Eleven English and Welsh wineries that make their own spirits and vermouth

Rathfinny

Rathfinny, established in 2010 in Alfriston, released its first spirit before its first sparkling wines. Unveiled in 2016, the producer’s Seven Sisters gin is made from a blend of 30% grape spirit and 70% grain spirit and infused with nine botanicals, including juniper, coriander, angelica, orris, liquorice, lemon, bitter orange, angelica seed and hyssop.

The English wine producer also makes a vermouth, made from Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc grapes grown on its estate. It is infused with botanicals such as artichoke, gentian, calamus root, wormwood, angelica and the zest of bitter orange, lemon and pink grapefruit.

Rathfinny currently makes three Sussex sparklers – the first launched in 2018 – including a blanc de blancs, a rosé and blanc de noirs. It also makes still wines under the Cradle Valley label, including a white blend made from Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc and a Pinot Noir rosé. In 2018, due to the bountiful vintage, it made its first still red Pinot Noir.

Leave your reply

Most Recent Stories

French Michelin Guide sees influx of new stars

Yesterday's launch of the 2024 Michelin Guide for France saw 62 restaurants gain stars, bringing the country's total number of starred establishments up to 639.

What to drink at Morchella

Coming from the team behind Perilla, newly-opened Exmouth Market wine bar promises a European-focused list.

Wine List Confidential: Stem and Stem

Douglas Blyde stops and smells the roses at restaurant and florist Stem and Stem in the City of London. Fittingly, he finds dishes "accented in chlorophyll hues", and a "bouquet menu" that "borrows the language of a wine list".

Sommelier training reshapes the brain, study reveals

It's official: sommeliers are smarter. A new study investigating brain response to tasting wine found that sommelier training doesn't just refine the palate, but reshapes the brain itself.

Fine wine collection gathering dust in abandoned Somerset hotel

Valuable bottles of fine wine have been left languishing in an abandoned hotel, shrouded in dust, since the venue ceased operating during the Covid pandemic.

Most Recent Stories

French Michelin Guide sees influx of new stars

Yesterday's launch of the 2024 Michelin Guide for France saw 62 restaurants gain stars, bringing the country's total number of starred establishments up to 639.

What to drink at Morchella

Coming from the team behind Perilla, newly-opened Exmouth Market wine bar promises a European-focused list.

Wine List Confidential: Stem and Stem

Douglas Blyde stops and smells the roses at restaurant and florist Stem and Stem in the City of London. Fittingly, he finds dishes "accented in chlorophyll hues", and a "bouquet menu" that "borrows the language of a wine list".

Sommelier training reshapes the brain, study reveals

It's official: sommeliers are smarter. A new study investigating brain response to tasting wine found that sommelier training doesn't just refine the palate, but reshapes the brain itself.

Fine wine collection gathering dust in abandoned Somerset hotel

Valuable bottles of fine wine have been left languishing in an abandoned hotel, shrouded in dust, since the venue ceased operating during the Covid pandemic.