Balfour Brut Rose 2004
Global warming is a disastrous phenomenon; but, it has helped produce some of the finest English wines. For a long time, the chilly English climate was considered to be hard on grapes. But, global warming has made the English summers hotter by 1.5 degrees in the past 20 years—a condition ideal for grapes. The quality of English wine has taken a sharp rise, as a result of which, English wines have become appealing to many a discerning taste bud.
The Balfour Brut Rose 2004, in particular, has won the Silver Medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2007, and it’s no wonder. This Kent sparkler, a 2004 vintage with its fresh fragrance, tiny pinprick bubbles, delicate salmon-pink shade, and a raspberry flavor, is full of the essence of the choicest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in Richard Balfour-Lynn’s Hush Health Estate. “Fresh red fruits on a yeasty backbone; elegant and classy,” says Imbibe Magazine.
The region that produced the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay is a sheltered region in the south, which allows the grapes to receive the maximum amount of sunshine to grow and ripen. The vines have the added advantage of sufficient moisture even in dry seasons.
A peep into the winemaking process reveals delicious facts. A total of 12,000 kilograms of grapes were picked, and only the middle portion of the juice with the best balance of sugars, acids, and flavors was taken to make the wine. It was fermented for 21 days at 15 degrees. The wines were retained on the yeast deposits for around two months. A small amount of red wine, produced by fermenting Pinot Noir in their skins, was added to the sparkler to give it the delicate shade of pink.
Balfour Brut Rose 2004 goes well with Gravadiax and is best drunk between two and four years after the harvest of the grapes that went into its making.
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