Kent Wines

Spring is here, with our fruity and floral selection of wine from Kent and Sussex. The Dillions English Bacchus is from a family run vineyard and holds wonderful floral notes with a elegant tropical feel. The off dry Biddenden Ortega from Kent’s oldest vineyard has a delicate balance of grapefruit and apple. The Heppington Pinot Gris recently won a Gold Medal at the London Wine Awards . Three bright, fresh and gorgeous English wines to celebrate the warmer weather. Hello Spring!!!

Dillions Bacchus: The wine has a wonderfully delicate floral, citrus and green apple scent which follows through on the fresh, well-balanced palate. There is a sense of harmony and grace with this wine which makes it a superb aperitif and a super partner for light salads or more nuanced Thai fish dishes.

Biddenden Ortega: The wine is a crowd pleaser and has been enjoyed by wine drinkers for many decades. It is dry, rounded with a fresh acidity enlivening a palate heavy with flavours of pear, herbs, coriander and yellow apple. There is the merest hint of fruit sweetness which makes this a wine to enjoy cheeses and lightly spiced foods.

Heppington Pinot Gris: The wine is pale and star bright with a fresh nose of apple and pear leading to a crisp, balanced palate. The fruits are citrus and pear with a hint of tropical mango and pineapple, the acidity is keen, the wine vibrant. It is a great aperitif but a super partner for seafood, try with calamari, white bait or delicate white fish such as plaice or dover sole.

Being based in Kent we are delighted to put together a box of 3 of our favourites. All the wines have been curated by Clive Barlow, Master of Wine and Taste of Kent Judge (amongst many other things!)

The Woodchurch Classic Cuvée 2015. 2015 was a terrific vintage, the largest of the decade at that time, and was also one that delivered clean and ripe fruit. As a result, the wines of the vintage have good depth and an ability to age. The Woodchurch Classic Cuvée is a blend of 74% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir and 11% Pinot Meunier and shows the Chardonnay dominance in the crisp core of lemon freshness and touch of white peach in the fruit profile. The wine has a crem pat. nose with apple notes and a hit of umami richness. All in all this a beautiful wine which is really starting to blossom. It is a super aperitif but will also partner seafood and white meats. Try with a mixed seafood salad and see how it seasons the dish and freshens the palate.

Heppington Pinot Gris 2019: he wine is pale and star bright with a fresh nose of apple and pear leading to a crisp, balanced palate. The fruits are citrus and pear with a hint of tropical mango and pineapple, the acidity is keen, the wine vibrant. It is a great aperitif but a super partner for seafood, try with calamari, white bait or delicate white fish such as plaice or dover sole. Balance is one of the key quality elements of a wine. It is the relationship between the structural components of a wine; sweetness, acidity, alcohol, tannins and fruit concentration.

Simpsons Gravel Castle Chardonnay 2020: The wine has an attractive, pristine nose offering notes of lemon zest, fresh ripe pear and butter-spread, fresh bread with a touch of white peach. There is a youthful freshness here but a harmony of elements, riper than the 2019 but maybe not as generous as the 2018. The palate is bright with crisp acidity delineating the focused structure around which the flavours of citrus, white peach, lees, butter and green apple tumble. This is a youthful, elegant wine with a sense of drive and purpose and promising a great future of vinous pleasure. Definitely a good aperitif but will suit langoustine, prawn and barbecued white fish dishes.

3 Bottles = 1 bottle of each

6 Bottles = 2 bottles of each

12 Bottles = 4 bottles of each

Classic Ortega, just dry with apple, pear and gentle herbal characters.

Off dry, fruity, displaying fresh aromas of apple & grapefruit. Semi-aromatic on the nose, displays appealing fresh aromas of green apple, grapefruit, cut grass and flora, whilst the palate is medium bodied, crisp, characterful and deliciously fruity.

Ortega, a German white grape, was the first grape variety grown at Biddenden and now covers 50 percent of their vineyard. Ortega ripens early, it is not sensitive to frost and reaches quite high must weights.

