Denbies releases traditional method sparkling Bacchus wine

By Lisa Riley

Published: 06 June, 2019

Denbies Wine Estate has released a sparkling Bacchus made using the traditional method, which it claims to be the first of its kind to be produced in this way in the UK.

It said that having already made "popular expressions of still Bacchus wines”, it had been trialling different production methods over the past few years to achieve a sparkling version with the “correct balance of fresh, fruit-forward flavours”.

Made from fruit grown at Denbies’ during the “exceptional” 2016 harvest, and with grapes picked at “optimum ripeness” in the October, the wine was bottled in Spring 2017 where it underwent a secondary fermentation after which it was left on lees for 18 months to “add complexity”, prior to disgorging using Denbies’ new automated disgorging line.

Head winemaker John Worontschak said, “We wanted to create a sparkling wine for drinkers who are looking for a high-quality, clean, fruity style of wine. We chose to use the traditional method to keep quality high and the bubbles persistent. This is a sparkling wine that is easy to drink and enjoy this summer.”

Expecting the style to be “enormously popular”, Denbies said it has plans to keep the sparkling Bacchus as a permanent addition.

There is limited stock of the first vintage, with 5,700 bottles (rrp: £16.95) available now and 2,000 half bottles set to be released shortly (rrp: £8.95).

The launch follows fellow English winemaker Chapel Down releasing its first sparkling Bacchus version last month, but not made from the traditional method.

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