English Sparkling Wines
Davenport Vineyards Pet Nat 2020
Green apple and citrus, white flowers, delicious yeasty notes
This fabulous Pet Nat is made from an unusual blend of Auxerrois, Bacchus, Pinot Meunier and Faber. The pressure is 3.5Bar, so less fizzy than a traditional sparkling wine. The idea is to emphasise the fruit/floral character, but also to capture lots of yeast flavours and make a really refreshing drink. The wine is made from organic grapes and has zero sulphur addition, no added yeast, and is unfiltered. The bottles have a sediment as Davenport deliberately don’t disgorge clean – this allows the wine to stay fresh and develop more complexity over time. In 1991 Will Davenport planted 5 acres of vines at Horsmonden in Kent, while simultaneously working for a Hampshire vineyard and, unintentionally, this became the beginning of a life-long business as a wine producer. Over 25 years later the vineyards now make up 24 acres, grown on 5 parcels of land, 9 grape varieties and a multitude of soil types and micro-climates. The vineyards are mostly at Horsmonden in Kent, with a smaller vineyard next to the winery at Rotherfield, East Sussex. Will has always been a keen supporter of organic farming and in 2000 he made the decision to convert all the vines and winery to organic systems, certified by the Soil Association. At the time this was a huge risk, but ultimately the vines are in great shape, the fruit quality is second to none, and the wines show a depth of character that Davenport believe could not be achieved with the use of chemicals in the vineyard and winery.
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