Bordeaux, California & Norwich?
It may not be in a famous wine region, but a company from East Anglia is changing the way wine is bought and sold – putting makers in touch with drinkers
WORDS JULIA SNELL
FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS Norwich has been home to Naked Wines, an online company that aims to challenge traditional ideas about wine and how to enjoy it. Although Naked hasn’t exactly shouted from the rooftops about its existence, it has nonetheless gained a respectable following through word of mouth and a touch of celebrity endorsement.
Naked Wines champions up-and-coming wine producers around the world. Its quest is to encourage people to drink better and spend less. The company was set up by South African-born Rowan Gormley and his friends. With Naked, Gormley wanted to overturn the more traditional ways of doing business in the wine trade. He also wanted to knock the stuffiness and pretentiousness out of wine appreciation and tempt mainstream drinkers out of their comfort zone.
Now, with 25 winemakers on its books from across the world, and 20,000 wine ‘angels’ supporting them, Gormley is realising his dream of making wine more accessible. The more the angels buy, the more cash back they receive to spend on wine. This keeps marketing costs to a minimum and gives the growers and producers the financial support to do what they do best.
Since partnering last year with TV chef Jamie Oliver, the website is becoming more high profile. Gormley’s enthusiasm for his wines matches Oliver’s passion for simple, no-nonsense food. Oliver’s recipes on his own website recommend the best Naked wines to drink with them.
All the well-known regions across the world are well represented at Naked. But what about English wines?
“We’re slightly embarrassed to not have a single English wine on our site,” says Gormley. “Having kissed a few frogs, we are hoping a handsome prince of a wine will gallop over the horizon and into our warehouse.” www.nakedwines.com
THREE CHOIRS, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Started by two farmers in the 1970s, this lush 70-acre vineyard in the Forest of Dean offers wine tastings with some 14 varieties of English wines. You can stay in one of the terraced lodges with verandas, floor-to-ceiling windows and roll-top baths. The restaurant serves modern cuisine, while the new summer house is perfect for long, languorous lunches among the vines.
Lodges from £145, www.three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk
CHAPEL DOWN VINEYARD & WINERY, TENTERDEN, KENT
Chapel Down has guided tours as well as a wine and food store. You can eat at Michelin-starred Richard Phillips’s restaurant or stay at Sissinghurst Castle Farmhouse, which is next door to the famous gardens created by Bloomsbury Group member Vita Sackville- West and her diplomat husband, Harold Nicholson. Alternatively, book in at Elvery Farm in Pluckley, reputedly the most haunted village in England, and enjoy a pint at the Black Horse. www.englishwinesgroup.com
GLYNDWR VINEYARD, SOUTH WALES
Nestled in the Welsh countryside, this family-run vineyard boasts a fine collection of organic wines: fruity whites and oak-aged reds. You can stay in a cosy rustic cottage with views of ponds, the wildflower meadows and into the valley beyond. Enjoy wine tastings and home-made canapés in the rambling gardens filled with the chickens, ducks and llamas. B&B from £60 per night, www.glyndwrvineyard.co.uk
LEVENTHORPE VINEYARD, WOODLESFORD, LEEDS
Leventhorpe was featured on the BBC TV series Oz and James Drink to Britain, and wine expert Oz Clarke regularly sings its praises. Call in advance before dropping in for a visit. Labels to look out for include Leventhorpe Madeleine Angevine and Seyval Blanc. Leeds has numerous hotels, but for a touch of luxury, why not try the De Vere Oulton Hall or the business- orientated Radisson Blu? www.ukvines.co.uk/vineyards/levens.htm
CAMEL VALLEY VINEYARD, NANSTALLON, CORNWALL
The celebrated Camel Valley has become widely recognised for producing world-class wines. Many of its wines can be found in local restaurants. A tour and tastings mean the chance to try Cornwall Brut 2007 and Camel Valley Bacchus 2009. There are two stone-built cottages on site, or visitors can stay at Trehellas House Hotel or Lanhydrock Hotel. While in Cornwall, take in the Eden Project and the Tate St Ives, and eat at one of Rick Stein’s famous fish restaurants in Padstow. Cottages from £320 a week, www.camelvalley.com
SHARPHAM, TOTNES, DEVON
A grand, centuries-old farm, the Sharpham estate overlooks the fields and wooded slopes above the River Dart in the ancient market town of Totnes. Sharpham’s wines include Sharpham Estate Selection Dry 2008 and Sharpham Red 2007. Visitors can travel there by ferry, and the wine tour includes a tutored tasting and the chance to sample local cheese. If you fancy a night by the sea consider the Cary Arms in Salcombe Harbour or the Art Deco Burgh Island Hotel, near Bigbury-on-Sea, which can only be reached by tractor at high tide. Crime writer Agatha Christie wrote two books there. www.sharpham.com
