Chichester Hotel Guide

You may well notice that many of the wines on our list are produced organically or naturally and I thought I really should explain a bit about why we think that such things are important.

The first, and in many ways the only reason why these wines make such a regular appearance on our wine list is very plain and simple, quality. In an organic vineyard the winemaker actively encourages other plants to grow meaning that the vines are forced to compete with other naturally occurring flora for the nutrients in the soil. This means that the roots of the vine have no choice but to burrow deeper into the ground than their competition, and it is here that the best minerals and nutrients are found. The end result being far healthier vines which in turn of course leads to tastier grapes !

Organic wine farm France

Aside from a far higher quality raw ingredient there are still more qualitative benefits to organic wine making. The lack of artificial anything means that the wines are a million miles away from the generic wine that is becoming all too common. They are allowed to take on something of the nature of the soil and climate in which the grapes are grown, meaning that they are genuinely representative of the area (or Terroir ) in which they are grown and as such become uniquely individual.

The only real down side to making wine organically is the amount of extra work that the winemaker loads himself with. But for us, the end user, even this is an upside ! He is hardly likely to put so much effort into growing his grapes to skimp when it comes to actually making the wine. Generally small, artisan growers such as the ones we work with are absolutely fastidious in the winery, combining the most traditional of techniques with the most up to date of technology to produce genuine, authentic wine.

Something I haven’t even touched on yet is a very hot topic among many. That is sulphur, the very thing that is responsible for that morning after the night before sore head as well as many other detrimental effects. By law wine certified as organic can only contain less that two thirds of the sulphur that is allowed in conventional wine, and many are far far lower even that this. No bad thing for any of us !

Chateau la Blanquerie

Lastly and certainly not least are the advantages that farming organically has on our environment. Gone are all the nasty fertilizers and pesticides and the damage that they do. On top of this farming naturally encourages the plants and wildlife that inhabit a region to flourish within the ecosystem, something that has to be good when compared to the ravages that chemical pesticides can cause to our natural landscape.

All that said, the ultimate test is what you think of the wine, so pop by and let us know what you think !

Lloyd

The Crouchers Country Hotel and Restaurant

For Chichester Restaurant bookings please call 01243 784995