Situated near Stockbridge in Hampshire, Danebury Vineyards is a privately owned estate rooted in horseracing history. Unlike many other English Wine producers, they have remained focussed on the more traditional white grape varieties that had been popular in England in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The estate is owned by an Austrian family with a passion for clean, aromatic European style white wines.
The first vines were planted in 1988 and the vineyards now cover a total of seven acres. Danebury exclusively grow white grapes for both still and sparkling wine production, split between approximately one third each of high yielding Auxerrois Blanc, Madeleine Angevine and the aromatic Schönburger. There is also a small planting of Pinot Gris, which ultimately goes into the vineyard’s still white blend known as Danebury Reserve. Bacchus had been grown at some point historically, but this has since been grubbed up and replanted with additional Schönburger vines. The vineyard is situated on a gentle south-facing slope with a very thin grass covered topsoil over chalk and flint. Danebury operate true to Organic principles, so no insecticides or pesticides are used and fungicides are used sparingly.
Madeleine Angevine is perhaps the wine that the vineyard is most famous for, and accounts for approximately 40% of the bottles produced annually. This early ripening varietal has a complex heritage to match its lengthy full name of Madeleine x Angevine 7672. The grape produces an fresh aromatic fruit-focussed wine that Danebury liken to an Alsatian Pinot Blanc. Detailed tasting notes follow below of all the wines, but this wine really stood out and prompted me to select Madeleine Angevine as our next grape varietal to base a tasting focus article on. Watch out for this in the coming month or so!
Horseracing is clearly of big significance to Danebury. During my tour I learnt that in the 19th Century the estate was home to a racehorse paddock and training ground. During the planting of the vines it wasn’t unheard of that an old horseshoe or two was dug up! This heritage is embellished on each still wine bottle; a jockey on horseback is present in gold foil, contrasting the royal blue label. And then there is the Estate's sparkling wine, aplty named ‘Cossack’ after the winner of the 1847 Epsom Derby – a racehorse that was trained locally on this very site. A privately owned horse stable still resides on the Estate today, now home to a new horse appropriately called Sparkling Cossack!
Interaction with the local community has also played a huge part in Danbury's history. Come October, the vineyards are the hive of activity as grape harvest begins, where the grapes is picked entirely by volunteers, many of whom have been doing so for many years. After a pre-pick by vineyard manager Geoff to remove any sub standard grapes, the harvest usually takes place over a couple of days and is attended by a large group of locals - with the promise of the reward of a hearty cooked meal, live band and of course generous servings of homegrown Danebury wine. You can read more about this grape harvest in my Getting Hands On With English Wine Harvest 2016 article.
Danebury is one of those wonderfully tranquil vineyards to have a calming walk around, though unfortunately not open to the public. There is no on site winery, however the wines are all produced by highly experienced English winemaker Vince Gower, who is based at Stanlake Park in Berkshire. Whilst things are done a little differently at Danebury, the combined efforts of the vineyard estate team of Geoff and Patrick, the dedicated picking team, and Vince's experience result in a range of precise and distinctive wines.
It's worth noting that the 2016 vintage, of which I participated in a thoroughly rewarding harvest in October, is being tipped as the best in recent years despite a lower than average yield. With near perfect sugar and acidity levels, Danebury's vintage 2016 wines are certainly going to be worth waiting for!
Which appropriately brings us to the tasting of the current crop of wines, all of which can be ordered directly from Danebury directly.
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