The Grape Escape
English sparkling wine has become such a success story of the new millennium that one wonders if the upper case should be dropped from Champagne. After all, the grapes, production methods, cultivation techniques, and even the terroirs adopted for British viticulture are identical to their continental counterparts.
We alight at Gusbourne’s The Nest, a sophisticated, bottle-lined entertaining and tasting space where the windows gaze onto the winery below. Tantalizingly there are five glasses laid out at my named place and we begin our Discovery Tour in rural Kent with a crisp and punchy 2013 Blanc de Blancs. Venturing into the vineyards, in our affable and engaged group of twelve fellow oenophiles, we learn about the history, production methods, and terroirs of Gusbourne - and by default English, as this multi-award-winning Kent winery is a market leader in the field - of wine that have led to its meteoric success. White roses and grazing sheep, buzzards, and birdsong underneath the sun add to the charmed and leisured atmosphere. Past Gusbourne’s new picnic area (hampers - and of course fizz - can be collected at The Nest) we amble through the vineyards to sip Rosé under an old oak tree before returning to The Nest where sumptuous platters of English delicacies are enjoyed with a flight of Gusbourne’s finest cuvées - from the sensational Blanc de Noirs to the 2017 Rosé. We round off our journey of Discovery with a tour of the winery, to learn how Gusbourne ferments its sparkling wines and matures its vintages. The Discovery Tour of Gusbourne was an education and a delight, an unforgettable day spent luxuriating in fantastic company, epic surrounds, and, of course, showstopping sparkling wines.
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