Charlie Holland and Serena Edwards from Gusbourne, Ruth Simpson from Simpsons Estate, Emma Rice from Hattingley Valley, and James Osbourne from Squerryes were just some of the winemaking glitterati at WineSkills class.
“Would you like to come to a WineSkills Extension Programme class?”
Would I what now?
I mean “sure”, anything to satisfy that deep-seated wine geekery, but this sounded like I needed to do a bit more digging about what the bloody hell’s this all about!
WineSkills… where every day is a school day
It turns out that WineSkills is an initiative started up by Plumpton College, the UK’s winemaking college based in Sussex.
Eva from CSWWC multi tasking by pouring drinks and learning to whistle
The aim of the game is to get some experts in a room and let the alumni of Plumpton, now out in the world and leading the English and Welsh wine charge, to have access to continuing knowledge and learning opportunities.
You know that saying “Every day’s a school day”? Well that’s exactly what this is about. No-one ever stops learning, and to see the great and the good of English winemaking teams all cramming themselves onto the front row as I walked in, notepads at the ready, it was clear they all got the gig.
What a belting session it was too. The three amigos that make up the judging panel for the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships (CSWWC) were all lined up to give us their expert opinions on what they look for in a top quality bottle of fizz.
And the things they’re desperately looking to avoid.
If you’re a winemaker, looking to make his or her mark in the world, then this would be gold dust.
Let’s start with Tom’s howlers
Gorgeous looking glasses of utter filth, a brilliant opening session with Tom
The session was kicked off by Tom Stevenson over a glittering array of freshly poured bubbles in our glasses in front of us.
And each and everyone of them was rough as a badger’s arse. And we were all about to learn why.
There was anything from brett taints to cork failures, reduction/oxidation to the light-struck taint for wines stored in clear glass bottles that get messed up in UV and natural lighting.
For anyone who’s studied wine faults and why they happen, you’ll know that there’s one thing reading a book and learning why it happens. But to sit in front of 16 examples of where it’s happened and how you can detect it early doors? You don’t get to do that every day and, not taking away from the enjoyment of the rest of the day, I think deep down the winemakers in the room will have taken a lot out of this section of the chat in particular.
Although next time, I could do without the baby sick smell from a messed up malolactic ferment. It’s still in my nostrils now!
Taking note of Dr Tony Jordan and wine balance in English sparkling wine
After Tom was finished and the glasses were cleaned (potentially thrown) away, some fresh looking wines appeared on a tasting mat in front of us and up stepped Dr Tony Jordan.
Dr Tony Jordan, who’s blending more wines than we’ve had hot dinners
This man is one smart cookie, and incredibly easy to listen to. Tony set up Domaine Chandon in the Yarra Valley for Moët back in 1986 and has remained a complete Don of the sparkling wine world ever since, and spoke about production techniques and the resultant wine styles with, well let’s go with… ‘some authority’.
It’s interesting listening to someone who doesn’t seem to have a vested interest in any one thing. He just wants to drink damn good wine and see it produced wherever possible. So his talk was firm but fair, opening with the old chestnut of the English Wine world – acidity balance.
“Thankfully it’s getting softer” he continued as we made our way through a selection of Blanc de Blancs from round the world to highlight where England (and Champagne, Napa, and Yarra) sit on the pH scale. Be it warmer weather or better winemaking practices (mini cheer from the audience), it’s going in the right direction.
And as an Aussie, he couldn’t sit down without talking about oak treatment. But from a man like this you’re going to get exactly what you expect – practicalities – it’s not about who likes oak bombs and whether it’s fashionable for the punters. No. He’s here to warn the upcoming winemakers of the UK about how manage the “only legally allowed flavour you can add to wine.” Those vats don’t clean themselves you know!
Essi Avellan MW shows us a touch of class
Essi swears that it was pure chance she presented the superstar flight
Once Tony had sat down, it was the turn of Finland’s finest, Essi Avellan MW.
I think she drew the longest straw here, as it was her more-than-enjoyable job to take us through the final flight full of medal winners. I’m not sure I 100% agreed with the gold, silver, and bronze orders of everything, but that was one of the points of this.
If you’re going to make a top drawer bottle of bubbles that three strong-minded and opinionated judges (in a good way, mind) are all going to agree to put forward as a gold medal winner, then you bloody deserve it.
What a fabulously interesting afternoon it was. And seeing the faces of winemakers such as Charlie Holland and Serena Edwards from Gusbourne, Ruth Simpson from Simpsons Estate, Emma Rice from Hattingley Valley, and James Osbourne from Squerryes, it was clear that this is something hugely valued by the winemaking glitterati as well.
Pinot Noir, right, green, red, and black fruits…got it!
Huge thanks go to course director for the WineSkills Extension Programme, Tony Milanowski. Anytime you’ve got a spare ticket going for something else like this boss, let me know. I think we’ll all be scrambling to the front of that queue!
Cheers
For more info on the WineSkills initative, please visit their website here
For more info on the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships you can visit their website here or read the features below.