Ortega is a white grape and the variety Biddenden are best known. It was the first variety that they planted over 50 years ago and is of German origin. It is naturally insensitive to the frost and grows well in our cooler climate. It ripens early and is usually harvested around the middle of September dependant on the year and produces a fruity, full flavoured wine.

Food Pairing Ideas: Delicious when served as an aperitif, this refreshing white would also pair well with lightly spicy dishes and simple seafood.

ABV: 11.5%

Vegan Friendly

Kent Wine

Crisp refreshing dry white with floral notes and gooseberry fruit.

Our Master of Wine was incredibly excited by the Chartham Bacchus due to its high quality, the expressive aromatics and bright freshness of the palate.

The Bacchus grape will always deliver acidity and aromatics and he felt that this was at the more floral end of the aromatic spectrum so great for lovers of Sauvignon Blanc. A great springtime wine!

Food Pairing Ideas: It is a superb aperitif but it will partner a range of lighter dishes. One of the best combinations is pairing Bacchus with a light goat’s cheese of curd. Find a youthful goat’s cheese, creamy and smooth, add to a green salad with a little walnut oil dressing, some fresh crusty bread or toast and enjoy the fresh wine cutting through cheese and enriching the flavours.

ABV: 11.5%

Vegan Friendly

Kent Wine

Linear and focussed delivers gentle raspberry and spice notes on a stream of gentle bubbles.

At Corkk we are always delighted when we discover something new, a first and this is the case with the delightful Chartham Rose de Noir 2021, which recently won a silver at the WineGB awards. This is the first sparkling rose produced from the Pinot Noir at Chartham. The first ever crop of Pinot Noir made a red wine, the next this wonderful sparkling wine. It has a gentle character with strawberry scents and a touch of florality which lead to a creamy mousse, light fruit and a sublime palate. This is a poised and sedate sparkling wine which caresses the palate, a delight on its own or with a variety of meals.

Food Pairing Ideas: It would suit spicy dishes or canapés, try with a lightly spiced fish or prawn curry.

ABV: 11.5%

Vegan Friendly

Kent Wine

FOLC follows the path of buying in fruit and then having a quality focussed wine maker create the wine which they want. FOLC, an Old English word meaning ‘people, tribe, family’ which I guess has led to the word ‘folk’, base their wine on a number of key criteria which are quality, sustainability, inclusion, transparency and movement. We can tell you that the wine is really delicious and we are not th eonly ones to think this - it has just won Gold at the IEAW. It has a light red fruit and gentle spice with a dry, balanced palate. It is probably as close to a Provence style as I have tasted and delivers a textured silky feel. The extra weight means it will partner some fish dishes such as salmon or sea trout as well as the lightly spice spiced dishes of the Eastern Mediterranean.

 In true negoce, (short for negociant) style the grapes come from a number of sources in East Sussex and Kent. This range of grape origin is useful when creating a wine such as this. The production will be from different areas of the country so the impact of poor weather condition can be limited. It is also made from a complex blend 53% Pinot Noir, 23% Pinot Meunier, 8% Chardonnay, 6% Bacchus, 6% Reichensteiner, 3% Schönburger and 1% Dornfelder. This can deliver complexity of fruit but also deliver the texture and structure required. An additional aspect of blending origin and variety is that the style of wine will remain relatively consistent each year.

A truly fine and poised wine with mineral, ripe lemon and cobnut notes; harmonious and gently foaming. The Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2016 won a Platinum medal at the 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards.

Gusbourne have built a reputation for quality and style and the Blanc de Blancs most certainly reflects this. Bright golden in colour, with aromas of preserved lemon, ripe pear and brioche. The palate is rich and elegant, with candied citrus, stone fruits and toasted hazelnuts. A complex wine with attractive mineral notes and long rounded finish. The grapes were grown on a south facing vineyard near Appledore. It has had a minimum of 42 months on the lees.

The Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs winemaker, Charlie Holland, says of this fabulous wine: “I’ve selected our Blanc de Blancs 2014 because it has the linear purity that is the hallmark of this style, and really shows what Kent can offer. At Gusbourne, we select the finest lots of Chardonnay, to produce a wine with natural minerality and classic aromas of green apple and citrus, combined with buttered toast and Tarte Tatin richness from extended lees ageing.”

