The best tipples for Welsh Wine Week
Ross recommends five wonderful Welsh wines
It’s Welsh Wine Week (yes, that is a thing), and I’ve been putting in the hard work of tasting my way around the country to give you my thoughts on the best Welsh wines out there at the moment. Avid readers of the newsletter will know that if I’m not drinking tea, I’m drinking wine – you can keep all your fizzy pop thanks.
People often laugh when I tell them that I’ve been supping wine from Wales, but it really is their loss, as there are now around 38 vineyards in the country, many of which are producing some really interesting (and delicious) wines. Let’s not forget that Wales has a history of wine making: the romans were thought to have planted and grown vines in Caerleon in around AD75, and the UK’s first commercial vineyard was planted at Castell Coch in 1875.
Most vineyards in Wales are small, family-run operations and because of the very different climates around the country, growing grapes in Wales can be a lot of trial and error. That’s why you find a variety of grapes and styles of wine. With that in mind, here are a few that I think are worth raising a glass to (and with).
Montgomery Vineyard Solaris
Summer’s on its way (I hope), and that means I’m more partial to a glass of crisp white wine. The Solaris from Montgomery Vineyard is a banger. Packed full of tropical fruit flavours like grapefruit and pineapple, this still, dry white transports you to sultry shores, even if it’s raining outside your window. The ever-charming Woody (pictured above) suggested that it has a slight hint of pear drops – and he’s not wrong – but thankfully without that weird grating of the roof of your mouth that the sweets used to do. Solaris is one of the more common grape varieties grown in Wales, and this is one of the best examples of how good it can be.
Pair it with: Seaweed and spring greens risotto-style rice
Visit the vineyard: Montgomery Vineyard
Buy the wine: Montgomery Vineyard Solaris
Velfrey Vineyard Rhosyn
Owned by the lovely Fiona and Andy, Velfrey is a family-run vineyard near Narbeth, which has been going nearly a decade. I’ve been a big fan of their wines for a while now, but I recently tried their Rhosyn (rose in Welsh). It’s a sparkling rosé wine made from seyval blanc and pinot noir grapes. It’s possibly one of the best sparkling wines I’ve tried over the last year. It has lovely bubbles and is delicate and refined but still fun, with its strawberry and citrus notes. I think it would make a cracking spot of bubbly for a special celebration.
Pair it with: Trio of Welsh pintxos
Visit the vineyard: Velfrey Vineyard
Buy the wine: Rhosyn Sparkling Rosé
Whinyard Rocks Col Rondo
I love tasting something a bit different, so this sparking red (in fact wildly purple) wine is right up my street. Without getting too technical with the wine jargon, this is a Col Fondo wine, which means that the lees (natural dead yeast left after fermentation that gives wine character) is left in the bottle – unlike most sparkling wines. It results in a slightly cloudy wine. This super interesting version by husband-and-wife team Susan and James is made using Rondo grapes – another classic variety suited to Welsh soil – and hits you with gorgeous raspberries and Welsh hedgerow goodness.
Pair it with: Chorizo and scallop skewers
Visit the vineyard: Whinyard Rocks
Buy the wine: Col Rondo
White Castle Cabernet Franc
Founded and run by the Robb and Nicola back in 2008, White Castle Vineyard is located near Abergavenny. When they told me that they’d not only grown Cabernet Franc but made a cracker of a wine with it – the first in the UK – I was a taken aback. It can be a tricky little grape to grow well, and is often used a a blending grape. But this Cab Franc is brilliant. It’s got lovely cherry and berry flavours and is completely (and dangerously) quaffable.
Pair it with: Welsh lamb and laverbread meatballs
Visit the vineyard: White Castle Vineyard
Buy the wine: White Castle Cabernet Franc
Ancre Hill Estates Orange Wine
I’ve featured this wine before, but it’s worth another mention. I’m not generally a big fan of orange wine but this has something about it. Made by Richard and Joy at Ancre Hill in Monmouthshire, this wine is all about fun, and ideal for summer picnics and barbecues. Orange wine is a essentially a white wine that is left on the grape skins (like when making red wine) which is where it gets its colour. Ancre Hill’s orange wine is made using Albariño, Chardonnay, Solaris and Ortega grapes. It’s got stone fruit flavours such as apricots and some citrusy orange too.
Pair it with: Welsh lamb kofta skewers
Visit the vineyard: Ancre Hill Estates
Buy the wine: Ancre Hill Estates Orange Wine