For those unused to the style it might hit you oddly at first. But dig deeper and you'll find soft lemons, butter, elderflower, on the nose with a background salty air. On the palate there's a slight grippy bite from the tannins, which provides excellent structure.
Former CEO of Gusbourne, Ben Walgate has changed direction heavily with Tillingham. Here,he makes some of the most experimental wine in England. Ben's focus is on regenerative farming, and plans for the farm, vineyard, rooms, and restaurant to be entirely self-sufficient.
Of the four grape varieties that make up this wine, two were created in a lab in the 1900s. The aim was to create grapes that could survive the cold, ripen early and be disease-resistant. Bacchus, named after the god of wine, is England's answer to sauvignon blanc. Ortega was named after the Spanish philosopher and poet.England has traditionally been too cold to grow grapes, but climate change has seen gradual warming and better vintages.
The very first wines in the world were made in Georgia 6,000 years ago. Orange wine has only had a sudden resurgence in the past 20 years, but its style can date back to these origins of strong-flavoured musky wines. Now, orange wine is appearing all over the world with examples in Italy, Slovenia, Australia and the USA.
Orange wine is the exact opposite of rosé. Rosé is made when you take (mostly) red grapes, press them very lightly for the juice and throw away the skins that give wine its body, tannin and colour. Orange wine is made when you take (mostly) white grapes, press them for the juice, and then macerate them with their skins to get as much body, tannin and colour as possible.