All images credit Sam Churchill
Fine dining and wine tasting with Nyetimber
Last week we were invited to attend a private tour, lunch and tasting at Nyetimber’s White Barn, on their exquisite estate in Sussex. The occasion was a vertical tasting of their Blanc de Blancs vintages and, as they put it ‘the star of the show’, Nyetimber’s soon to be released Blanc de Blancs 2013.
The tasting was also to be followed by a paired lunch, created by master chef Steven Edwards of Etch, who is a longstanding friend of Nyetimber. It was absolutely as delicious and enjoyable as it sounds.
Upon arriving at the Nyetimber Estate, which dates back far enough to have earned a mention in the Domesday Book, we were greeted and taken through to the White Barn, their dedicated event space. Here Cherie Spriggs, who is one half of the duo that are Nyetimber’s wine makers, introduced the sparkling wines in a run down through their history of vintages from the vineyard’s beginnings.
We were given a few moments to chat and savour the wine before we were led to the vineyard for a guided walk through the vines. Taking in the impressive view and experiencing how sheltered the vineyard is, adds texture to all the information you can read and academically absorb about this beautiful location and the integrity of Nyetimber. With the sun shining, it resembled a summer’s day rather than the start of a chilly spring.
Dining at Nyetimber
The Classic Cuvee multi vintage was served with ‘snacks’. This included mushroom twineham accompanied by homemade bread with seaweed butter and a vegetable, onion and thyme biscuit. All an unusual treat, especially paired with the wine.
Second course was led by the Blanc de Blanc 2013, which is an outstandingly balanced English sparkling wine that has a pure and lasting finish. This sparkling wine was paired with sea bass and celeriac. The sea bass was delicate and perhaps one of the best that I have ever had. Perfectly tender, light in the mouth with a delicate softness that glided effortlessly down the back of the tongue. Cooked to perfection, the fish was both succulent and incredibly moreish leaving me wanting more.
This was followed by the sparkling Rosé Multi Vintage, which is a wonderful English sparkling rosé bursting with red berry flavours. This English sparkling rosé wine was served with pork that was cooked to perfection and Jerusalem artichoke. In every sense it was mouthwatering, the succulent soft meat paired wonderfully with the fruit driven English sparkling rosé wine.
The delicate sweetness of the English sparkling rosé wine cut through the meat flavours perfectly providing a welcome taste of rich red berries in the mouth. The sweetness of the English sparkling rosé paired perfectly with the meat.
To finish, the Demi Sec Multi Vintage was served with a fruit desert consisting of blood orange and beetroot ice cream. It was not a dessert wine, but worked beautifully as a sweeter wine served with dessert. As the final flourish on a dining experience to remember, it proved you can drink English sparkling wine from the start right through to the end of the meal. A wonderful day filled with mouthwatering food and the finest English sparkling wines.
If you would like to know about Nyetimber's English sparkling wines or to read their interview click the English wine links below:
Nyetimber's award winning English sparkling wines