Vintage report: An early bud burst was followed by good weather through until the end of June resulting in successful flowering. Much needed rain in August helped compensate for the dry conditions earlier in the year. This ensured a fruitful and early harvest which was completed by 7th October. All the grapes are handpicked.

ABV: 12%

Vegan Friendly

Kent Wine

Bright gold in colour, this blend highlights red fruit aromas of cherry and strawberry, which then develop into attractive fresh pastry notes with a touch of cinnamon and spice. With a bright streak of citrus fruit, the palate is clean and fresh whilst giving tones of soft stone fruit and a long, refreshing finish. Enjoyed at L’Enclume, it is the flexible partner for contemporary and classic English food pairings; from seared scallops to smoked eels to fish and chips.

The original Gusbourne Estate in Appledore, Kent dates back to 1410. The de Goosebourne family crest was made up of three geese and can be found in their local parish church in Appledore - nowadays, each and every bottle of wine crafted at Gusbourne carries a contemporary goose crest in honour of their heritage. The ‘Goosemark’ is a symbol of trust, representing their pursuit of uncompromising quality.

In 2004, Andrew Weeber took over the estate with a clear vision and a single goal: to create English sparkling wines that would stand up alongside the very finest offerings from across the globe. The first vines were planted that year.

A combination of the best age-old traditions with modern technology and cutting-edge equipment allows them to sit comfortably between old and new world winemaking, while at the same time bringing their own exacting quality standards to the process. Respect for their vineyards, the fruit and the natural elements involved in winemaking means that their approach favours minimal intervention.

Made by their renowned winemaker, Charlie Holland, the the Brut Reserve their goal was to create a wine that is both approachable and balanced. With each vintage they aim to create a classic blend of the three varieties. This gives a ‘backbone’ of Chardonnay acting as the structural component, Pinot Noir brings body and depth and finally Pinot Meunier which adds floral and additional fruity notes to the wine.

We have previously offered the Pinot Gris from this estate but this is the first Chardonnay to be released by Heppington. The Heppington vineyard is located a few miles to the south of Canterbury and was planted in 2016. The owners Henry and Gill replaced their blackcurrant bushes with a mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Meunier. The vineyard sits on a geological strata of chalk, limestone and clay (peppered with flint) few miles east and above the village of Chartham. The gentle south facing slope affords good light and warmth and, being the highest point in the area, helps reduce the risk of frost.

In 2018 Henry and Gill sent their grapes for sparkling wine to Hattingley so we may well be tasting their fizz next year. The still wines are made at Defined Wine, only a few miles from the vineyard so that the grapes arrive in great condition. 2020 was a very fruitful year at Heppington and the yield was looking good for sparkling wine but in order to make still wine the grapes needed to be riper. A vendage vert, or green harvest, was required and the owners reckon that they cut away 30% of the forecast harvest so as to get the required concentration and sugar levels.

The result is a clean, crisp white with a fine line of mineral acidity creating a fine structure for the green apple and lemon fruit to follow. To date the Heppington wines have a sense of coolness, poise and minerality, typical of cool climate wines from specific soils. To my mind the wine has a Chablis feel but delivers a purer, subtle fruit. It is still young and will develop over the coming two years delivering more integration and savoury notes. At moment it is a great wine to sip and and enjoy on its own but would partner seafood, salmon or white fish, simply prepared.

Vegan Friendly

ABV: 12%

Kent Wine

The wine is pale and star bright with a fresh nose of apple and pear leading to a crisp, balanced palate.

We are tremendously excited about the Heppington Pinot Gris as it is the first wine from this new vineyard and it is sensational! The wine is pale and star bright with a fresh nose of apple and pear leading to a crisp, balanced palate. The fruits are citrus and pear with a hint of tropical mango and pineapple, the acidity is keen, the wine vibrant.

