exactly the same as that found in the Champagne region. The land had been used for growing hops during the first half of the 20th century; however, in the 20 years prior to planting vines it had been arable. The vineyard’s shop offers the opportunity to taste before you buy and they also have a wide selection of gifts and local produce, plus a cafeteria serving drinks and light lunches.

Pick of the bunch…
They say that their best wine is the Godstone Dry, which has beautiful floral bouquets and a crisp acidic finish reflecting the minerality of the area.

What comes next…?
In the future, Godstone Vineyards hopes to produce an excellent sparkling wine and offer a range of oak-aged wines within the next decade. They also operate an adopt-a-vine scheme, which gives you the opportunity to get hands on with your very own sponsored grapes.

Greyfriars Vineyard
Hogs Back, Guildford, Surrey GU3 1AG: 01483 813712

A brief history…
Greyfriars was originally planted in 1989 and has enjoyed over 20 years in production as a successful micro-vineyard. In November, the estate was taken over by former oilman Mike Wagstaff, and now the vineyard is embarking on a very exciting period of expansion to turn it from ‘hobby’ scale to commercial. Situated on a sunny and sheltered location on the south facing slopes of the Hog’s Back on the North Downs, a few miles outside Guildford, the estate lies right beside the North Downs Way.

Pick of the bunch…
Their current range of wines reflects the historic focus of Greyfriars and consists of two still and two sparkling wines. The owner’s personal favourite is the 2006 Sparkling Chardonnay.

What comes next…?
Over the next two years, they are planning to expand the vineyard by planting an additional 20 acres of the three classic Champagne grape varieties; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. In addition, they are planning some exciting trials and experiments in both the vineyard and the winery over the next few years. The aim is not just to produce a Champagne ‘copy’ but rather to create a small range of great sparkling wines that reflect the unique geology, soil conditions, climate and heritage of the wonderful landscape of the North Downs.

Painshill Vineyard
Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey KT11 1JE: 01932 868113

A brief history…
Between 1740 and 1812, the Painshill vineyard flourished and became a main feature within the 18th century landscape gardens created by Charles Hamilton. By 1750, records show the vineyard was planted with six different cultivars. The first pressing, and part of the second, produced excellent sparkling wine – in fact, its quality deceived the French ambassador into believing it “un vrai Champagne”. The vineyard was restored in 1992, when two-and-a-half acres were replanted with Pinot Noir cultivar, plus Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc hybrids. Most of the vineyard uses modern trellising but the last three vines at the bottom of each row demonstrate the original single pole Burgundian style. The first full crop was harvested in 1998 and Painshill wines are on sale in their shop.

Pick of the bunch…
Hamilton’s sparking wine (rosé and blanc) is rather special and has a loyal and devoted following.

What comes next…?
Hamilton’s sparkling wine will be available in the Painshill shop from June. Painshill is also inviting any volunteers who would like to experience grape picking to take part in this year’s harvest during October.

@SurreyLife
Your home viticulture efforts, fresh from twitter (updated March 2011)

Q: Have you made your own wine and, if so, how'd it go?

PluspointKary @SurreyLife Wine, three demijohns & dubious contents in the corner. I either need a course or will keep buying from Denbies.

warlingham101 @SurreyLife Damsons/bullaces make topping rich, red wine, as do blackberries, and Surrey hedgerows are rich in both!

Tyran67 @SurreyLife Worked a treat. Got hold of a load of Mangos from the local market (being chucked) and brewed amazingly well!

BeaufortNetwork @SurreyLife Used to when I was young (many years ago!). Great apple wine, blackberry, too, from grapes grown in my own garden. Beer too!

Originally published in Surrey Life magazine November 2007

Heard it on the grapevine

With the harvest now in full swing, we sent Janet Donin out to try a few of their tipples (strictly in the name of good journalism, you understand...)

Driving through the countryside over the chalk hills that form the North Downs, you could easily be forgiven for thinking you had strayed into France as you glimpse the regimental rows of vines, so typical of those found in Reims or the Loire Valley.

Contrary to appearances, however, this is not one of the famous French wine regions but our very own Dorking - home to the county's best-known vineyard, Denbies Wine Estate.

Praised as 'a giant among English vineyards' by wine pundit Oz Clark, at over 265 acres it is actually the largest in the country. On either side of the winding red drive leading to the flint stone building that is the hub of Denbies, there are some three hundred thousand vines growing on gentle slopes that bear a remarkable similarity to the Champagne region of France. As such, the area provides near perfect conditions for growing vines, producing around half a million bottles of wine a year. And all this from an estate that was little more than a piggery some 20 odd years ago.

