Giffords Hall Wine List
Giffords Hall is a family owned vineyard planted on the site of an ancient glacial riverbed near Long Melford in Suffolk. Our sandy/clay soil produces quality grapes, high in natural sugars and acids, that lend themselves particularly well to both sparkling and dry, aromatic still wines.
Our wines have a delicate floral character very typical of the region. We make our wines from the best years only and have selected the best winemakers for the varieties we grow.
Our 2010 Harvest was a real weather challenge but despite our fears it has produced wines of wonderful complexity across the UK – more gold awards this year than ever, particularly for Bacchus.
Giffords Hall Sparkling
Giffords Hall Sparkling 2007 A light deliciously crisp dry sparkling with a distinct hint of apple – made by Duncan Schwab at Sharpham, this is more than up to his usual high standards. The Pinot Noir grapes dont detract from its classic Englishness
Not only can you buy this wine from our 'cellar door'; but you will find it on the wine lists of several popular local restaurants. This sparkling is a very good example of English wine at the top end.
Giffords Hall Sparkling 2009 Our 2009 Sparkling has just been bottled and we are delighted to say it is a classic, East Anglian Sparkling brut, with a soft mousse, perfect acidity and herbaceous flavour with a hint of cox's apples. This sparkling will improve in bottle and we hope to enter it for the UKVA event next year.
Giffords Hall Rosé
Here is our champion – Winner of the Waitrose Trophy for most outstanding UK Rosé
Giffords Hall Rosé 2009 This was our first rosé – carefully blended from our best ever Madeleine Angevine and our Rondo, a deep red grape which gives it a wonderful clear crystal pink.
Rosé originated in France as a by-product of making red wines but can, as with pink champagne, be blended; this is a very skilled process. The rosé is a fruity but dry wine with overtones of strawberry, lemons and roses – great for summer drinking.
Giffords Hall Rosé 2010 The 2010 rosé is the same blend of Madeleine Angevine grapes. While it has retained its distinctive strawberry and roses nose, it is sophisticated, dry, and packed with subtle rounder flavours of cherries, and a wonderful long finish. The 2010 is a very grown up rosé.
One MW judge commented on its elegant depth of colour, though it is still a pale, Provençal style wine.
Giffords Hall Bacchus
Bacchus is becoming known as the UK's answer to a New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc. It is a Riesling cross grape with big fat bunches and a thick green skin. As a variety it can be difficult to grow, but all UK vineyards will produce Bacchus if the season has been good enough, as it is the best selling UK still wine. East Anglian Bacchus has a distinctive aromatic, slightly flinty quality though each season brings its own individuality. Most people love the gooseberry and elderflower notes. In other English regions it can taste quite different.
Giffords Hall Bacchus 2009 Our Bacchus grapes have produced Gold medal winning wines for Sharpham Partnership. 2009 gave us a great ripening period and the sugars were 80 oeschle plus – the resulting wine is softer, very refreshing and you can really taste the fruit. This years Bacchus is an almost golden green colour. We love Bacchus and will always produce this wine if we have a good growing summer.
Giffords Hall Bacchus 2010 The 2010 Bacchus did not achieve the very high sugar levels attained during the hot autumn of 2009. Curiously the cooler autumn produced some of the best Bacchus wines in the UK last year and this is no exception. We asked our winemaker for a dryer Bacchus than the 2009 for our customers who prefer a less fruity wine and it is more 'woodsy' and greener on the tongue. The same herbaceous hints and aromatic Bacchus characteristics make it highly refreshing and delicious.
Pinot Noir 2009
Our Pinot Noir vines were planted 3 years ago. We completed this bay this Spring. Our first crop was small but enthusiastic. Piers Greenwood, the 'uncle of East Anglian Wine', has blended this with Dornfelder, Accolon and Seyval grapes. The result is very mellow and would be great with cold beef, salads and even spicy foods. Don't expect Bordeaux, this is English red and we don't have the same climactic conditions, so it is lighter with a low alcohol content.
Our local tasting team, (our neighbours) really like this wine as a 'vin de pays' equivalent. Some have enjoyed it chilled which is becoming more of a trend with lighter red wines. We only have a small amount of this and we welcome feedback.