The Southern Quarter’s pick of the best English wine-related things to see and do this month
Eat here: Kinsbrook Farmhouse
It’s felt like a long time coming for Kinsbrook Vineyard, in Thakeham, Sussex, to open its Farmhouse and Deli but the wait is now over as vineyard owner, Joe Beckett, and his partner, Rebecca Dancer open the doors this month (main picture).
Upstairs visitors can expect superb local produce and delicious seasonal dishes masterminded by Head Chef Greg Round of Spring London and Bonhams in a laid-back, dog-friendly environment overlooking the vines and South Downs. Lunch will be served Wednesday to Sunday, brunch at weekends and Kinsbrooks own blend of coffee, which was made in conjunction with Craft House Coffee in Wivelsfield, is served alongside in-house baked cakes throughout the week.
A downstairs farm shop selling flowers, artisan cheeses, a selection of fine wines, craft ciders, spirits, fresh produce and much more gives visitors sourced from the surrounding Sussex community gives visitors the perfect excuse to shop local. There will also be a fresh butchery counter from November 17.
Read this: Wine Uncorked, my guide to the world of wine, by Fred Sirieix
In this guide to wine around the world French-born maître d’ Fred Sirieix decants a career’s worth of expertise, revealing how everything from percentage to vintage impacts what ends up in your glass, as well as how to decipher a label and the optimum temperatures for serving. He then takes readers on a tour of the regions, showing how the landscape and climate work their magic on the wine produced around the world, highlighting key producers to suit all budgets along the way.
If you’ve ever stood in the wine aisle of a supermarket and pondered over which of the hundreds of bottles to choose from, this guide will help you decide, or discover, the right flavour for you.
Published by Ebury, RRP £16.99
Listen to this: The English Wine Diaries Series 6
The English Wine Diaries podcast is back for a sixth series. Sponsored again buy Wickhams, The Great British Wine Merchant, this series of the award-nominated podcast features guests such as: CEO of of Ridgeview, Tamara Roberts; owner and MD of Hambledon Vineyard, Ian Kellett; author of Cindy Marie-Harvey from Love Wine Food and many more. Episodes land each Wednesday from now until Christmas.
Drink here: Ink by Steven Edwards
Sussex chef and English wine champion Steven Edwards has quietly opened his stylish speakeasy at etch. in Hove.
Having been open to diners since November last year, subterranean wine bar, Ink, (named as a nod to the tattoo bar it replaced) is now open to non-diners offering a locally-inspired drinks menu that breathes new life into classic cocktails and creates new and original serves.
For example, the ‘etchspresso’ Martini elevates the modern classic using butter almanac and walnut bitters while the vodka-based Old Fashioned is enhanced with a comforting Horlicks infused cream. There’s also a English-only sparkling wine list and plenty of other home-grown wines to choose form.
With intimate decor featuring flashes of neon in its artwork by Ben Slow, this minimalistic take on the basement speakeasy is open to non-diners from 6pm until 11pm on Wednesday and Thursday and from midday until 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Booking must be made in advance.
Celebrate this: Beaujolais Nouveau Day
Beaujolais Nouveau Day, which takes place on the third Thursday in November, is an international celebration of the most recent harvest and the first chance consumers get to taste the vintage and to discover its potential. This year Beaujolais Nouveau Day is on November 17 and to celebrate Wickhams wine is doing a free online tasting for its nouveau customers with two nouveaus and an English nouveau from Sandridge Barton, the home of Sharpham Wines.
Book this: Wine Escape
The UK’s first immersive scape room event stops at Brighton’s Hilton Metropole on November 25 and 26. With live actors and dazzling visual effects, Wine Escape combines the thrill of a night at the theatre with escape room-style games.
The event takes guests back into the roaring 1920’s to enjoy the glamour and extravagance of ‘Hawker Wine Estate’, where the very wealthy owners, the Von James family are hosting an exclusive party. But the celebrations turn sour when a storm of vengeance, lies and deceit ruins the evening. Guests must stick together, hold their nerve and beat the clock in order to escape Hawker alive.
