“Like summer in a glass”, the Ridgeview English Rosé marks a new chapter in our winemaking legacy. A limited-edition sibling to our sparkling wine collection, this is the first still wine we have ever produced. Inspired by our vineyard restaurant, The Rows & Vine, it has been crafted to complement the vibrant dishes from the season-led menu served by our Chardonnay vines.
A wine for pure pleasure and food pairing delights, it is reserved exclusively for visitors to the Ridgeview estate. To mark its release, we caught up with Head Winemaker, Simon Roberts, to take a deep dive into our inaugural English Rosé.
Known for our pioneering production of world-class sparkling wine, the release of a still English rosé might come as a surprise (even to us!). But pioneers push boundaries and that’s exactly what we continue to do. Since we opened the doors to our vineyard restaurant in 2022, creating memorable moments through our award-winning wines has been central to the visitor experience.
“We noticed an appetite for a still wine on the menu” Simon tells us, “to offer a different kind of pairing experience outside of sparkling wine. Rosé lends itself to food so well because it’s so fruit-driven, with a versatile profile to match. So, it got us thinking – why don’t we create a still rosé exclusively for our visitors, to make their time spent with us extra special?”
Our still English Rosé is testament to the quality of Pinot grapes received in recent years, particularly from a partner vineyard in Suffolk. “If you remember back to 2018, it was such a long, hot summer” says Simon, “and the Pinot fruit was sensational. Just tasting the juice out of the press was amazing and we joked about making a still wine from it.”
Then in 2020, we were blessed with another exceptional year for Pinot: “The acidity, sugar levels and whole flavour profile of the grapes from Suffolk were screaming a still wine. So, when conversations around an estate-only still wine came about, it felt like a natural progression to do something new and exciting with these grapes.”
Hand-crafted rosé is like a canvas for a winemaker’s personal expression, inviting creativity and nuance. There is an honesty and purity with a still rosé that starts in the vineyard, as Simon explains: “We chose to leave the grapes to ripen on the vine for as long as possible, for that balance of acidity and sweetness.” Extended ripening allows sugar levels to rise, enhancing aromatics and encouraging a deeper flavour profile to develop.
Once handpicked, a small portion of Pinot fruit was destemmed and left to sit on skin overnight, similar to our saignée method Rosé de Noirs and the Ridgeview Red Reserve. This process brings beautifully developed berry fruit flavours and a velvety texture to the wine. The rest of the blend comes from whole bunch Pinot grapes, delicately pressed to extract the perfect colour, adding subtle floral notes and refreshing acidity. Each component contributes its unique qualities, together creating a more complex wine.
“Rosé is such a visual wine – you experience so much of it through your eyes. Achieving the perfect colour extraction is crucial and timing is everything, but you only ever really know when it comes through the filter. It’s a tense moment in winemaking but it couldn’t have been more perfect.”
With delicate hues and a refreshing flavour profile, rosé has long captured hearts and palates around the world. Traditionally synonymous with sun-soaked summers in Provence, production of world-class rosé has grown to regions far beyond France, with English expressions making waves across the world. England’s cool climate and characteristic acidity, make it one of the most exciting regions for the contemporary style of crisp and fruit-forward rosé.
Now a wine for all seasons and all celebrations, rosé is on the rise and rightly so, as Head Winemaker, Simon Roberts explains: ‘The general quality of rosé has improved so much over the last 10 years, and it’s now being enjoyed year-round as it should be. People are throwing out the rulebook more and more when it comes to wine. Pairing white wine with red meats or red wine with fish isn’t controversial anymore. So, why not drink a “summery” rosé throughout the year or serve it with dishes that think outside of the box. That’s the beauty of a quality-driven rosé – it’s full of potential.’
Evoking the warmth of an English summer’s day, it pours a soft coral pink in the glass. With hints of cherry blossom on the nose, the refreshing and fruit-driven palate brings notes of strawberry and wild sun-ripened berries. “It’s fruit-forward profile lends itself to sweetness” says Simon, “so is an obvious match with desserts. But it’s such a great pairing for savoury dishes – anything with an umami-kick or a bit of spice. And with cheese, it’s an absolute delight.”
Dedicated to friends and family, our inaugural still wine is made for sharing food and good times together. Celebrating the everyday and the extra special, it has been crafted just for guests sharing their memorable moments with us at Ridgeview.
Tour our beautiful estate in the Sussex countryside and try a selection of our award-winning English sparkling wines. And, there is no better way to round off your experience than a visit to our restaurant, The Rows & Vine.
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