From Craft Beer to English Wine… Let’s go on a journey!

Hey there! I’m Tim, the new Marketing Manager here at Stanlake Park. For the last 8 years I’ve been making content and managing the social media in the craft beer industry for Siren Craft Brew and honestly I’ve loved every second of that, and still of course do love the craft beer scene. Some of you may recognise me from the Siren social media, or one of the many many events and online tastings.

Siren Craft Brew collab day with Duckpond Brewing

So why have I swapped hops for grapes? 

For a long time, my drinks world revolved around craft beer. Any town I was planning to visit I would search “Craft beer” on google maps in order to research the hot spots. I literally planned many holidays based around finding beers, bars and breweries.

Like a lot of people I was drawn into the excitement of it all. New breweries popping up and new beers to try. Strange new styles. Hazy IPAs. Barrel aged experiments. Taprooms. Independent producers doing things their own way. 

It was fun, social and endlessly interesting.

But recently I realised something. I was bored of beer and I needed something more. I wanted that same sense of discovery, being at the forefront of a burgeoning scene, just like when I had my first Punk IPA (I know, I know) back in 2011.

And that new discovery is English wine.

And honestly, I’ve found a new obsession.

A quiet revolution happening in English wine

English wine has changed dramatically in the last decade or so.

For a long time the reputation was… mixed. People might politely say it was improving. In reality many people simply had not tried it in years. I know I hadn’t. I remember trying English Wine (I won’t say where!) many years ago, around the time I was discovering craft beer, and it was…… dreadful. 

But something has shifted.

Better vineyard sites. Better understanding of our climate. Huge improvements in winemaking. A generation of skilled producers treating English wine seriously rather than as a novelty.

The result is that the quality now can be genuinely excellent.

English Sparkling wines regularly compete with Champagne. Wines like Nyetimber are becoming a lot of people’s new goto. For me, this was replaced on my table last Christmas by Stanlake Park’s very own Bacchus Brut – delicious. 

Stanlake Park Wine Estate – Bacchus Brut

Still wines are also vastly improving every year. And smaller independent estates are experimenting in ways that would feel very familiar to anyone coming from craft beer.

If you enjoy discovering interesting drinks made by passionate people, English wine is suddenly a very exciting place to be.

What craft beer drinkers might recognise

One of the things that surprised me when I started learning more about wine was how similar the cultures can be. Craft beer drinkers already understand things that wine can sometimes feel intimidating about.

You already appreciate things like:

• Small producers doing things their own way
• Regional character and local ingredients\
• Experimental styles and limited releases
• Talking about flavour rather than alcohol strength
• Drinking socially and discovering things together

If you enjoy a good taproom conversation about hops and fermentation, you are already halfway into wine culture.

The difference is simply that instead of malt and hops, we are talking about grapes and vineyards.

There’s an old trope that wine has a level of pretentiousness to it, but I’ve seen those barriers fall pretty swiftly. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know about regions and grapes, in the same way it doesn’t matter if you can’t identify Hops or Malt varieties in beers – if you like it, great! If you don’t, try something else. 

I think also personally, I only ever saw wine as the big producers, the recognisable wine estates from around the world. I hadn’t really considered the small batch approach or the local independent wineries… and now I represent one! 

Just like I used to seek out craft beer bars, hoping to find some dingy bar (the less decorated and the more MDF the better, right?) to find interesting new beers, I now seek out wine bars. And there are some fantastic modern wine bars, just as dingy as the average craft beer bar, if that’s what you want ;).

Dans Bar in Dalston Junction, London

There’s also some really nicely thought out bars, full of character that are beautiful spots to wile away an afternoon… looking at you Stanlake Park Wine Bar!

If you like this beer, try this wine

Moving from beer into wine does not have to be complicated. In fact a lot of flavour preferences translate surprisingly well. It’s also not like I can never seek out or try beer ever again, I’m just adding new experiences, flavours and favourites. 

However, if you’re just starting out on a wine journey, here are a few simple starting points.

If you like crisp Lagers or Pilsners:

Try a dry English white wine. Something fresh and bright with citrus notes can give the same refreshing feeling you get from a well made lager.

In England, keep an eye out for grape varieties such as Bacchus, Madeleine Angevine, and Seyval Blanc. These wines often have lively acidity and flavours of elderflower, green apple and citrus. On a warm day they can be just as clean and thirst quenching as a cold pilsner.

And it’s absolutely fine to put ice in your white wine… no pretentiousness here, remember.

