Why you should choose quality English wine in 2024

wine

11 Jan

After Christmas joys come New Year’s resolutions and for many, thoughts turn to habits. Whether you are cutting back this month or not, here’s why 2024 should be the year you choose to savour English wines.

There are less than 100 bottles left of Artelium’s exceptional Blanc de Blancs 2015 and Makers Rosé 2015

JANUARY: A TIME FOR REFLECTION

The word January comes from the Roman God of transitions, Janus. As the days begin to get longer, it is a natural time to reflect on what has gone before and what the future has in store.

Whether you or not you are attempting a dry, damp or even a Try Jan, what we are drinking consumption is often considered at this time of year. Rather than making radical pledges for self-improvement, we prefer a more moderate path; one that savours quality over quantity.

But looking beyond January, how can we find enjoyment in moderation?

The answer could be exceptional English wines.

A Sarah Jane Porter design on our 2021 still Pinot Noir

ENGLISH WINES ARE NATURALLY LOWER ABV

Due to our cooler climate, English grapes have a lower sugar content at harvest compared with grapes from warmer climes. This means the final wine often sits around 12% ABV with only 9 units in a bottle of Artelium wine, a bottle a week would mean you are comfortably within a recommended weekly amount.

There is also research to suggest that lower-alcohol wines taste better than their higher-alcohol counterparts.

Top Tip! We love using a Coravin to enjoy still bottles over several weeks (or months), rather than saving them for special occasions. This way we can taste the wine at different stages of its ageing and don't need worry about finishing it all right away.

ARTELIUM ENGLISH WINES ARE UNIQUE

We only make vintage wines, meaning all the grapes in each bottle are from a specific growing season. Our vintage wines capture the essence of the summer they were made in, each telling a different story of the time, place and people who created it.

The special character of each wine is enhanced by the label design. For each still wine release we commission a different Sussex-based artists to reimagine our labels.

Not only do the wines look great on a dinner table, they also celebrate Modern Sussex by bringing together the artistic and viticultural worlds that are defining the county.

ENGLISH WINES ARE BETTER FOR THE PLANET

We all know that wine shipped internationally isn’t always the most sustainable choice trade can be hugely CO2 intensive. Manufacturing of glass, and then the transportation of glass, means a bottle of New World wine comes with a heavy carbon footprint. In fact, the annual UK imports of wine from Australia alone produces roughly 90 thousand tonnes of CO2; the equivalent of heating 35 thousand UK homes for a year.

Buying English wine is a brilliant sustainable alternative. Especially our Still Rosé wines which are made from 100% recycled glass.

ENGLISH SPARKLING WINES WORTH SAVOURING

Our winemaking philosophy is to honour the craftsmanship of the maker; we give them the time and tools they need to create exceptional wines from grapes grown across Sussex. It means our Sparkling wines are brilliant to make a pop at a party but work equally well drunk in the quieter moments with time for contemplation.

Many of our traditional sparkling wines have spent 60 months in the cellar on their lees before disgorgement and bottling, giving complex bakery aromas and a smooth yet refreshing finish. But the winemaking process does not end with bottling.

Once in the bottle, the sparkling wine evolves and develops over time. The flavour profile will shift and begin to realise a full spectrum of character first imagined by the winemaker.