Culver Hill, Woodchester Valley 2021

A beautifully balanced and complex Chardonnay, fermented and matured for nine months in 3-year-old French oak barriques. Generous aromas of ripe orchard fruits, floral honey, and toasted nuts.

The highlight of the Wine GB tasting, and indeed the day, was this Pinot Noir Precoce (an early riprning variant of Pinot Noir) from just outside Ledbury.

A good depth of garnet and a slight tone of terracotta in colour. Black cherry and sweet spice with hints of chocolate and smoke on the nose. A rich and almost full-bodied palate with silky tannins from time in barrel. Dark fruits, clove and vanilla spice are followed by earthy forest floor undertones on the finish

Bacchus is rapidly gaining recognition as the UK’s “signature” grape variety, producing aromatic and frequently quite intense styles of white which have been compared to Sauvignon Blanc. Blended here with 25% Chardonnay it has been both toned down and fattened up to give a really well balanced, lightish white, ideal for summer drinking.

Fiona and Niall Shiner had been living in Hong Kong for 18 years when they returned to Britain to take on Niall's parents' property at Amberley. Niall continued with his career, but mother-of-three Fiona decided to plant some vines at the property following a comment by her mother-in-law that the Romans could have grown vines there. The first acre was planted in 2007, with the acquisition of an old cattle farm on the (really quite steep) hill opposite and converting an old barn into a winery in 2016. A third vineyard side since been acquired taking the current area under vine (but not all producing grapes yet) to 58 acres (23ish hectares), still firmly in the ‘tiny’ bracket.

Made only in exceptional years and from the oldest parcels of Bacchus the Orpheus is a richer and heavier proposition than most UK produced Bacchus. Aromatic with gooseberry and elderflower on the nose and hints of tropical fruits, on the palate it builds from rich, creamy lemon to subtle tropical fruits. It has great flavour length and structure, lingering long on the finish which is dry and well rounded.