Back in the 90's I first tasted English sparkling wine at a bistro I was working at. We had a visiting winemaker from Australia over and my boss pulled out a bottle of bubbles to have at the end of the winemakers dinner once the customers had left.
None of us knew what it was and we were all remarking on its tasty goodness when we were told it was English and it was produced by Nyetimber. I am a bit hazy on the details of vintage and the like but that first taste of Nyetimber piqued an interest that has not faded away over the years.
Thanks to Ricky at Bay of Fires who worked a harvest in the UK last year, one of the wines in our inaugural tasting meet-up was a Nyetimber 1995.
A deep golden wine with small but not overly effervescent bubbles. A rich and heady nose full of caramelised walnuts, baked apple, honey, sweet spice and candied orange peel led through to an equally flavoursome palate.
Dry with refreshing acidity with some real weight and intensity. Orange peel, brioche, nuts, candied peel, honey, nutmeg, baked apple and a hint of vanilla and mushrooms all combine with a very creamy mousse and a delightful long length.
There was a mixed reaction from the group; for some the intensity of the flavours and the savoury earthiness were too much but there were several of us that loved its rich and concentrated complexity. All in all a good result for England on Australian soil. First the cricket, now the wine.....
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