I recently spent an afternoon at one of England’s oldest wineries – Three Choirs in Gloucestershire. It was a pleasure to be hosted by winemaker, Kevin Shayle, who’s seen it all since he joined in 1987. 30 years of growth and evolution is a lot in comparison to many wineries, but the winemaking history pre-dates Kevin by some stretch; the first vines were planted back in 1973.
Now with 30ha under vine, Three Choirs are far the biggest producer in the region. And they proudly champion Gloucestershire which has a rich cultural and agricultural heritage. The Three Choirs name comes from the annual music festival of the same name, in which the three local cathedral choirs take part. A number of their wines are also named after local landmarks.
I knew they had a reputation for experimenting and exploring the potential of a wide array of grape varieties. However, I think my jaw visibly dropped when I heard they’re operating with a whopping 30 different varieties. There’s too many to list but I will attempt to name a few…
- there are the popular ones we’ve 'adopted' as a country (Sevyal, Bacchus, Madeleine Angevine, Müller-Thurgau).
- then there’s a good smattering of Pinot Noir (Burgundy and Précoce clones).
- there’s also some of the lesser-known, but relatively common (Siegerrebe, Phoenix, Reichensteiner, Triomphe, Rondo, Regent).
- and this is where I lose track as there were lots I’d never previously heard of (Schönburger, Huxelrebe).
The vine maintenance and replanting programme seems pressing and large-scale, but a carefully considered body of work. It’s always a touch heartbreaking to see irreparable damage to old, gnarly, wrinkled vines. However with the wealth of experience that Kevin, Martin and the team hold, continued strong production looks to be a certainty.
The winemaking facilities are fantastic. John Oldacre made a bold, forward-thinking step in 1990 to build such a big winery, and they’ve made steady, shrewd investments since. Everything they could possibly need is on site...
- A massive selection of temperature controlled tanks.
- A wall which is floor-to-ceiling with high-quality barrels.
- The ever-impressive riddling cages.
- A clean room devoted to perfect bottling (and labelling) conditions.
- A more recent purchase is their disgorgement line.
- It’s worth a visit to see the kit alone!
Not only was I struck by the scale of the set-up, but there was a genuine impression of a well-oiled machine. And they need to be good in order to undertake the mammoth annual task of harvesting and separately fermenting 30 varieties, many with multiple cuts for sparkling blends. Furthermore, they take on contract winemaking for many small wineries in the surrounding area and across the border in Wales. The team there must be as busy as an F1 pit team at harvest time!
The warm welcome was extended with an introduction to Assistant Winemaker, Ben Hawker, who joined me to talk and taste through the full Three Choirs range. Ben is pretty travelled in the wine world having spent time as a sommelier in Sydney and earning stripes with Villa Maria in Marlborough. His energy and passion for Three Choirs, and English Wine in general, was clear to see.
All of the wines presented themselves in the refreshing, pure style that the winery is pursuing. Crafty blends aplenty and not a fault in sight. Another point of consistency across the range is the value for money they offer. The Classic Cuvée dances all around anything else home-grown I’ve tasted at £15.
One could say there’s been a shortage of recognition and coverage cast on Three Choirs, perhaps due to an unfair association between noble price points and unexciting wines. I think there’s no doubt they have the know-how and the means to produce excellent wine. There’s some exciting new releases around the corner and a complete rebrand planned for the summer. We recommend you keep a close eye in their direction. We certainly will be.
See below tasting notes for my four favourite Three Choirs wines:
