The 2024 Vineyard and Winery show

 

 

 

Yes, it was the truly wonderful Vineyard and Winery Show once again in November last year at the Kent Showground near Maidstone, UK.

 

 

As ever there were several different shows under the one roof. First off we were amazed and delighted to find 'PIWI including new varieties from Italy.' These were from our friends at the Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo - the worls largest and possibly greatest vine nursery.

 

Hello Soreli and Fleurtai! Our choice for planting. See this Blog. No grapes yet but we live in hope. Delcious wines. Soreli is making headway all over including the most unexpected places (the urban vineyard at Bercy, Paris). Fleurtai and Soreli have the same parents of which one is (Tocai) Friulano.

 

Then there was Volturnis (red from Pinot Noir).

 

Kersus, White from Pinot Blanc.

 

Iskra. White, also from Pinot Blanc.

And Pinot Kors. Red from Pinot Noir.

 

 On a nearby table the first evidence of the UK Divico craze. News about this has been coming drip by drip but Divico has now become a big 'thing' here on evidence found at the show. It tastes very good indeed. We had planted 6 Divico vines a few years ago having acquired them at great expense from Switzerland. They all promptly died. Now we have ordered 25 Divico vines to fill gaps in the vineyard. We'll report in a few years time.

 

Further on, yet more Divico.

Visitors are not only interested in resistant and rare grape varieties strange to say. There are always a myriad of products on show from giant vineyard machinery to chemical products to trellising equipment, vineyard contractors and much more.

Back to our particular interest, from the Pfalz, two Sauvignacs. Sauvignac also seems to be a 'thing.' Even the Wine Society ahd a Sauvignac from Chateau Thieuly, Bordeaux. the Bordelais have been experimenting with varieties that can deal with the new climactic conditions brought about by climate change.

The Vineyard and Winery show is a great place to discover these new trends. Sauvignac is a crossing of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and a resistant partner obtained by the great Swiss private grape breeder Valentin Blattner.

 Next, the very promising PIWI variety Rinot. We have enjoyed this previously thanks to Rebschule Freytag who once again was present at the show.

 

The Pfalz seems to be a hotspot for PIWI wines. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Rebschule Freytag is a Pfalz institution, Here was a Cabernet Blanc, also a Blattner variety. Our jury is out on Cabernet Blanc. We have tasted some that were better than others but nothing to suggest an 'Aha moment.'

  

Talking about Cabernet Blanc, we note that they have not been obliged to change the name to Cabaret Blanc.

 A Cabernet Noir from Kent. No Cabarets there.

  

We don't do Chardonnay much but here was another Crouch Valley 13 - percenter. Essex was only recently discovered as the leading UK wine-growing area. It is surprising it took so long. It just reinforces the dictum that 75% of UK vineyards are probably in the wrong place. People used to plant vines at the properties they already owned, To be sure studies of soil and aspect were made but without the centuries of winegrowing experience in established countries, we are still discovering where our best terroirs lie.

 

  

 

Crows Lane Estate's 'Trouble every day' Black Book Pinot Noir is another 13% Essex wine. The grapes are vinified at the London urban winery in Battersea.

 

There were a couple of 'Structured tastings', One by Matthew Jukes who is a show institution and another by an Australian.  

The Jukes crowd heard Matthew wax exceeding rapturous about an English Gewuerztraminer among others.