It was rather a damp evening that the group and some 10 other U3A members, all met at the Wickham Vineyard for what turned out to be a very interesting and informative evening. Despite the dampness, we were started off outside in the 18 acre vineyard, with information on the grapes and the method of growing them in the variable UK climate. To make the most of the variable conditions, some 10 grape varieties are cultivated which is much more than in warmer climes where perhaps a vineyard would grow say just 3 varieties - Pinot Noir, Rondo, Triomphe and Dornfelder for the reds and Bacchus, Reichensteiner, Faber, Wurtzer, Schoenburger and Seyval Blanc for the whites, are those grown at Wickham. These are all grapes particularly suited to cooler climates. The grapes are grown on a trellis system called Geneva Double Curtain which helps to improve yields and also makes it easier for the grapes to be picked by hand. With a lower yield compared to warmer countries it is essential that only good quality grapes are used in the wine production and so hand picking and not machines is the method of harvesting. The actual soil in the vineyard is very similar to that of the Champagne area of France.
The winery where the magical process of turning gapes into wine takes place was a surprisingly small area but included the typical winemaker’s equipment of several stainless steel tanks and various pumps and hoses as well the more familiar oak barrels in which some of the wine is aged. The winery produces in excess of 80,000 bottles of wine a year.
Moving on to the really interesting part of the evening, we were privileged to have a tutored tasting of some of the end product Р2 White wines, 2 Ros̩ and 2 Reds. All the wines were very interesting and it was certainly much more interesting to have such a knowledgeable host to lead the tasting. The two wines which stood out were not surprisingly the vineyards two premier products the white Wickham Special Release Fum̩ and the Wickham Special Reserve Red which of course we had already tasted at our June meeting.
The next meeting of the wine tasting group will be on September the 14th, 2pm at Pat and Brian’s
The winery where the magical process of turning gapes into wine takes place was a surprisingly small area but included the typical winemaker’s equipment of several stainless steel tanks and various pumps and hoses as well the more familiar oak barrels in which some of the wine is aged. The winery produces in excess of 80,000 bottles of wine a year.
Moving on to the really interesting part of the evening, we were privileged to have a tutored tasting of some of the end product Р2 White wines, 2 Ros̩ and 2 Reds. All the wines were very interesting and it was certainly much more interesting to have such a knowledgeable host to lead the tasting. The two wines which stood out were not surprisingly the vineyards two premier products the white Wickham Special Release Fum̩ and the Wickham Special Reserve Red which of course we had already tasted at our June meeting.
The next meeting of the wine tasting group will be on September the 14th, 2pm at Pat and Brian’s
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