Chapel Down Flint Dry 2015

Chapel Down Flint Dry 2015, England

(£10, Sainsbury’s or via WineSearcher)

We’re big fans of Chapel Down’s wines, especially their still ones – proving that English wine isn’t just about fizz. Their Chardonnay (in particular their Kit’s Coty) is regularly outstanding and well worth a try. This one’s a big blend (from Kent, Sussex and Essex) but based on Chardonnay, also featuring the likes of Pinot Blanc, Reichensteiner, Schönburger and Huxelrebe.

It was great to be able to feature this wine on Saturday Kitchen after it paired so seamlessly with a dish by Tommy Banks: scallop cured in rhubarb juice with Jerusalem artichokes.

If you think about it, these are very British ingredients – rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes, scallops – and they certainly work well with that classic zestiness you get from this wine.

But what makes this wine really good with the food isn’t just its very English tang. It’s also got a bit of succulence and roundness to it, which means it can stand up to some pretty rich flavours like the artichoke puree and the sweetness of the scallop. It’s also a very decent price for a quality English wine.

‘Delicious – love the fact it’s English,’ commented Tommy in studio, describing it as ‘floral and summery’. Afterwards, he tweeted that he’d gone back ‘for seconds’. A man after my own heart!

(Peter, 7/10, April 2017)