Halfpenny Green English Rose
An easy drinking rose, just on the sweeter side of medium-dry.
It’s a blend of 40% Rondo, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Muller Thurgau, 20% Dornfelder; the sweetness comes from a residual sugar of 11.5 g/l.
Dornfelder and Pinot Noir were crushed and cold soaked for two hours in order to extract colour and flavour, whilst the Rondo was whole-bunch pressed due to its already pink-coloured juice. The wines were fermented at cool temperatures to preserve the delicate character, before being aged in tank for 8 months, with a small portion having 2 month contact with oak staves to add complexity, before blending with a small amount of reserve to maintain consistency and add character
Bright salmon pink colour; summer berry fruits on the nose, excitingly refreshing balance of light and vibrant fruit – cranberry, strawberry, redcurrant, watermelon – and sweetness with good length.
Drink on its own or with a range of fish, white meat, salads and soft cheeses.
About the Producer
Halfpenny Green Wine Estate
It was the vision of farmer Martin Vickers, a third-generation agricultural farmer, to plant a vineyard that would one day match continental sites. Today, 40 years later, 30 acres of vines are managed by Martin and produce award-winning wines crafted by his son Clive.
Halfpenny Green Wine Estate is situated in the south Staffordshire part of the Severn Valley, 250ft above sea level in well-sheltered south facing slopes, with light, sandy, free-draining soil.
The first ½ acre was planted in 1983 and by 1991 a further 22 acres were added. Today the vineyard totals almost 30 acres, making it one of the largest in the UK.
The vines comprise of sixteen different varieties with familiar grapes such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir featuring prominently and are used in producing the Estate’s award-winning sparkling wines, amongst others.
Due to the cooler climate, a variety of weather-hardy grapes are also grown throughout the site, including varietals such as Bacchus, Huxelrebe, Madeleine Angevine, Regent, Rondo and Schönburger. This means that, even with the Great British weather, the vines still have good yield and produce high quality grapes.
The Estate’s winery was built in 2005 and produces between 50-60,000 bottles of own-label wine each year, all made using grapes grown on site and winning many regional, national and international awards in the process.
The winery also carries out contract winemaking and bottling for over 50 other vineyards around England and Wales.