Well I know you must be amazed at the fourth blog in ten days!

I had met Tiléri and Natalie from Poulton Hill Estate vineyard at a couple wine tastings in the Cotswolds and really wanted to go and check out what they are doing.

Well my twitter buddy Swami, now lifelong food & wine friend from Iowa, told me he was coming to see me on an epic five week tour he had planned in Europe. So I started to plan a couple of days for him with me in Worcestershire. Food and wine both days was hugely important as Swami eats amazingly on his worldwide travels. With a few days before Swami’s arrival the weather forecast was superb for the upcoming days of his visit. With this in mind I thought we have to go to an ENGLISH vineyard!.

The new tasting room at Poulton Hill Estate.

So this was the perfect opportunity to visit Poulton Hill Estate in the stunning Cotswolds as its only 45 minutes from home. With only two days notice we were made extremely welcome by Tiléri and Natalie. Many thanks.!!!!

The 7 acres of the Poulton Hill Estate vineyard were planted in 2010, set in the idyllic Cotswold countryside, close to the Roman town of Cirencester and Regency spa town of Cheltenham.

The vines planted are on south facing slopes, 8800 in total, which equates to about 20,000 bottles per year. They have three white varieties: Phoenix, Bacchus, Seyval Blanc and three red varieties: Pinot Noir, Regent and Rondo.

Other than some occasional help around the vineyard Tiléri and Natalie do everything. Obviously labour is brought in for the harvest, but when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING.

These are two petite ladies and they get stuck into every single part of what’s involved within the vineyard. Vine maintenance, pruning, wires, thinning, you name it they do it. Not only that but they are the face of Poulton at many events in the UK too. Oh and the tasting room, paperwork, telephones, orders, deliveries……. EVERYTHING! 

Tiléri was telling me that at an event when they told a consumer they were the ones that worked the estate the response was ” I’m sure you don’t – day to day” in which she responded, “feel free to come anytime and see that WE MOST DEFINITELY DO. 

They certainly are a dynamic duo and they work bloody hard too! Both Swami and I discussed this on the way home after we had finished. We were sure that its not an easy job, however extremely rewarding when all the work comes to fruition with wonderful wines. Especially when the wines are winning awards and the wine buying public are loving them too!

2013 Brut Rosé has been highly commended at The World’s Finest Glass of Bubbly Awards 2017.

2012 Brut English Sparkling Wine has won yet another medal. The wine won a silver medal at The World’s Finest Glass of Bubbly awards.

Poulton Hill Bacchus 2016 wins Drinks Product of the Year at the Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards.

English Sparkling White 2012,  awarded a Q in the Quality Drink Awards.

Responsibility to the  environment is an integral part of what they do. They have  Babydoll sheep that graze the orchard and wildflowers planted to help the insect population.

They have two flocks of rare-breed sheep, Jacob’s Sheep and Olde English Babydoll Southdown Sheep, two of the oldest breeds in England. The Babydoll sheep are perfect for keeping the area around the vines tidy without eating the grapes also fertilizing the soil as they go.

So Natalie held the fort and Tiléri took Swami and I to see the vines.

The first thing that we both noticed were the stunning Roses! I have only ever seen this once before at Querciabella, in Tuscany (Querciabella is a Biodynamic Vineyard)   

It’s a very old tradition which is done as vines and roses are both susceptible to the same mildew and fungus and they acted as an early warning system on the end of the rows. Although these days at Poulton Estate it’s purely for cosmetic reasons as vine management today is very different to how it was many years ago.

Back to the tasting room to sample the delights of Poulton Estate wines.

Currently they make six still wines, (the reserve red was just released when we visited and not in the photo), three sparkling, a Cotswold brandy and a Sloe de Vie.. don’t worry I will explain. I hadn’t heard of it either.

Throughout the tasting it was obvious to Swami and I that these ladies certainly are involved with everything aspect in the vineyard, as their knowledge and experience, to all of our questions, from terroir to bottle was very impressive. 

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Bacchus 2016

Bacchus is of German origin and named after the Roman God of wine.

Grapes: Bacchus

In the glass this is light gold with a platinum edged quality too. Elderflower and peach on the nose. On the palate its fresh grapefruit, gooseberry, ripe tropical notes too. On the finish its dry and crisp with a touch of mineral right on the end. Really good on its own or with some fresh seafood it would be a delight!

RRP: £15.99

 

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Phoenix 2015 (although now 2017 vintage)

Again the variety is of German origin.

Grapes: Phoenix

In the glass this is very light in colour indeed. The nose has fabulous elderberry and herbaceous hints reminiscent of a traditional French Sauvignon. This medium-bodied wine is packed full of flavour with notes of lychee, elderberry and gooseberry, followed by a refreshingly clean finish.

RRP: £14.99

 

 

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Special Reserve 2016

Phoenix is of German origin and Seyval Blanc is of French origin.

Grapes: Phoenix and Seyval Blanc

Pale straw colour in the glass with fresh aromas of elderflower and pear on the nose. The palate is bursting with juicy peach, finishing with tones of zesty lemon sherbet.

RRP: £15.99

 

 

 

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Rosé NV

Grapes: Phoenix, Seyval Blanc, Rondo and Regent

The NV Rosé is salmon pink in colour, has cherry and slight plummy tones with a long, long finish. Delicious summer sipping!

