October

Denbies Wine Estate is delighted to announce that the Orange Solaris 2021 has been awarded ‘Innovation of the Year’ by Tom Hewson in the 2022 Special English Wine Report.

This is the first time that Denbies have produced a Solaris varietal and it was due to the insightful vision and experience of Denbies winemaker, Andy Kershaw, that it was made in the style of an orange wine.

In trials conducted in 2020, Andy felt that conventional wine making methods would detract from the delicate floral characteristic of the Solaris skin, which potentially would be more suited to the orange style of wine making, a white wine made using a red winemaking method.   The small batch trials were a success, and in 2021, 6 tons were harvested from the Estate’s four Solaris blocks.  The wine was on skins for seven months before being pressed in February 2022.

‘This is preserving the integrity of the varietal.  The interest and demand for the Orange Solaris is very exciting.  The quality of the harvest this year means that we will be doubling the volume for 2022’, commented Andy Kershaw.

Best served to accompany food, the wine demonstrates hues of apricot in the glass, the nose is fresh and carries the stone fruit theme. The palate is generously complex, with layers of baked apple and tangerine.  Bold and striking, this wine is best served slightly chilled with creamy mushroom risotto or juicy pork belly.

Denbies Wine Estate continues to seek and pursue new opportunities in winemaking, with 4 acres of the vineyard dedicated to new trials and varietals.  This award recognises the reputation that Denbies has achieved for excellence in English wine making since the vineyard was planted in 1986.

Orange Solaris Technical information:

Alcohol 12.44%

Total Acidity 4.7 g/l

Residual Sugar 4.9 g/l

pH 3.44

As part of Denbies’ Vineyard Select range, this wine is made only in the best of seasons from 100% hand-picked Solaris.