It’s not every day that two knights of the realm come knocking on the door wanting to make a wine with you, but that’s the task that fell on the winemaking team at Balfour Winery when Sir Ian Botham came calling wanting to make a wine with Sir Geoff Hurst.
The result is the ‘Geoff Hurst Cuvée’ a Pinot Noir dominant, traditional method classic cuvée made from fruit grown on Balfour’s Estate in Kent. The sporting legends worked alongside Balfour winemaker Fergus Elias to blend a bespoke sparkling wine that is now on sale nationwide at Majestic at £30 a bottle - or £25 in a mixed six bottles.
Sir Geoff Hurst with his personal English sparkling wine thanks to his partnership with Sir Ian Botham and Balfour Winery Photo David Betteridge
Sir Geoff Hurst explains why he was so keen to put his name to the wine: “When we won it was such a huge occasion and meant so much to the team, management and country and I really hope England can do it again this summer. As we approach the 60th anniversary all the memories are coming back and I can feel the excitement that only a football world cup can bring to a nation.
“When Beefy said he wanted to mark the occasion I jumped at the chance, what a great idea and unique way to celebrate, and to be the first ‘Legend’ to launch his new Legends Series, it’s an honour. I have learnt so much about English winemaking with the team at Balfour and had a great time too. Let’s hope that we get the chance to all pop open the bottles this summer.”
The Buyer also had the chance to sit down with Sir Ian Botham to ask him why he wanted to work with Sir Geoff and what he hopes to achieve with his new "Legend Series” of wines
You have long had success with your Australian wines. Why did you want to help make an English sparkling?
This is the third English wine we have made. We worked with Balfour winery in the past and had a stunning rosé and pink sparkling. This is the third, and the first time a cuvée. This felt like the perfect evolution of those original releases. It’s a wine that Balfour have been working on for some time and we thought it was the perfect celebration cuvée for Sir Geoff Hurst.
Why did you want to work with Balfour?
Balfour's Richard Balfour-Lynn with Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Ian Botham at their wine launch at Majestic in St John's Wood London. Photo David Betteridge
Our relationship has always been strong. Balfour make superb wines. The team is a pleasure to work with. For this special Legends series we knew going with Balfour would produce a fabulous wine and be fun along the way.
What was the process in terms of deciding on the blend as that is an area you have always been heavily involved in?
We went to the winery with Sir Geoff and did a tasting, it’s really important to me that every wine in a Botham bottle is one we would have around our own family table and the Balfour team have not disappointed!
How different have you found it working with English grapes vs Australia? What has surprised you?
English wine is something to be proud of. How it has evolved over the last decade or two is fantastic. The calling card of English wine is its freshness and vibrancy, this was something we wanted to showcase when it came to the Cuvée 66. For us it's a great return to English wine as the category continues to impress across the world, and we’re proud to be behind its growing evolution.
It’s clearly for a great cause and great partner with Sir Geoff - do you know each other before?
Yes, we have a good relationship and this came about last year when we met in Cheltenham for a glass of wine and to catch up. I asked him if he would like to be a part of our new series of wines and he thought it was a great idea. It’s great to be able to collaborate with others and really celebrate their achievements as well as English wine.
Tell us about the Legends range - why do you want to add other legends to your own wines?
Majestic is selling the new "Sir Geoff Hurst Cuvée" wine from Botham Family Wines across all its stores. Photos David Betteridge
I get stuck in the “celebrity wine” box and while I understand that, it also frustrates me as every wine in a Botham bottle is something I have either blended or at the very least tasted and approved.
I’ve been involved from the start to the finish and am proud of my range. We wanted to start celebrating others and came up with the Legends Series, we can now work with other legends and take them on their own wine journey. It’s mixing business and pleasure!
What other wines and legends can we expect in the series?
Wait and see…..
What else is happening with your Family Wine and where are you making those?
A lot is happening, we work with both on and off-trade, we are forming special working relationships to grow the business. We are in talks with quite a few new wineries for the new ranges, not all English and Australian. It’s exciting and coming soon.
* You can find out more about Botham Family Wines here.