Balance is one of the key quality elements of a wine. It is the relationship between the structural components of a wine; sweetness, acidity, alcohol, tannins and fruit concentration. These need to be in harmony. Too much acid and a wine will appear tart, too little and it will be ‘flabby’ and lose its structure and freshness. A high acidity can be balanced after the fermentation by either using the malolactic conversion or adding a little sweetness. For this Pinot Gris a trial was made of zero grams, 2 grams, 4 grams and 6 grams of sugar per litre. The trial was conducted blind by the winemakers and the owners. The trial came to the conclusion that two samples worked, the 0 gram and the 4 gram, but the overall quality was the same. In the end the 4 gram dosage was chosen. It brought a little weight to the middle, balanced the wine for those who require a less acidic feel and will also bring about a flavour evolution in the next few months.

Food Pairing Ideas: It is a great aperitif but a super partner for seafood, try with calamari, white bait or delicate white fish such as plaice or dover sole.

ABV: 12.5%

Kent Wine

Truly elegant dry white with a fine and noble fruit and harmony. Pirouettes across the palate.

The Taste of Kent 2021 Wine of the Year winner.

With customers including Le Gavroche, The Groucho Club and even HRH The Prince of Wales, we are sure you don’t need too much more encouragement to have a taste of this tempting tipple.

The High Weald of Kent is home to a number of vineyards some large, such as Hush Heath, and some small, such as Herbert Hall. These two estates are about a five minute drive away but miles away in terms of style. Herbert Hall always produces wines of crystalline purity. There is a strong mineral element to their wines which drives the wine’s structure.

The estate is located just to the south of Marden, and the vineyards sit on a top level of clay, loam and gravel above Tonbridge Sandstone (the underlying rock of the Weald). Some argue that the gravel content in the soil is quite unique and delivers this mineral quality. The vineyard was planted in the noughties so is still quite young and is farmed organically. All the wines are made at the vineyard winery by Kirsty Smith and Nick Hall.

The Herbert Hall Brut 2016 won Best Wine in Kent at the Taste of Kent Awards. As mentioned above the wine has a mineral purity and great drive. There is a delicate scent of ripe lemon, bread, apple and cream which leads to a mineral, citrus dominant palate. There is a very fine balance to this wine, a beautiful structure and firmness and has a saline edge. In terms of food pairing this is ideal for seafood and a terrific partner for oysters or smoked salmon.

ABV: 12%

Kent Wine

Fresh and appetising delivering a wash of lemon, cobnut and cream on wave of fine bubbles.

The Simpsons wine estate is to be found in the beautiful Elham Valley about six miles south East of Canterbury in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the vineyards are located on slopes on both side of this chalk valley. The vineyards were established by Charles and Ruth Simpson in 2013 and the winery was built in 2015. The Simpsons had gained knowledge of the wine business in France where they developed an estate called Domaine St Rose in the Languedoc region. They brought their understanding of vines and winemaking to the beautiful valley and have created wines of great precision and purity.

With six vintages under their belt, they have gradually created a library of incredible quality base wines, thus allowing them to transform this flagship English sparkling wine into a non-vintage Classic Cuvée blend. The blend is 40% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Meunier.

The Pinot Meunier brings an added dimension to this appealing sparkling wine made in the Great British Classic Method with secondary fermentation in bottle and 20 months on yeast lees.

It has a fine vinous nose offering toast, light citrus fruits and a mineral edge, fresh youthful and bright. The palate shows a ready accessibility, eager gentle mousse with a weight of fine ripe citrus and floral notes. There is a pleasing toast/ brioche character and a flinty fresh finish.

Perfect as an aperitif it can also partner foods, such as salmon and cream cheeses.

GS The wine retains the ‘purity and elegance’ character of the Simpsons’ wines. There is a greater sense of accessibility to the ’18 over the more complex character of the ’17. The ripeness of the vintage comes through so delivering a wine with the same instant appeal of the ’16 but a little more depth.”

Clive describes it as having a “Fine vinous nose offering toast, light citrus fruits and a mineral edge, fresh youthful and bright. The palate shows a ready accessibility, eager gentle mousse with a weight of fine ripe citrus and floral notes. There is a pleasing toast/ brioche character and a flinty fresh finish. The wine retains the ‘purity and elegance’ character of the Simpsons’ wines. There is a greater sense of accessibility to the ’18 over the more complex character of the ’17. The ripeness of the vintage comes through so delivering a wine with the same instant appeal of the ’16 but a little more depth.”

