Gutter & Stars releases debut wine

By Lisa Riley

Published: 28 April, 2021

Cambridge winery Gutter & Stars is gearing up to launch its debut vintage on 3 May 2021, eight months after opening its doors at Chesterton Mill, in the north of the city.

The 'I Wanna Be Adored' Bacchus 2020 is a made from 100% Bacchus grapes sourced from Missing Gate Vineyard near Chelmsford in Essex’s Crouch Valley.

The fruit was picked in September last year and was fermented in oak barrels before being aged for five months in oak and stainless steel, prior to blending and bottling in spring 2021.

“I’m very excited to release the first Gutter & Stars wine and finally have something to show the world,” said winemaker and wine journalist Chris Wilson, who is behind the venture.

“It’s been a busy eight months in the cellar of the windmill making this wine, plus the other two wines from the 2020 vintage.

“I can remember very clearly the cold but bright September morning when the Bacchus grapes were picked and the winemaking adventure began in earnest. With this wine I’ve tried to retain the freshness and aromatic qualities of the Bacchus variety while adding texture and depth by fermenting and partially aging the wine in American oak barrels,” he said.

Just 400 individually-numbered bottles of Bacchus will be available, which will be sold from the winery cellar door and through the website.

Two more wines from the 2020 vintage will be released later this year - a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay both made using Crouch Valley fruit - before production begins again in the autumn.

Later this year the urban winery will launch a series of tasting events where customers can learn about the winemaking process and see first-hand how the wines are made.

“I can’t wait for these wines to see the light of day and for the next chapter of the winemaking adventure to begin,” said Wilson.

Housed in the basement of Chesterton Mill, a Grade II listed windmill less than a mile from the city centre, Gutter & Stars is Cambridge’s first winery and follows in the footsteps of city-based wineries in London, New York and Cape Town.

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