Class of 2020 – Great British Wine Team Choices

It has been a challenging and disappointing year for most in many respects, but one thing that certainly hasn’t let us down is the wine. It’s traditional for us to do a festive rundown of the ’12 Wines of Christmas’, but with so many superb wines tasted throughout the year, it was next to impossible to narrow the selection down to just 12 wines.

So this year the team has worked together to select the Great British Wine ‘Class of 2020’. It’s a chance for all of us to look back and reflect upon the best wines of the year, covering still and sparkling wines from across England and Wales.

We’ll be revealing a new category each day for the first ten days of December – so do keep checking back to see if your favourite makes it to our list. If not, feel free to comment below with your favourites.

Day 10 | Ones to Watch in 2021

With so many new winemakers on the scene recently, there’s much to be optimistic about in Great Britain. These are the names we are most excited about in 2021.

Danbury Ridge Estate

Selected by John:

“Winemaker, Liam Idzikowski, has already proven his worth at Lyme Bay and Langham, but what he and the team are doing at the shiny new Danbury Ridge Estate in Essex is truly exciting. With a meticulous approach to clonal selection, and a strong focus on producing world-class still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, we expect to see their first releases in the springtime. I’ve had a preview of these wines and they are truly mind-blowing.”

Black Chalk

Selected by Robbie:

“It’s very difficult to ignore the momentum and ambition building in Black Chalk. Anyone who’s tasted their Classic or Rosé seems to be instant converts, with on-trade and retail both seemingly booming. After the first two vintages working out of Hampshire winemaking central, Hattingley, they now have their own winery. More importantly, they took their first harvest this year. With Jacob and Zoë managing end-to-end, the Black Chalk name could find itself on the lips of even more people next year.”

Kinsbrook Vineyard

Selected by Hannah:

“Kinsbrook are a new and exciting producer in West Sussex. Perhaps, rather wisely, they have big plans to make a wine tourist centre. Their motto is ‘from the ground up’ so they work on each phase of the project as soon as they have money to fund it. Over the summer they created a coffee bar from a horsebox and erected a restaurant inside a polytunnel. Next year they plan to build a farm shop café selling all local produce.”

All Angels

Selected by Stephen:

“The 2014 wines from their first proper vintage are absolutely outstanding. Look out for follow-up wines from this Berkshire vineyard soon.”

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