The largest ever WineGB trade tasting produced something for everyone but as the number of exhibitors grows each year it also presents a challenge. Watching the experienced sommeliers, buyers and wine writers circling the room it is clear that no one wants to miss the experience of something extraordinary. So many vineyards and wineries were able to showcase the best, the novel and the new wines they have produced that those who are here to discover English and Welsh wines are under pressure from the start to the finish of the day.

Silverhand Estate

Lauren Baldock and Charlotte Bailey of Silverhand Estate highlighted the latest release a Charmat method Rosé that is 100% Pinot Noir. “It has been released for just over two months and has proved really popular with consumers over the summer,” said Lauren. Silverhand Estate has about 700 acres under vine and a cellar door that can encourage consumers to enjoy English wine through tours and tastings. With this new exciting charmat method rosé that has a price point of £18 many more consumers will be encouraged to start their English wine journey. With a one million bottle capacity Silverhand have no intention of standing still and there are plenty of expansion plans at Silverhand.

Velfry Vineyard

Another vineyard with exciting plans for the future is Velfry Vineyard based in the picturesque Pembrokeshire Countryside. Andy Mounsey, owner of Velfrey Vineyard once again returned to London with a mixture of still and sparkling Welsh wines. “The event has been beneficial over the years. We have been able to identify some trade customers who have come back to us but more than that we have the opportunity to raise awareness of the vineyard and the wines and more generally the vineyards throughout Wales. Even at this event people are surprised to learn that there are over 50 vineyards in Wales,” Andy said.

One of the still wines that visitors were able to try was the Velfrey Solaris 2023 “We currently make 1,000 bottles of this and it is sold out within a few months,” said Andy. This is not surprising as Welsh wines using Solaris grapes are winning awards and developing an expanding customer base. There is hope for those who enjoy these wines however as Andy explained that Velfrey have expansion plans with an area already under preparation to plant more Solaris vines next year.”

Montgomery Vineyard

Another vineyard from Wales that has been part of the WineGB event for many years is Montgomery Vineyard, situated in Powys mid Wales. Montgomery have a variety of unusual still wines such as Seyval Blanc. “Pinot Noir Précoce is challenging to grow but we have so far done well with this, we also have Solaris as a still white which is probably one of our best sellers we have to allocate bottles to our customer base. Our wines are sold in just over 200 independent wine merchants,” said owner Woody Lennard. “We have had great feedback today and this is a great event. We have been attending for several years and it is great to see old friends and meet new people,” he concluded.

All Angels

The team at All Angels will be celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2024 and founder Mark Darley spoke about the benefits of taking part in the event. “The Wine GB tasting was very helpful for us. This is a very important time for English and Welsh wine, and with significant growth in the market it’s essential for us to build and nurture trade relationships now more than ever. Tastings like this are an invaluable opportunity to do this in an effective and efficient manner across a single day, especially for a producer looking to expand distribution in the independent trade as we are currently.

A limited edition 2014 Classic Cuvée will be released to mark the tenth anniversary and Mark explained: “At All Angels, our style is to never rush our traditionally made wines. We always release wines once they’ve been aged for a long period of time, a minimum of six years for our classic cuvées. We believe heaven can wait. There are nine centuries of defining English history in and around our vineyards and if we are going to achieve our aim of adding to that, we need to take our time, be patient and produce our wines alongside a lasting, sustainable and improving ecosystem.”

Henners

A new Pinot Gris from Henners was available to try and Tom Whitely of Henners explained: “One of the partners that we work quite closely with has planted Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc as well, which is a bit unusual. We took that into the winery for the first time last year. The result is a fresh fruity Pinot Gris that we are really happy with. The label has been designed in conjunction with a wholesaler who wanted a fun label to fit in with their independent wine bar and independent retailer customer base.” Henners have not just had success with their still wines the sparkling wines have picked up international attention especially the 2018 Blanc de Blanc. Exporting to nine states of the USA and even playing a part in the recent royal visit to Kenya there are plenty of exciting things happening at Henners.

Leonardslee Family Vineyard

Johann Fourie, Head Winemaker at Leonardslee Family Vineyard, Sussex was at the event with the estate produced wines that were first launched in June 2024. The 38 acres of vineyards were planted in 2017 “our philosophy to winemaking is to express the site of the specific vineyard, we want to express the sense of place and showcase that in the glass. Seven years later we are excited to share these wines,” said Johann. Leonardslee are focussed on Sparkling Wines and the first releases include a 2021 Rosé which contains Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and the Pinotage grape “after looking at the challenges of growing grapes in the UK with frost and disease pressure the Pinotage grape came to mind as a possible solution, and it lends itself to the rosé style bringing strawberry and raspberry flavours,” Johann added.

Walgate wines

The WineGB trade tasting was able to showcase the growing number and variety of still wines that are being produced in England and Wales. Ben Walgate of Walgate wines said: “We should be confident in what we can achieve with still wines. With the right vineyards and the right management now is the right time to make still wines.” Based in Rye, East Sussex the winery and wines are very much a labour of love for Ben Walgate.

Hidden Spring

Hidden Spring had a mixture of still and sparkling wines including the Blanc de Blanc 2018, Classic Cuvée 2019 and Blanc de Noir 2019. There were four still wines which included a novel (wood aged) Bacchus Fume and a wine Richard Aspen owner of Hidden Spring jokingly described as: “An easy drinking breakfast favourite Pinot Gris.”

Richard Aspen is serious about the wines produced at Hidden Spring and the next few releases from hidden Spring promise to be truly exciting. “We are a small vineyard with the luxury of our own winery,” he explained.

The WineGB trade tasting offers a great opportunity not just to talk about the wines that are current but the wines that will be released in the near future. Richard declared: “We have a small batch of Caberet Noir that will be released in the coming months it has been in oak for over two years. Originally the intention was to use the Caberet Noir as a rosè but I am from south Africa and am passionate about good red wine. When we first planted the variety, being brutally honest, we were not sure what we were going to get but I think the wine is really beautiful and we are really excited.”

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