This wine is a delight drunk on a hot summer day or will pair with white fish, chicken or pork dishes.

RRP: £13.99

 

 

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Rosé 2017

This wine was not tasted on the day and had not been released. It is available now.

It has soft, well-rounded, ripe summer fruits on the nose that lead to delicate hints of damson plum and strawberries, with a crisp, dry finish on the palate.

RRP: £14.99

 

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Special Reserve Red 2016

 

Well I drank this one again last night.

Grapes:  Rondo and Regent, with only 663 bottles made of this first vintage of this wine.

In the glass this wine is deep violet red in colour with a vibrant violet edge. The nose is blackberry, ripe black cherry with a touch of vanilla toastyness. The palate is an explosion of fruit! Black Cherry, quickly followed by stewed sweet plums. This wine is aged for six months in American oak so it does have a touch of vanilla although very little, and on the end it has a lovely spicey touch. Tannins are well integrated and it has a lovely soft lingering fruity finish. Really enjoyed this wine. Will also be good to see how it develops in the bottle over the next 12 months. 

RRP: £16.99

On to the sparkling wine

 

BULARI ……..

A new name for English sparkling wine? Well Poulton Estate certainly think so.

Poulton Hill Estate has a trademark registered  for ‘Bulari’ (a variation of the Latin for bubbles) as a generic term to describe English sparkling wine.

English sparkling wine producers have been searching for a catchy name to signify prestige and reflect ever-increasing quality for years now. The use of the Latin term Bulari reflects the fact that vines for wine-making were first introduced to Britain by the Romans.

As a recognition of their awards, quality and success, Poulton Hill Estate’s award-wining sparkling white and rosé wines will now be labelled Bulari. High-quality English sparkling wine producers, who meet the same strict production criteria for making English sparkling wines, will also be able to use the term under license.

Time will tell if this name catches on….. but always I hear lots banded round the industry that we don’t have a name like, Cava, Sekt, Prosecco or Champagne.

Here is a link featured on the BBC news about it. https://youtu.be/hFY10oiQWKk

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Sparkling English Rosé 

Grapes: Seyval Blanc, Phoenix, Rondo and Regent

In the glass it’s beautiful pale pink with fine perlage. On the nose it’s a summer berry heaven! A Strawberry and cream delight. This was the first glass we started with on the tasting and I think Swami was surprised at how good quality this tasting was going to be. This follows by quite a long dry finish with a touch of minerality on the end. 

This is great as an aperitif but equally a great food wine. In fact the first time my wife and I had this wine was at a lovely pub down the road from the vineyard and I had a burger for lunch. Paired a treat! RRP: £27.99 

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English Sparkling Brut

Grapes: Seyval Blanc, Phoenix, Rondo and Regent. ( not tasted on the day)

Poulton Hill Estate English sparkling wine is a rich straw yellow colour with a slight touch of pink. The nose is a lovely blend of English summer fruits, with hints of gooseberry and grapefruit. The palate is equally reminiscent of an English summer, with notes of crisp green apple, elderflower, a touch of lime and hints of redcurrant and strawberry. RRP: £60.00

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Bulari

Grapes: Seyval Blanc & Pinot Noir

Pale straw golden in the glass with fine perlage, the nose is green apples and pears with citrus notes of orange, lemon and limes. On the palate juicy apple bursts across your tongue followed by citrus freshness  which creates a wonderful well-rounded mouthfeel. This is very clean and fresh.

RRP: £27.99

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SPIRITS:

Sloe de Vie.

Sloe de Vie displays delicious fruit flavours of sloes hand-picked at the peak of ripeness following the harvest in 2015.

Once fermented, the sloe wine was triple distilled and then bottled.

The delicate aromas and freshness of the fruit have been preserved, resulting in a spirit of exceptional smoothness. Much like a  fine grappa. RRP £37.99

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Cotswold Brandy.

This Limited edition Cotswold Brandy has been produced exclusively from grapes harvested by hand at the Poulton Hill Estate in 2013. Following fermentation, the base wine has been triple distilled and then matured in American Oak casks.

Cotswold Brandy has a wonderful nose of deep almond and vanilla, with hints of wood and notes of spice. The palate is beautifully soft and smooth with a fruity finish.

Each bottle of this limited release has been carefully hand labelled and individually hand numbered. Unfortunately it was only a 200 bottle run and its all SOLD OUT!

 

 

Experience Poulton Hill for yourself

It really is a wonderful vineyard to visit, the Cotswold countryside is stunning and definitely worth a visit for a weekend or longer. There are plenty of places to stay from B&B’s to luxury country house hotels.

 

Huge Thank you to Tiléri and to Natalie who were fabulous hosts to us.  I really do take my hat off to all the hard work that you put into this vineyard. Its obvious it is so much more than a Job to you both. Salute 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

Again I  wrote this blog because I love what they are doing at Poulton Estate and their wines.

I have not been paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliation to Poulton Estate.

The wine drunk last night SPECIAL RESERVE RED 2016 was kindly given to me by Swami who bought it on our visit. Thanks Swami.

https://poultonhillestate.co.uk/

Twitter: @PoultonVineyard