"We started with 18 varieties of vines," says general manager Chris White, son of the founder. "But because of the change in trends and global warming, we can now grow more exciting vines that were impossible before." Today, the majority include Pinot Noir, used in sparkling wines as well as reds and rosés, together with Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc, and Chris's personal favourites, Ortega and Muller, which go into Denbies' Surrey Gold, the best selling English white wine in the country.

Benefitting from its own micro climate, protected from easterly winds, the vineyard takes advantage of the very last drop of sunshine. "Over the years, frost has been a real pain," says Chris. "So we use our huge frost buster that looks like a glorified jet engine to blasts out hot air. But this year, due to the wet early summer, we've spent more time keeping the mould away." Happily, despite the 25% loss of grapes caused by the heavy rain, Chris is quietly confident that this year's crop will result in an even better quality of wines.

English wine emerging from the shadows
According to connoisseurs, the generally warmer climate of past years, together with improved techniques, has transformed 'the once faintly comical English wine production into a serious, if small, industry'. The supermarket chain Waitrose, for example, is a big fan of home produced wine. "English wine is now emerging from the shadows as a real contender," says their wine buyer, Justin Howard-Sneyd. And Julia Harding, the full time assistant of wine aficionado Jancis Robinson, and a Master of Wine herself, maintains that the grape varieties of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which are ideal for the English climate, are producing "some really good sparkling wines".

Certainly, if this year's International Wine Challenge is anything to go by, our Surrey wines gave the illustrious Champagne vineyards of Dom Perignon, Veuve Cliquot and Moet & Chandon a run for their money. At the blind tasting, wines from 35 countries were judged by 400 notaries but only 2% won gold medals - one of which was Denbies' Greenfields Cuvee, the first English wine ever to receive a gold medal. It's a zesty sparkling wine, made by the traditional method using the flavoured champagne grapes of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. "We were up against French Champagne so it was very rewarding not only to compete but to beat the best of the best," says Chris White.

Award winning wine from Denbies
Over the years, Denbies has won a fistful of awards for their range of 12 wines. If you love juicy fruit flavours with a hint of spice, Surrey Gold is a must, while Hillside Chardonnay/Ortega has a fat, typically citrussy oak taste and the Redlands is a rich, full-bodied dry red that's very smooth on the palate.

In nearby Cobham, you'll find another award-winning vineyard at Painshill Park. Initially flourishing in the 18th century, the two-and-a-half acres were replanted 15 years ago with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc grapes to produce their three wines. The Sparkling Brut has a clean fresh taste of grapefruit with a soft acidity and won a bronze at the 2004 International Wine Challenge. Their Dry White has a complex array of flavours with a hint of oak, while the Rosé wine is fresh, light and fruity.

Dotted around Surrey there are a number of other vineyards too, all producing very drinkable wines. Greyfriars Vineyard on the Hogs Back, near Guildford, has a mere one-and-a-half acres, growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Their speciality sparkling wine is what owner Bill Croxson calls "a surprisingly good English bubbly produced in the 'method champenoise'."

They also produce Greyfriars blended still wines, which are "again, a pleasant surprise to the palate".

Just down the road in Fernhurst, near Haslemere, you'll find the Van Common vineyard, where owner James Lane is justifiably proud of their wines: "We produce a nice pink fizz from our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes," he says. "It's a good colour with a hint of summer fruits on the nose and palate."

Further along the vineyard trail, the six-and-a-half acre Godstone Vineyard is planted with Seyval Blanc grapes that are bottled into white, rosé and sparkling brute wines. Owner June Deeley calls them "bespoke wines" that you can taste before you buy in their tasting bar.

Days out at Surrey's vineyards
Besides producing some of the best wines in the country, Surrey vineyards also make a jolly good day out. As the biggest, Denbies is geared up for thousands of visitors providing not only train tours around the estate and the winery but a couple of really good restaurants and regular art exhibitions as well. Two years ago, they won a South East 'Tourist Attraction of the Year' award given by the British Tourist board and Chris White says they work with Wisley and Painshill Park to provide a complete experience for Surrey visitors.

In October, you can submerge yourself in the wine experience by taking part in harvest time. Although some vineyards are concerned at the ripening of the grapes due to the poor summer, Denbies will be going ahead with their traditional wine harvest. Fortified by a hearty breakfast, as well as gathering the grapes, you can also see them pressed and taste the resulting juice.

Painshill Park also welcomes grape gatherers, and at Godstone Vineyard, you can adopt your own vine and follow its wine producing processes. And for the very green fingered, why not plant your own vines. Bob Flowerdew, of Gardener's Question Time fame, recommends Boskoop Glory: "It's an outstanding black grape with a marvellous flavour and it's easy to grow even in a pot."

So, whatever your wine preference may be, you're bound to find something to put a fizz on your palate and a tingle in your nose right here in Surrey.

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