Kent Wine

Lovely scent of strawberries and raspberries on a just dry, refreshing palate and plentiful bubbles.

Oh Oh Oh! The Canterbury Rose Sparkling Rosé 2019 is a joy to behold! It has a beautiful rose gold hue and a very fine bead. It has a delicate honeysuckle and fresh raspberry sorbet nose - you can practically smell a summer’s garden in England - illustrating finesse and balance. Moving onto the palate, you are immediately struck by exotic fruits, strawberry and smooth lychee balanced with a tangy lime, producing a complex and long finish.

The Canterbury Rose is made with 100% Pinot Noir from their famed Roman Road vineyard. As an example to the lengths that Simpsons go to producing an exceptional wine, not only were all grapes were carefully hand-picked but were also gently whole bunch pressed in an Inertys, oxygen-free pneumatic press to preserve and protect the pure, primary red fruit flavours and aromatics. The juice was then cold settled in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks prior to fermentation. The wine progressed through full maloactic fermentation and then rested in tank prior to tirage in April 2019.

After the secondary fermentation in the bottle, the wine then aged on its lees for 15 months prior to disgorgement and then a further 3 months on cork prior to release.

Kent Wine

Mature, harmonious textured creature with ripe pear, and hazelnut notes.

The Simpsons Derringstone Pinot Meunier 2020 is created from exclusively estate grown and hand picked Pinot Meunier grapes, this intriguing and truly unique ‘blanc de noirs’ was carefully vinified as a white wine. The Derringstone Pinot Meunier displays chalk purity and sweet and savoury aromas of poached winter fruit. Complex balsamic nuances and red fruit flavours finish with a deliciously creamy mouth-feel.

The wine is created by a husband and wife, Charles and Ruth Simpson team learnt their trade and gained their deep knowledge of winemaking in the Languedoc region of France. To add to their French vineyard, they bought perfect wine growing land in a sheltered chalk valley in an area of outstanding beauty just south of the Cathedral city of Canterbury. They are passionate winemakers and this is reflected in the quality of their wine.

“The moment we tasted the Simpsons Pinot Meunier we were immediately hooked. It’s just perfect for a summer’s evening whilst the BBQ is warming up. Smooth, refreshing and just delicious” - Mark Elliott

Kent Wine

White peach and lemon abound in this mineral taut dry white.

Simpsons Gravel Castle Chardonnay continues to grow in popularity, changing people’s perceptions of English still wines, and garnering favourable reviews. We feel the 2020 version is a very attractive representation of what is widely considered a great vintage for English wines.

The wine has an attractive, pristine nose offering notes of lemon zest, fresh ripe pear and butter-spread, fresh bread with a touch of white peach. There is a youthful freshness here but a harmony of elements, riper than the 2019 but maybe not as generous as the 2018.

The palate is bright with crisp acidity delineating the focused structure around which the flavours of citrus, white peach, lees, butter and green apple tumble. This is a youthful, elegant wine with a sense of drive and purpose and promising a great future of vinous pleasure.

This gorgeous English wine is likely to please those that have enjoyed it in the past, and those drinking it for the first time! It has a lovely light gold colour with green tinges. The palate is bright with crisp acidity delineating the focused structure around which the flavours of citrus, white peach, lees, butter and green apple tumble. This is a youthful, elegant wine with a sense of drive and purpose, and promising a great future of vinous pleasure.

Our Master of Wine, Clive Barlow, has already tasted it and had this to say: "Whilst the 2019 was more Chablis-like, the 2020 has a little more weight and could, in Burgundian terms, be more akin to unoaked Savigny les Beaunes/Pernand Vergelesses. I tasted the 2020 with three others who talked me into opening the 2019. The 2020 showed very well with a more savoury complexity, rich with leesy nuttiness and a mineral core. The finish was long and complex. It is integrating very well, still has plenty of life and potential."

Food Pairing Ideas: Definitely a good aperitif but will suit langoustine, prawn and barbecued white fish dishes.

Kent Wine

Complex, layered wines, cedar spice, white peach, roasted notes and much more.

