The second case for lockdown

Last month I wrote about being stranded from my wine collection and away from my usual wine suppliers as everyone got to grips with the effects of a nationwide lockdown. The solution came in gloriously eclectic mixed case from local Birmingham wine bar-cum-merchants Loki Wine. But six bottles between four adults in lockdown wasn’t going to last long. More supplies were needed.

For my second case for lockdown I also went local. Though this time a local wine maker rather than a local wine merchant. Westwell is a producer based in Kent, in the south of England*. I first came across their wines last year when I bought a bottle of their traditional method non-vintage ‘Pelegrim’ sparkling on a whim. And was promptly blown away. Lean, taut, with an exceptionally long finish. Definitely English and not champagne, but with the quality of many far more expensive champagnes. An encounter in a wine bar of their skin contact Ortega hooked me further. The only downside – shared with most English wines – is the price tag. It is simply more expensive to grow grapes and to make wine in England compared to much of the rest of Europe.

But when I saw Westwell’s offering of a mixed case of six wines – including the ‘Pelegrim’ sparkling and the skin contact Ortega – for £100, it was a no-brainer. Whether by design or chance, the six wines can be grouped into three pairs: there is a pair of sparklings; a pair of rosés; and two white wines made from Ortega, but in quite different ways.

I was impressed with all of these wines. Quality across the board was extremely high and they were all interesting and engaging wines to drink. It’s also fascinating to see the different expressions of Ortega – which is finding a good home in England – transformed into a rosé, white, amber and sparkling wine (!) by the capable hands at Westwell.

The only sticking point for me is at the full retail price (which is what I list in the reviews below), they come under ‘special occasion bottles’ rather than every day drinking. That said, the £100 mixed case offer** knocks off about £3 per bottle and changes the pricing dynamic quite favourably. And the ‘Pelegrim’ sparkling won a rare 10/10 score from me – even at full price of £27 – as it is just that good.

The wines

See here for information of my scoring system out 10, with points for Quality, Value, and X-factor.

Sparkling

Westwell ‘Pelegrim’ NV (£27) & Westwell ‘Petulant Nature’ Pet-Nat (£22.50)

Westwell ‘Petulant Nature’ pet-nat sparkling, made from Ortega and with the angry face of Bacchus staring back from the label!

The ‘Pelegrim’ is a classic England-taking-on-Champagne wine and doing it extremely well. A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and made using the traditional method with 18-24 months maturation of lees. Very long, lean wine with taut acidity. Extremely dry but well balanced by succulent red apple fruit and lemon sherbet notes. Focused and outstanding quality. Score: 10/10 (Q 4 | V 3 | X 3).

By contrast, the ‘Petulant Nature’ is made from a single variety – Ortega – and using the ‘ancestral method’ of sparkling winemaking. This involves a single fermentation only to produce both alcohol and bubbles. It’s a method that comes with an inherent risk of producing either overly sweet wines or exploding bottles. Perhaps the wine’s name is a nod to this risk, as well as being a pun on the French term for these sorts of wines: pétillant naturel (whence pet-nat). Impressive winemaking skill is on show here. This is a fun wine, extremely well made, with characteristic Ortega notes of honeydew melon, peach and apple, as well as a wild side to the acidity. Score: 8/10 (Q 3 | V 2 | X 3).

Rosé

Westwell Ortega Rosé 2018 (£15) & Westwell ‘Pink’ 2018 (£19.50)

Two rosés: same vintage but two very different characters. Both these wines are completely dry (despite the deep crimson-pink colour of the ‘Pink’). The ‘Ortega Rosé’ is made from Ortega (a white grape) with a dash of Pinot Noir added for the colour. The Pinot adds some fresh cranberry notes, otherwise the honeydew melon and canteloupe notes of Ortega shine through for me. The wine has a lovely, smooth, tapered finish. Score: 8/10 (Q 3 | V 2 | X 3).

The ‘Pink’ is deeper in colour and bolder in its aromatics. This wine is made entirely from red grapes – Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – and has a lot more red fruit character to it. However, there is also a hint of freshly mown grass on a chilly spring morning – something grassy and characteristically ‘English’ about it. Lovely poise and concentration on the finish. This is an extremely sophisticated wine. Score: 8/10 (Q 4 | V 1 | X 3).

Westwell Pink 2018, a dry rosé made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Ortega

Westwell Ortega 2018 (£15) & Westwell Skin Contact Ortega 2018 (£19.50)

Another extremely interesting pair and a great example of how different winemaking practices can bring out very different features in the same source grapes. Ortega is not an ancient grape variety: it was cultivated in Germany in the middle of the 20th century and started to be plnted commercially in the 1980s. Its ability to accumulate sugars readily works well in cool climates and it seems to have found a niche in England.

One of these wines is made as a straight white wine; the other sees the fermenting juice spend time on the grape skins (as you would make a red wine). This results in a amber colour and fine-grained, velvety tannins on the palate. The skin contact wine is a lot less fruity in profile – chamomile, dandelion and peach skin, and a very savoury palate. By contrast the white is gently floral, with notes of canteloupe and apple skin and a herbal character throughout.

Overall, I found the white wine had a little more acid and direction for me – this was one of the most sophisticated English whites I’ve tasted so far; this vintage of the skin contact wine was a little too savoury and didn’t quite pull through with the acid. Scores: Ortega: 9/10 (Q 3 | V 3 | X 3); Skin Contact Ortega: 6/10 (Q 2 | V 1 | X 3).

* Yes, I know, Kent is not quite next door to Birmingham, but in wine producing terms it is certainly more local than Greece, Croatia and Portugal.

** Currently still available, with free UK delivery.