Nyetimber
Scroll down to learn about Nyetimber and their extraordinary English sparkling wines.
Nyetimber English Sparkling Wines
England
Nyetimber
Origins
The manor where Nyetimber is located is steeped in history.
It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, in 1086, and a few hundred years later, was home to Anne of Cleaves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife.
Started in 1988, by two Americans, Stuart and Sandy Moss. They were the first UK wine makers to plant the three classic Champagne varieties – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meurnier – and use them in sparkling wine. The region has the same soils as Champagne itself, leading the Mosses to believe they could produce world-class sparkling wine, despite doubt from just about everyone else. (Oz Clark, in his book English Wine reports that they were told by an agricultural expert that the land was unsuited to grapes, and they should grow apples instead.)
Growing reknown
The first year wine was produced was in 1992, and when 1993 vintage of the Nyetimber Classic Cuvee was released in 1996, it won best sparkling wine at an international competition. A year later, the Queen served it at her Golden Anniversary lunch.
Nyetimber changed hands in 2006, with Eric Heerema taking over. He brought in winemaking couple Cherie Spriggs and her husband a year later. They currently hand-pick their grapes at a number of different sites in Sussex, Hampshire and Kent.
In 2018, Nyetimber’s winemaker, Cherie Spriggs, became the first person outside of Champagne itself to win sparkling winemaker of the year at the IWSC competition.
Range
Nyetimber produces a range of sparkling wines, from their ‘house blend’ of the multivintage Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, to the Tillington single vineyard wines and the 1086 range, named after the year the estate was first mentioned in the Domesday Book.
