A Visit to The Mount Vineyard English Sparkling Wine

Not too far away from the built up urban setting of London lies Shoreham, a mere hour or so on the train from Victoria station and just a few footsteps away from the villages railway station where you can find The Mount Vineyard with its 29 acre estate, 10 acres of vineyards and a most pleasant location to enjoy a glass of English sparkling wine with nibbles such as cheeses and meats.

A peaceful village atmosphere welcomed me as I walked from the station and found the entrance to The Mount Vineyard. The weather was with me that day, unlike the usual spots of rain that follow me when I go filming English vineyards, the late warm Summer afternoon sunshine and light breeze were present as I walked up the path to the estate. Peaceful and calming are words that spring to mind when describing the mood of The Mount Vineyard, members of the public enjoying a glass of English wine both in the sunshine and within the new terraced area with retractable roof to allow drinkers to enjoy the warm rays of the sun.

A refreshing chilled glass of English still white wine sat waiting for me as Myles Archibald, the general manager, prepared the wines for our introduction to the wineries selection of labels for the video. Here is a winery that seems to not only be complete and up to date, there are also aspirations in the atmosphere with desires of expansion from offering fine dining to increasing the number of acres of vines and even talk of a unique helicopter pad for certain guests and why not as the The Mount Vineyard is only a short train journey from London that it really must be on the menu of things to do whilst in and around London – I’d certainly have it in my black book of places to re-visit.

Their selection of wines is quite impressive as is the variation of grapes they grow at The Mount Vineyard that includes the varieties of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rondo, Regent, Seyval, Phoenix, Bacchus and Siegerrebe. If you are after sparkling then their 2013 white really is a fine example of English fizz, great brioche, honeycomb and apricot jam nose with a fruit, refreshing and toasty taste. You can also enjoy rosé sparkling and soon to be coming red sparkling wine as well as the stills with rosé, red and whites to cater for most tastes.

The Mount Vineyard really has it all when it comes to a flagship example of English sparkling wine with its close proximity and ease to get to from London, its sunny micro-climate and chalky soil, a fine selection of wines which many are award winning and its already complete setting of vineyards, tasting room and even free delivery when 12 bottles or more are ordered for locals within a ten mile radius.