While we wait with bated breath for Charles & Ruth Simpson’s first English Sparkling release, the couple has delivered upon their promise of letting the British public decide on the name of their inaugural vintage. Fortunately, suggestions like Bubbly Jubbly and Fizzy McFizzface didn’t make the cut, with the Naked community ultimately deciding on the name ‘Beora’. Beora is the name of Saxon chief who the town Barham (originally Bioraham), home of the Simpson’s vineyards and winery, was originally named after and derived from.
With Beora expected to release in 2018 there’s still quite a wait until we can taste the wine; however, we were lucky enough to have a taste of The Simpsons Estate Roman Road Chardonnay 2016 in our recently Still Chardonnay Spotlight Tasting.
Full press release follows below;
- Last summer 1,200 Naked Wines customers helped make Charles and Ruth Simpson’s English winemaking dream a reality by crowdfunding a new English sparkling wine
- Unlike any wine made in the UK before, customers are helping to shape the new English bubbles, by choosing the blend AND name of the wine
- Over 200 names have been put forward – from ‘Fizzy McFizzface’ to the topical ‘Brex-Fizz’
Naked Wines, the online crowdfunded wine business, has made winemaking history by asking the British public to name a new English sparkling from winemakers Charles and Ruth Simpson.
The British husband and wife winemaking duo left high-flying careers at GlaxoSmithKline and the humanitarian sector to open their winery, Domaine de Sainte Rose, in France’s Languedoc region in 2002. They brought their dream back to the UK in 2014, returning to Barham, near Canterbury, Kent, to make their first ever English sparkling wine. This wine will be ready to drink next year.
With over 3.5 million bottles produced in the UK last year, English winemaking is one of the UK’s fastest growing industries (Source: WSTA), so it’s no surprise that Naked’s Angels (customers) are keen to get involved with shaping the new fizz.
Over 200 names were suggested. Although Winey McWineface was vetoed from the selection, it didn’t stop Angels coming up with some more creative suggestions, including Brex-Fizz and Fizzy McFizzface, Spiffing Sparkles and Bubbly Jubbly.
The final shortlist was narrowed down to:
- Beora – “The name of the Saxon chief who the village Barham was named after” Paul from Gloucestershire
- Angels’ Expression – “A nod to the Angels who made this wine a reality, and the expressive blend chosen by us” Douglas from Dundee
- Charlie’s Angels – “To bring a smile to the faces of Charlie’s Angel investors. Why take ourselves too seriously?” Mark from The Scottish Highlands
Over 500 Angel investors voted and the winning name, ‘Beora’, was chosen by over 50% of the voters. Now the wine has been named, the next step is for Angel investors to pick a design for the label.
Eamon FitzGerald, MD of Naked Wines UK, said:
“Beora is the perfect name for an historic new English fizz. As a crowdfunded wine business, wines like this wouldn’t exist without our customers. So rather than making the decisions behind the scenes, Charles and Ruth have put the power into their hands. We can’t wait to taste Beora next year!”
Charles and Ruth Simpson, Naked Winemaker, said:
“Naked Angels have helped make our English winemaking dream a reality, so it’s only fair that they are involved in every stage of the process. We were delighted to see so many wonderful name suggestions – and we’re thrilled to call it “Beora”. The wine is gently ageing in the cellar right now. We sneaked a taste the other day and it’s already spectacular. We can’t wait to hear feedback from the Angels who helped to create it.”
