Canadian winemaker Cherie Spriggs didn’t count on building a career around English sparkling wine. A qualified oenologist, she had worked in some of the top wine regions across Australia, New Zealand and the US. However, a chance encounter with a bottle of Nyetimber put her on track to become the estate’s head winemaker.
‘When I was still working at Averill Creek Vineyard in Canada, my parents were taking a trip to England. This was the first year that The World Atlas of Wine by Jancis Robinson MW included one page on England. So, when they asked: “Can we bring you back anything?” I went, “Yes, it looks like they make some wine in England, can you get me a bottle of Nyetimber?”
‘The job opportunities in Canada at that point were fine, but they weren’t quite filling my husband and me with excitement. Outside of wine I’m a keen runner and while out one evening my husband said: “Why don’t we apply to dream jobs?” The first thing that popped into my head was: “I’d really like to make sparkling wine in England.”
‘Regardless of where you are in the world there’s always an Achilles heel. California it’s too much alcohol; Australia it’s not enough acid. In England there is the potential for too much acidity, which we have to manage carefully because you want nice acids in sparkling wine but not too much.
‘Outside of wine, I’m a keen musician. As a classically trained pianist, I draw many parallels between the worlds of wine and music. I like to think of blending wine in musical terms to create the perfect harmony. I think consumers pick up on fresh vibrant flavours rather than the deeper, richer flavours. More the soprano/alto end rather than the tenor/bass end.
‘There’s no denying that [the UK] is a very northerly, maritime climate. So there is an inherent variability of one year to the next. I started in February 2007 and I’m still waiting to have two vintages that are similar.
‘Our 2016 Blanc de Blancs took the Champion Sparkling Wine honour at the International Wine Challenge this year – and that’s the first time it’s ever gone to a sparkling wine outside of Champagne. I also took home the trophy for Sparkling Winemaker of the Year, for the second time. I’m still the only female, and to date there’s only been one other producer outside of Champagne, who’s won it. It’s such a validation of what’s happening in this industry [and] it’s exciting for me because it’s very different from when I started.
‘I take some of my inspiration from outside of the sparkling wine world, for example German Riesling, as I like how the wines walk an interesting balance point.
‘What’s interesting is that we find ever more people when they’re tasting English sparkling who say: “You know what? I don’t really like Champagne, but I like this.” We’ve [created] the opportunity for people who don’t like that flavour to find a beautiful celebratory drink that they enjoy.
‘I enjoy red Burgundy – with Volnay having a particular soft spot for me – a good Chablis, Barolo and also some unconventional choices such as a Gewürztraminer from the Okanagan.
‘We cannot avoid comparisons with Champagne, because they’ve been the market preference for top quality for a long time. But I think there are some things about our climate in England that offer us an advantage. We are a little bit cooler than Champagne and our development period for the grapes on the vine is that little bit longer.
‘Many producers can make a good wine a certain number of times in 10 years. But one of the things that I’m particularly proud of is the consistency of quality that I’ve managed to bring at Nyetimber. One of the ways I looked to do that was the development of our multi-vintage products; our Classic Cuvee, our Cuvee Chérie Demi Sec and our Rosé multi-vintage wines.
‘In terms of food pairings, if I’m thinking of something quick and easy at home I often turn to something like eggs and asparagus, which is a combination that I’ve had with English sparkling plenty of times.
‘I don’t get any sense of animosity when we travel to Champagne and visit other winemakers. I don’t think they feel threatened because it’s not like they’re not going to continue doing amazing things.’
