In his second installment of a two part feature ‘English Wine Compendium’ for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine Matthew Jukes, acclaimed wine writer who lived in Biddenden for a short while when he was 18, has described the vineyard as a “charming cellar door”, “one of my favourite estates” and “a pioneering winery which makes a lovely range”.
After tasting the current and upcoming vintages at the annual English Wine Producer’s Trade Tasting earlier in the year, Matthew was a particular fan of the upcoming Ortega, 2015 stating that it “is a floral, pretty little wine and the 2014 which precedes it is a delight, too.” He also complimented the Pinot Reserve, 2010 as “fairly full and combative on the palate, and great value” and the Gribble Bridge Sparkling Rosé, 2012 as “a joyous fruit bomb of a fizz with a cheeky air”. Returning to the still wines, Matthew praised the Gribble Bridge Ortega Dry, 2015 for its “fruit cocktail scent and a sleek, tangy finish” and was delighted to have found “a rare red” with the Gribble Bridge Dornfelder showing that it is possible to “cram juicy red fruit notes into a wine without any sourness or vegetal notes found in so many English reds. Bravo.”
The full article, which was published in the Daily Mail Weekend Magazine on 10th September 2016, can be found here
