On Tuesday 29th September, a group of us from abarbistro spent a very pleasant morning amidst the vines of Exton Park Vineyard; thanks Jose, for organising! Exton Park is set on the slopes of wild roaming chalk lands in the heart of Hampshire.
We were greeted by Fred Langdale, the vineyard manager, and Mark Ferguson, sales manager.
Fred oozed with enthusiasm as he started to tell us all about Exton. The terroir is a mirror image of that found in the actual Champagne region…so it was decided that they should focus on sparkling wines. As a result, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier were planted in 2003, and the vineyard has developed since then. There are now over 100,00 vines.
We learnt about nurturing the vines, picking the grapes, and making the actual juice. We were shown the cellar store, and introduced to other team members.
Then the most exciting part…we tasted the fruits of all their efforts; Exton Park Brut, Blanc de Noirs and Rose. All really delicious, elegant and bubbly…..and of course English through and through.
It goes without saying, that we are selling the wine in Camber Wines!