The Pig launches first-ever English sparkling wines
The boutique hotel group, The Pig, will launch its first-ever bottles of English sparkling wine, with grapes from Bee Tree Vineyard in East Sussex, owned by Dermot and Ana Sugrue, of Sugrue South Downs.
The wines are The Pig Reserve, a 2019 sparkling cuvée (PR for short) and Lobster Shed Pink, a 2018 sparkling rosé (LSP).
Planted in 2015, Bee Tree Vineyard in East Sussex spans 1.35ha – the winery includes steel fermentation tanks and a fleet of over 50 large old oak barrels – extremely rare 600-litre ‘Demi-Muids’ that are unique to Sugrue.
The PR is 78% Pinot Noir and 22% Chardonnay, pressed and fermented in stainless steel and matured for 3.5 years on lees.
The LSP is a blend of 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier, whole bunch pressed and aged for 4.5 years on lees.
Robin Hutson, chairman of The Pig said: “As long-term supporters of English Sparkling wine, our wine team at The Pig have been talking about creating our own label for some time. After considerable time spent searching, we are very excited to have now found delicious, mature South Downs stock that will last us for the next couple of years. Starting with Bee Tree Vineyard in East Sussex and then moving over to Northbrook Springs from Hampshire next year, these vineyards have the quality of fruit and provenance we were looking for.”
Dermot Sugrue, co-owner of Sugrue South Downs, added: “What we have learned over recent years is that Bee Tree Vineyard is a fantastic site for producing rich, opulent, fruit-forward wines. It is mostly planted with Pinot Noir, a great match for the heavier soils here, and unlike the rest of our Sugrue South Downs' wines which are Chardonnay-dominant, the Pinot here really sings, adding weight and texture to the blends. Add to this many years of maturation in our cellars, we're delighted with the result.”
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56-58 Church Walk, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9AN
Registered in England No. 6646125. VAT No. 938 4452 95