Exuding a true sense of place, this elegant, single vineyard, still Chardonnay is created from fruit specially selected for its maturity and concentration.

Light straw hue with golden flecks. This really delivers a youthful yet complex nose carrying the tropical notes of pineapple, banana and more with touches of butterscotch and flint. The ripeness of fruits is nicely counterbalanced by a fresh minerality and citrus.

The palate shows an excellent intensity of ripe fruits balanced by a fresh citrus seam and mineral and cedar touches. So, there is quite a matrix of flavour characters which, despite giving ample pleasure now, will evolve over the coming months/years.”

The wine is created by a husband and wife, Charles and Ruth Simpson team learnt their trade and gained their deep knowledge of winemaking in the Languedoc region of France. To add to their French vineyard, they bought perfect wine growing land in a sheltered chalk valley in an area of outstanding beauty just south of the Cathedral city of Canterbury. They are passionate winemakers and this is reflected in the quality of their wine.

Kent Wine

Fine, purity and balance with a mineral elegance, foaming mousse; biscuit, mango and guava.

The Squerryes Brut 2015 reflects the natural energy and purity of our North Downs vineyard, the white chalk seam that sits below our vines acting as nature’s best filter, removing any impurities creating a wine that is very soft and clean with a lovely smooth finish. On the palette it has an abundance of rich, ripe fruit complemented by a hint of brioche and a wonderful, soft mouth feel.

Laura Evans, their MW, described it as “Pale straw in colour from the increased amount of Chardonnay with a distinct, fine mousse. Lovely orchard fruits: baked pears with a hint of spice and creaminess on the nose. On the palette it has an abundance of rich, ripe fruit complemented by a hint of brioche and a wonderful, soft mouth feel. A concentrated full flavour wine, with not too much acidity makes it perfect to pair with a meaty white fish, like monkfish; for the cheese lover: a ripe camembert.”

ABV: 12%

Vegan Friendly

Kent Wine

Beautiful dry and refreshing white with a gentle spice and fruit.

The Wayfarer Estate lies on the slopes of the North Downs to the east of Maidstone near Hollingbourne. The vines were planted in 2016 and this is the very first wine of what, I believe, promises to be an exciting and quality driven wine producer. The reason for writing this is simply that the Ashford family are very focussed on building slowly and carefully toward a range of good quality still wines with forays into sparkling wine along the way and selecting prime vineyard sites to support this ambition.

It is a planned evolution where, after planting vines in the ‘back garden’ of the family home to check out the capability of the project, a new site has been found in Woodchurch to plant still wine varieties such as Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Chardonnay. This site is close to the well-known, award-winning Gusbourne estate and is a neighbour to Woodchurch Wine Estate, a little known but extremely good producer of sparkling wine, plus a little excellent Pinot Noir. The climate, micro-climate and soils have a proven capability and the family can manage the vineyard sites and the wine is made at a nearby state of the art crush company, Defined Wine. So, we at Corkk look forward to watching the development of Wayfarer Wines.

We have selected Pinot Gris for its balance, harmony and evolving characters. The wine has a cobnut, apple and pear aroma but its developing a light spice note. The palate has a typical fresh English character but there is an edge of creaminess, of roundness that reminds the drinker of the Alsace style of Pinot Gris rather than that found in the cool mountainous Alto Adige.

Food Pairing Ideas: A lovely wine on its own but has the weight to partner white meats such as chicken and pork. Try with an escalope of either with a cut of lemon, some chips and of course, a glass of Wayfarer Pinot Gris.

ABV: 12%

Vegan Friendly

Kent Wine

Brims with bramely apple and lemon fruits with a bready edge and fine reviving bubbles.

The Westwell Pelegrim Sparkling Wine has a rich, biscuit nose and plenty of autolytic notes which promise a savoury complex palate. In the mouth the wine certainly delivers layered flavours, both apple fruit and savoury nut and bread characters. It is dry, gently foaming and has mineral depth. It drinks well now but has the concentration to reward cellaring for two to three years.

