Interesting Articles and Coverage
The Daily Mail Wednesday 27th April 2011 - English Wine for Kate Middleton and Prince William's Big Day
"Wine made in English vineyards and costing as little as £8.50 a bottle will be served to guests at the royal wedding, the Mail has learned.
Chapel Down white wine, made in Tenterden, Kent, is expected to be served at Buckingham Palace during one of the private receptions following Prince William and Kate Middleton's ceremony on Friday.
Such is the level of secrecy that the firm itself has been kept in the dark about its role, but sources confirmed that a large order was delivered to the Queen's residence in recent weeks.
The decision is in keeping with the couple's desire to show off 'what Britain does best' in all aspects of the ceremony..."
Recent Press Quotes
Chapel Down Brut NV
Top value for an English fizz...There's a delicate savoury note here, along with stacks of arrestingly bright freshness, Superb choice with a few salted almonds or British smoked trout. Olly Smith,The Mail on Sunday 27/05/12.
Chapel Down is a stalwart English sparkling wine producer, and I've been following it for nearly two decades. This pioneering estate is one of the finest in the land, and this great value wine has been fine-tuned over the years into a true beauty. Matthew Jukes, Daily Mail 26/05/12 Mail on Sunday 27/05/12.
English Rose 2011
Ripe Pinot Noir grapes are the magic ingredient in this vibrant, red cherry-scented rose. With a blend of macerated red fruit nuances, like a red fruit-only summer pudding, this is a joyous wine that delivers a lick of fruitiness on the finish. Matthew Jukes, The Daily Mail 26/05/12
Nectar Late Harvest
Plan a trip to Tenterden for a vineyard tour and snap up a bottle or two of this summery sweet wine. It's a blend of four varieties, together giving dusky aromas of white flowers, bananas and marmalade, and fresh, honeyed flavours, serve cold, lovely by itself or with Blue Cheese and Walnut Scones. Sarah Jane-Evans BBC Good Food Magazine 01/05/12
Pinot Chardonnay 2006
If you want a classic aperitif to carry throughout the meal, this elegant multi-award winner is it.
Kate Hilpern - The 10 Best English Wines - The Independent 03/03/12
Nectar Late Harvest
Yes, an English sticky - from Chapel Down, a delicate, late harvest number by the name of Nectar, made from a mix of unpronounceable German grapes and weighing in at a feather-light 8% abv. It's the first English sticky I've liked and I'd drink it with the usual suspects or on its own but - in either case - with pleasure. www.petergrogan.com 16/02/12
It's a rather delicate little number but with a glorious aroma of elderflower and a palate sweetly perfumed with apricots, oranges and a hint of hawthorn, it is wonderfully ‘English springtime' in a glass. Spittoon.biz Andrew Barrow 15/02/12
I wouldn't normally suggest a wine for Pancake Day, which is on Tuesday, but something a little bit different landed on my desk a couple of weeks ago. It was a pudding wine from English wine producer Chapel Down, based in Tenterden, Kent. If you want a tipple to go with a lemon and honey filled pancake, then I reckon it will work a treat.
Chapel Down "Nectar" Late Harvest is not intensely sweet, it is quite light and fresh, and has a relatively modest abv of eight per cent. Made with the aromatic grape varieties, Schönburger, Bacchus, Reichensteiner and Siegerrebe, harvested during 2010 and 2011, it suggests peach, pineapple and lime sherbet, with hints of honeysuckle and elderflower. Mike Tipping - The York Press 18/02/12
Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut
This pale, lemon coloured drink has a slightly floral nose with citrusy overtones and hints of ripe red apples and sweet peaches. Crisp, dry and refreshing, it would be an ideal Christmas morning indulgence! Great British Food Magazine December 2011
Chapel Down Bacchus Reserve 2010
An aromatic kaleidoscope ranging from eldeflower to ginger by way of pear, passion fruit and plum. Bob Tyrer, The Sunday Times 30th October 2011.
Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut
Multi-award winning, made in Kent by the methode champenoise and full of bright, green-fruit flavours, it is a fabulous exampleof the remarkable sparkling wines being made in England.
Terry Kirby, Independent on Sunday 16th October 2011
Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut
A blend of Rivaner, Reichensteiner and Pinot Noir grapes this dry Kent sparkler has a zing of fresh apple. Waitrose Kitchen 1st October 2011.
Chapel Down Bacchus 2011
"If it's an Olympic white you are after, try the English Chapel Down 2011 Bacchus, fresher than the 2010 from this Kent based winery that will be served at the Olympics, and delivering English hedgerow-scented fruit" Jane MacQuitty, The Times 4th August 2012
Chapel Down Rose Brut
"Well balanced with hints of earth and honey" Bob Tyer, The Sunday Times 31st July 2011.
Chapel Down Pinot Chardonnay 2006
"An elegant wine from one of the country's most acclaimed producers. Fruity and characterful, it's not hard to see why this has garnered multiple awards. Strong enough to stand up to food,it can be paired with roast poultry for a simple supper" - 10 Best Sparkling Wines by Alice-Azania Jarvis The Independent Tuesday 27th July 2011.
Chapel Down Rose Brut
"Chapel Down has created a sophicated brand image across it's whole range. This fizz doesn't disappoint either - delicate with no nasty surprises on the after taste" - The Grocer Magazine Saturday 25th June 2011
Chapel Down Bacchus 2010
"Like sauvignon blanc, you either love or loathe Bacchus but I think this tart, light, bosky summer white should be drunk outdoors, as a zingy aperitif with home-made cheese straws. It was grown in Essex and Kent and fermented cool in stainless steel to capture all its classy, tangy, gooseberry and lemon-zest fruit." - The Times, 50 Best White Wines Saturday 25th June 2011.
Chapel Down Flint Dry
"England's answer to chablis is the steely, minerally, faintly earthy 2010 Flint Dry, made with almost one-third chardonnay and finished off with some extended ageing on its yeasty lees" - Jane MacQuitty, The Times (Weekend) Sat 4th June 2011
Chapel Down Chardonnay 2009
"This really elegant Chardonnay has a subtle fullness - great with scallops or seafood" - Yum! Magazine May/June 2011
Chapel Down English Rose Sparkling
"Superbubbly! Lovely intensity and summery English fruit flavours, with hints of blackcurrant and zing. Marvellous to find a superb wine from our own shores for just under £20.00. Royal booze for the price of a round at the pub." - Olly Smith The Mail on Sunday Live Magazine 6th February 2011.
Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut
Chapel Down is the UK's largest producer and this is reassuringly good. Bright and fruity, it has rounded flavour with no rough edges. A good match for Welsh rarebit. Jamie Goode - S Magazine, The Sunday Express 19th September 2010
Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut
You do pay a little more for English wines, but this one's worth the extra if it's a special occasion - it's beautifully crisp and dry with citrus flavours and a hint of blackcurrant. BBC Easy Cook Magazine August 2010.
Chapel Down Sparkling English Rose
"Also made by Chapel Down, this is a delicate, dry froth with a subtle strawberry note. Be careful not to overwhelm it with anything sweet - light savoury canapés please." Susy Atkins, The Sunday Telegraph Stalla Magazine 23rd May 2010.
Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut
"I'm spending election night in Kent with several old mates who hold all manner of political views. Whichever mob gets in, we've agreed to celebrate the fact that we're damn lucky to live in these beautiful islands where governments come and go seemlessly without recourse to the barracades. And as for our toast, we'll be knocking back my favourite Kentish sparkler, one of the best made in this green and pleasant land" Jonathan Ray, Telegraph 29th April 2010.