54—MARYLEBONE JOURNAL
FOOD
World of Wine
WINE CONSULTANT ROBERT GIORGIONE TAKES A BREAK FROM HIS TOUR OF THE WORLD AND LOOKS TO OUR OWN SHORES INSTEAD
You have to admit, there’s probably nothing more ‘British’ than a good old royal wedding. According to my sources on the grapevine, the great house of Pol Roger (the personal favourite tipple of Sir Winston Churchill) was served at the wedding reception of Prince William and Princess Catherine, but apparently the award-winning English wine produced by Chapel Down in Kent also got the royal nod of approval. In fact, it has also been known for the Queen herself to be particularly fond of Nytimber, the now iconic vineyard in Sussex. This is an amazing endorsement
for any brand and is surely a marketing boffin’s dream. I’m sure that during the run up to the wedding, the great and the good of the wine industry would have been pitching their finest vinous wares to the palace. In my opinion, it is extremely poignant and entirely appropriate that an English producer was among those that got the nod, as we are now genuinely producing great wines in this country. Like our Royal Family, some of them are truly world- class. Moreover, I sincerely believe that the Bacchus grape has the potential to be an English success story in a similar vein to the New Zealanders with their Sauvignon Blanc. Nowadays, more attention is
being paid to the provenance of ingredients and the importance of ‘locavore’. Just by scanning your
local farmers’ market, reading a menu or browsing through a wine list, you can come away with more information than ever about the food and drink that you consume. Television programmes are dedicating themselves to British produce, and chefs vie for prominence in promoting the cause. Within these shores we have truly delicious produce, which deserves to be celebrated. We enjoy amazing English asparagus, legendary Jersey Royals and delicious seasonal fruits such as rhubarb, gooseberries, strawberries and raspberries. Britain also has talented cheesemongers, butchers and fishermen, artisans and winemakers, who have all learned their craft. For me, these are the real unsung heroes and their produce should always be the star of the show. To make this food complete, I
sincerely believe that we should try to at least pay more attention to the wines of this country. Much has been written about how our wines have the potential to be world beaters. Already within a short space of time, a small handful of vineyards have won some very prestigious awards and much acclaim. No wonder the Champenois themselves have apparently thought about purchasing land within south- east England to convert into vineyards for the production of sparkling wine. Earlier this year, I visited award-
winning vineyard RidgeView in Ditchling, Sussex. I went there
with English wine enthusiast and Marylebone resident Julia Stafford. The combination of chalk limestone and clay in the Downland area of England bears an uncanny similarity to the Champagne region. As pointed out by owner Mike Roberts the location of the vineyards is actually closer to the region than it is to Luton. The RidgeView “Merret” sparkling
wine is named to commemorate a notable Englishman, Christopher Merret, who produced sparkling wine by what is now known as the ‘traditional method’ some 30 years before the legendary Dom Perignon did the same in Champagne. Christopher Merret’s papers describing his findings were archived at the Royal Society in London in 1662. Champagne has its own protected and de-limited region of origin and Appellation Controlee status, and I sincerely believe that we should call an English sparkling wine “Merret”, not only because it has its own place in history and trademark,
LINKS
Robert’s blog
robertgiorgione.com twitter.com/robertgiorgione
Consultancy, advice and bespoke tastings
robert@robertgiorgione.com
Robert’s first book, An Epicurean Odyssey – A Road Trip Around New Zealand, is out now. Visit his website for details
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