As we learned earlier, East Anglian wines are quickly gaining a positive following and one of those riding this wave is Norfolk producer, Winbirri Vineyards. Run by owner and head winemaker, Lee Dyer, Winbirri is a multi-award winning vineyard producing first class white, red, rosé and sparkling wines. Located close to the fine city of Norwich, Winbirri enjoys fantastic conditions and terroir, and has been commended by Becky Hull MW who said: “Winbirri make some stunning wines… the purity and intensity of fruit flavour of the 2015 Bacchus has captivated all of the judges at the English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition.”
Dyer takes a minimalist intervention approach to winemaking and lets the quality of the fruit shine through in his wines. Read through most reviews and you’ll see the words ‘stunning’, ‘superb’ and ‘perfect’. The 2015 Bacchus easily ranks among our top recommendations. It has a clear white and golden yellow colour and the nose has subtle fruits – gooseberry and passionfruit. The flavours don’t take time to develop on the palate; straight away you’re happy. The tropical fruitiness is a delight and it quickly grows to a sweetness that most winemakers find hard to capture. Honey, butter, and a soft creaminess make the balance with the aromatics perfect. If this wine was made in France, there would be a serious price tag to go with it.
In 2016, Winbirri’s Bacchus won four major trophies at the UKVA English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition, including the prestigious Gore-Browne Trophy for Wine of the Year. You can now find Winbirri wine in Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Lea & Sandeman and many more local retailers, farm shops and restaurants. How does Lee Dyer make such high-quality wine? He is tirelessly focussed on quality in the vineyard, painstakingly monitoring everything and working with his family to manage all details by hand. “Without high quality grapes, you can’t have quality wine. After you pick the grapes, you can only bring the quality down, and that is why we try and interfere as little as possible,” he tells us. Next year, the Bacchus will enter international competitions and measure itself against some of the best in the world.
Right now, this is quite simply one of the best around and will likely encourage many more English vineyards to consider Bacchus. Hats off to Lee and his team – as close to perfection as we have found.