The Westwell vineyard is based on the gentle chalk slopes of the scarp face of the Downs, which receive increased insolation and reduced frost risk compared to the generally flatter lands of the Weald so the fruit is usually that little bit riper. The top layer of the chalk soils contain plenty of flint which helps with drainage and makes it a bit warmer than the nearby clay rich soils of the Weald.

Food Pairing Ideas: Perfect with salmon and chicken and great for an aperitif.

ABV: 11%

Kent Wine

Beautifully crisp with green apple, white peach and cream notes; focussed and fine bubbles.

2015 was a terrific vintage, the largest of the decade at that time, and was also one that delivered clean and ripe fruit. As a result, the wines of the vintage have good depth and an ability to age. The Woodchurch Classic Cuvée is a blend of 74% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir and 11% Pinot Meunier and shows the Chardonnay dominance in the crisp core of lemon freshness and touch of white peach in the fruit profile. The wine has a nose with apple notes and a hint of umami richness. All in all this a beautiful wine which is really starting to blossom.

The current release of the Woodchurch Classic Cuvée was disgorged in September 2020 just a few months ago, but has extra depth and integration from the added time on lees; the previous release had 41 months compared to the 51 months of this release. The additional period means an increase in umami, greater integration of acidity, a development of complexity and an improvement of the mousse. This wine just keeps getting better and better. If you like buy some more and lay it down and keep it for another year to see how it evolves and improves.

Food Pairing Ideas: It is a super aperitif but will also partner seafood and white meats. Try with a mixed seafood salad and see how it seasons the dish and freshens the palate.

ABV: 11.5%

Vegan Friendly

Kent Wine

A statuesque rosé, plenty of wild strawberry and red apple fruits cut by a lively mousse.

Rose gold in colour with floral and red berry aromas, the wine is full of fruit flavours including strawberry, peach, and melon combined with tangy citrus notes. It is a blend of Pinot Meunier (33%) and Pinot Noir (47%) and Chardonnay (27%)

The Woodchurch vineyard is exactly the type of hard to find vineyard that Corkk delights in discovering. It is a family business, run by Donna and Graham since 2009. Overlooking the Romney Marsh in Kent. The vineyard has the perfect geography and climate to produce the highest quality grapes and the finest English sparkling wine. Their vision is to create the world’s finest sparkling wines. Every step of the vine growing and wine making process is approached with a meticulous attention to detail. Throughout the year the vines are managed by hand and treated with great care which in turn means the fruit harvested is of the highest quality. What a fabulous approach.

The Woodchurch Sparkling Rosé has won the following awards:

Silver medal Decanter World Wine Awards 2021

Kent Wine of the Year 2020
Gold The Independent English Wine Awards 2019
Bronze International Wine & Spirits Competition 2019
Highly Commended International Wine Challenge 2018

Food Pairing Ideas: A perfect aperitif and/or a great accompaniment to smoked salmon, fish or chicken dishes.

ABV: 11.5%

Vegan Friendly

Kent Wine

The perfect English wine box to help celebrate the joy of Summer!

Ashling Park Cuvée: The aromatics display plenty of autolytic characters, biscuit, brioche, plus citrus notes and apple and honey. There is a depth to the aromatics not often found which promises a fulsome palate and long finish. On the palate there is the expected depth but great harmony and a fine mousse. The wine has one of the longest I have experienced in English sparkling wine and it is one of the balanced wines you will find.

Oxney Sparkling Rosé: If you are looking for a rosé which will delight and surprise in equal measure, then the Oxney Sparkling Rosé is the wine. The sparkling rosé is delicious, fresh, dry and gently-foaming. One can find delicate aromas of raspberry, peach and lemon on the nose and palate along with a light lees richness. The wine is bottle fermented and has extra weight due to the extended lees contact but is made to give a fresh, youthful mouthful.

Simpsons Chalklands Classic Cuvée: Fine vinous nose offering toast, light citrus fruits and a mineral edge, fresh youthful and bright. The palate shows a ready accessibility, eager gentle mousse with a weight of fine ripe citrus and floral notes. There is a pleasing toast/ brioche character and a flinty fresh finish. The wine retains the ‘purity and elegance’ character of the Simpsons’ wines.