BREAKY BOTTOM VINEYARD
- RODMELL, RODMELL
BN7 3EX LEWES, EAST SUSSEX
Phone: 01273 476427
E-mail: Send messagewww.breakybottom.co.uk
Short profile:
Peter Hall planted his vineyard at Breaky Bottom in 1974 at a time when there were only a dozen or so growers in the whole country. He had come to realise that there was a good potential for grape growing and winemaking in the UK where the climate is very similar to that of the near continent (The Loire, Champagne and much of Germany). Modern plant breeding and selection meant that early ripening varieties were becoming available and the demand for clean, elegant cool-climate wines was growing.
Detailed description:
Peter had other links with good wine and food which encouraged him to take the undoubted risk of making wine in the UK. He has a French mother who is a fine cook and his grandfather had been a famous restaurateur with a fabulous cellar. Wine had always been part of family life.
Seyval Blanc is the main grape variety grown at Breaky Bottom. Peter says that it makes the clean Loire-style wines for which he has become well known. It is fairly neutral in character with a keen acidity but when bottled fully dry and left to mature it develops a wonderful depth and complexity. His Seyval Blanc 1990 won a GOLD MEDAL in the International Wine Challenge in 1993. It is also the variety with which he makes his amazing Méthode Champenoise Sparkling Brut, first launched with the 1994 vintage. A small portion of the vineyard is planted with Muller Thurgau. This variety is a Riesling / Sylvaner cross and when bottled dry and aged produces a fine perfumed Alsace-style wine. Peter was also able to make a delicious Late Harvest wine with Muller Thurgau in 1995 when the conditions were perfect for the development of "Noble Rot".
Keywords:
wines, Sparkling Brut 2006, Noble Rot, South East Vineyards, Sparkling Brut 2005, grape growing, Muller Thurgau, Kir Royal NV, Crème de Cassis 2006, winemaking, Winery, Seyval Blanc, Harvest