Air Partner Magazine - Autumn Winter 2023 - Flipbook - Page 24
DISCOVER GUSBOURNE
A I R P A R T N E R | 24
You can taste the way our wines are aged
if you know what to look for.
We age our sparkling wines on their lees – the
spent yeast. This sounds rather unappealing, but
it’s important for 昀氀avour development. “Because
of the length of time we age our wines, they have
what we call ‘autolytic notes,’” explains Laura.
“So, you might expect 昀氀avours of fresh brioche
or toasted nuts. The lees-ageing also helps to
increase the complexity of the wine.
There’s more to Rosé than meets the eye.
You’ll 昀椀nd the 昀氀avours of Gusbourne Rosé remind
you of strawberries, raspberries and cherries.
But you don’t need a summer’s day to open a
bottle: “It’s delicious with lots of earthy 昀氀avours
such as smoked duck and beetroot,” says Laura.
“And, as it starts to age, it develops a beautiful
savoury character from the Pinot, along with
spices, ginger and orange zest.”
builds. The fruit character softens; new 昀氀avours
of toasted nuts and biscuit emerge.”
Sni昀昀 like a sommelier.
The approach to tasting English wine is universal.
First swirl the wine and breathe it in. “Often, you’ll
pick up fruit characteristics before anything
else. See what you can identify – it might not
be totally speci昀椀c, but is it a citrus smell, or ripe
and tropical? Think about families of 昀氀avours.”
After you’ve identi昀椀ed the fruit 昀氀avours, then see
Gusbourne Brut Reserve is a great place to start. Take time to savour Chardonnay.
if there’s anything more complex. “Think about
Our Blanc de Blancs, a wine made just from
“Brut Reserve is deliciously easy to enjoy and it’s
toasty 昀氀avours, spices and – in older wines –
a great introduction to the quality of English wine,” Chardonnay grapes, is a beautiful expression of
anything more ‘tertiary’,” says Laura. “Biscuit,
the quality of fruit that comes from our vineyards. pastry, roasted nuts and mushrooms are classic
says Laura. “It has a soft, round fruit character.
tertiary smells.”
There’s freshness and elegance from Chardonnay, “It has a pure, very elegant fruit character,” says
Laura. “Think green apple, citrus fruit, blanched
weight and roundness from the red grapes and
almonds. As it starts to age, that complexity
lovely autolytic notes such as toasted brioche.
Above: Laura Rhys, Master
Sommelier at Gusbourne.
If you’re new to English wine, Gusbourne’s
ambassador, Laura Rhys, Master Sommelier,
has some tips to help you get the most from
your glass of Gusbourne.
Champagne is a useful reference point for
tasting Gusbourne English sparkling.
“We use the same grapes as Champagne for our
sparkling wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot
Meunier),” says Laura. “And we make our wines
in a way that’s inspired by vintage Champagne
production. The wines are complex and aged
on their lees. Stylistically, we’re much closer to
Champagne than, say, Prosecco. But because
we’re English, we’re also distinctly di昀昀erent.”
Explore tours of the vineyard
to see where Gusbourne’s
famous grapes are grown.
Our blend is Sussex chalk meets Kent clay.
The location of our vineyards is incredibly
important. “In Kent, the soils are clay and
sand,” says Laura. “This brings intensity and
concentration to the grapes. Then we have
our Sussex vineyards, which are chalk, 昀氀int,
loam, sand and a little bit of clay. These wines
have much more freshness and structure
and heightened acidity. When you bring
the two together, you get weight, ripeness,
concentration, freshness and elegance.
It’s why blending is so important. It’s what
elevates Gusbourne wines.”
Above & above left:
Gusbourne’s expert team
are on hand from grape
picking to wine tasting.
Gusbourne would love to welcome
you to their vineyards in Kent for
a glass of something special.
Contact nest@gusbourne.com
to 昀椀nd out more.
GUSBOURNE.COM
The perfect accompaniment
to an al-fresco lunch.
AUTUMN/WINTER 2023