If you enjoy Hazy IPAs or Pale Ales:

Look for aromatic white wines with plenty of fruit character. These can deliver the same juicy, expressive style that makes hazy beers so appealing.

Again Bacchus is a great place to start. It is sometimes compared to Sauvignon Blanc because of its intense aromatics. You might also come across Solaris or Ortega, which can produce wines with ripe fruit flavours, floral notes and a slightly fuller texture that fans of juicy pale ales often appreciate.

I also really took to Orange Wine, a white wine that spends more time on the skins, which adds real depth of flavour. 

Lastly, some “natural wines” do come with a slight haze (if that’s what you’re after) which, call me mad, but just adds something to the experience, that feels like it’s different from just a glass of wine – very much akin to that first time you have a hazy beer. 

The Winery in Rye, a truly wonderful spot and this hazy wine was amazing.

If you love Sour beers or wild fermentation:

You will probably enjoy Pet Nat wines. The name comes from pétillant naturel, a naturally sparkling style made using an ancient fermentation method. Sparkling Wines are generally “disgorged” (which is a really cool process I just learned about – you can see more on that here), but Pet Nat’s just have a single fermentation and is bottled before that process finishes.

These wines can be lively, slightly cloudy and full of personality. They often feel a bit like the wine equivalent of a farmhouse ale. In England they are commonly made from varieties such as Bacchus, Pinot Noir, Meunier, or Chardonnay, depending on the style the winemaker wants to create.

We have a Pet Nat (almost!) ready to go here at Stanlake Park – look out for that coming soon, it’s seriously delicious. 

If you like big Stouts and Porters:

Try a fuller bodied red wine with some depth and spice. Ok, so you probably won’t find many English Reds that fit that description as we just don’t have the climate here for it, but that’s fine and more on choosing red wines in a moment.

Typically, you’re going to be looking for everyone’s favourite, an Argentinian Malbec. Big, bold, fruity, rich deep profile… delicious.

English red wine is changing rapidly as the climate warms and winemakers experiment more. Look out for grapes like Pinot Noir, which can produce elegant reds with bright fruit and gentle spice. You may also see Rondo or Regent, which can give darker colour and richer flavours that might appeal to drinkers who enjoy the intensity of a good stout.

English wine wise, you can try oak-aged reds, like Stanlake Park’s Cricket Grove, with complexity and depth coming from the winemaking rather than the vineyard.

Standing in amongst the vines holding red wine for no reason other than this photo for this blog.

So going back to making your red wine choice. I recently joined a tour here at Stanlake Park, and the host made a really great point. Don’t compare apples and oranges, or to put it more bluntly – Argentinian Malbec and English red. But that doesn’t make one any better, or worse, just fit for different purposes. English red does tend to be lighter, but also SUPER delicious, and very drinkable. We have quite a few people who enjoy drinking chilled English reds. Choose an English red because you want what an English red brings to the table.

The key thing is that wine is not about rules. It is about exploring what you enjoy.

Why I ended up at Stanlake Park

That curiosity is actually what brought me to Stanlake Park.

This is one of the longest running wine producers in England, yet everything happens right here on the estate. The grapes are grown just a short walk away from where the wine is made, bottled and poured.

What I find particularly interesting is that the winemaking here is led by Nico, whose family background is in Italian winemaking. So you have this blend of English vineyards and Italian winemaking heritage.

I have to say, driving into a gorgeous wine estate every day makes my heart very warm. Not that there’s anything wrong with the typical craft beer setup, but the countryside vineyard beats the back end of an industrial estate!

It is a fascinating combination and a great place to learn.

And that is exactly what I plan to do.

Learning wine together

The truth is, whilst I’ve loved wine for years, I am still early in my wine journey.

I am reading, tasting, asking questions and occasionally realising I have been pronouncing things wrong for years.

So rather than pretending to be an expert, I thought it would be more interesting to bring people along for the ride.

Over the coming months, via the blog and social media I will be sharing what I am learning about English wine, how it is made, how it tastes and why it is becoming such an exciting category.

If you are someone who loves craft beer and is curious about what wine might have to offer, you might find it interesting too.

I’ll be doing my WSET wine courses soon and can’t wait to learn more about grapes and processes! If you want to know more, a great place to start is with a wine tour here at Stanlake, which are all guided by WSET qualified professionals.

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Come and taste for yourself

Reading about wine is one thing.

Tasting it where it is made is another.

At Stanlake Park you can walk through the winery, see how the wines are made and then taste them just metres from where they were produced.

If you are curious about English wine, or simply want to explore something new, come and visit and learn along with me!

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