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.
Menu – GBW Class of 2020
Day 4 | Still Red Wine
English red wines continue to make big leaps forwards, with some great Pinot Noir and red blend releases this year.
Hush Heath Suitcase Pinot Noir 2018
Selected by John:
“This tempts with its decadent textures of oak and spice and wonderful rounded red fruit flavours. A new benchmark for English Pinot Noir?”
Stanlake Park 40th Anniversary Grand Reserve NV
Selected by Stephen:
“Made with grapes (Dornfelder, Rondo and Regent) from three consecutive years (2015-17), this premium red from this vineyard in the Thames Valley was aged in French oak and is reminiscent of Rioja. There are lovely red cherry and blackcurrant notes with complementary flavours of coffee, spice and vanilla.”
Davenport Diamond Fields Pinot Noir 2018
Selected by Hannah:
“An outstanding Pinot Noir from English terroir. Will Davenport has set the standard. Delicate red fruit mingles with a light menthol aroma and a touch of herbaceousness. On the palate, the texture is silky smooth, medium in body with a savoury nature. 2019 has just been released.”
Flint Vineyard Pinot Noir Précoce 2019
Selected by Alex:
“We need to think about this style as the way forward for quality red wines which are repeatable, even in years like 2019. Beaujolais in style, perfumed, textural and fruit-forward with plenty of vibrant cherry. Superb!”
