Picture a vineyard set in the English countryside. Then picture drinking a glass of wine made in that very vineyard whilst soaking in your own private hot tub underneath a starry night sky.
This is just one of the experiences on offer at Oastbrook Wine Estate in East Sussex. Situated on the Kent/Sussex border, a stone’s throw from Bodiam Castle, it’s the perfect escape for anyone looking to immerse themselves in England’s flourishing wine scene, right in the heart of Wine Country itself.
My first visit to the estate back in 2019 put me in touch with America and Nick Brewer, a convivial couple whose warmth and humour are at the heart of Oastbrook’s activities. As the owners of the estate, they are involved in everything from the planting and winemaking to organising vineyard tours, wedding receptions and overnight stays (in a luxurious Hobbit House no less).
They certainly have their hands full and so I was grateful to catch up with them virtually whilst sampling some of their award-winning wines, including the Oastbrook Sparkling Rose 2015 brimming with ripe red fruit flavours and the Oastbrook Sussex Pinot Gris 2018 which boasts elegant minerality and a balanced finish.
Speaking with America and Nick, I was struck by their technical expertise and know-how, as well as their ambitions for the estate and for English wine in general.
Here is an extract from our conversation (the full version will be uploaded to my YouTube account next month) where we discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on their business, the power of technology to enlighten and unite and the exciting possibilities for English wine in the future.
Would you mind introducing yourselves in a couple of sentences?
America: Hi, I’m America. I am the vineyard owner and winemaker at Oastbrook Estate.
Nick: I’m Nick Brewer. I spend less time in the vineyard and more time making the wine and getting involved in the business side too.
Describe the moment you both decided to start your own wine brand.
N: That was an interesting proposition because actually we came back from Hong Kong in 2013 and decided to buy a farm. We had sheep, we turned the farm organic and it was about a year after that we decided we were going to plant a vineyard and make wine.
A: I was studying at Plumpton College and we found out that we have the same weather Champagne had 20 years ago. Then we found out that the field we had used to belong to Guinness and that they used to grow their hops there. The soil was amazing and so I decided to study viticulture and oenology at Plumpton College and we decided to plant the vineyard.
Why did you choose to have a vineyard in England and not anywhere else?
N: We could have chosen other places but it just seemed so exciting to be doing it at this point in time in the evolution of the English wine business. It’s almost the new frontier in wine and for us that was really exciting.
If you could be the owner of another vineyard anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A: I wouldn’t choose any other place. As Nick said, we planted the vineyard when English wine really started to grow. Not only that but England is beautiful. I’m from Brazil and when I see green all the time, I love it.
N: I would actually choose the south of Brazil and the reason for that is again I think it’s a new frontier in wine. So I agree with America but my second place would be the south of Brazil. I love Brazil and I love Brazilians. If I said otherwise, I’d be in real trouble!
What kind of impact has COVID-19 had on your vineyard and wines?
N: We noticed a downturn in on-trade because obviously a lot of the bars and clubs and restaurants weren’t open for a period of time or their trade was reduced. But we’ve seen a pick-up in some areas. Some particular bars or restaurants have been doing very well so we’ve been sending a lot of wine to them. And then our online sales have also improved. So it’s a mix.
A: I always try to find something positive in anything negative that happens. Although there is a big impact because of coronavirus, it also opened the door for people to actually come and get to know the English countryside. Then they start to enjoy the wine and see that we can make very good products.
What is the top challenge you face as owners of an English wine brand?
N: Selling wine is a tough thing. We try to get as many people as we possibly can to Oastbrook to show them what we can do and what it means for our brand. But really, establishing boutique brands is hard because you have a lower budget and you need to use the limited resources you have to promote yourself as best you can. It’s always a challenge selling wine into a market where there are lots of brands.
A: Basically, we try to sell the experience. When you go to a supermarket, you buy a bottle of wine and you forget about the wine. When you come to a vineyard, then you actually get to know where and how it is made. You get to know the owner, the producer, all the problems that we have or don’t have. You have something to remember.
Technology is such an important part of everybody’s life. As a vineyard owner, what technology do you need in place?
N: The technology we use most is weather related. We have a series of weather stations around the vineyard at various different heights so we can see what’s happening. It helps us understand how many daylight hours we’ve got, how many sunlight hours, the wind direction, the wind speed, all this kind of stuff.
And then I guess there’s all the technology on the social media side of things as well?
A: Oh, definitely. With social media we can not only tell them about us but we can get any information we need. If there’s something that I’m not sure about I Zoom call my friend in Australia and that facilitates a lot.
N: We’re very lucky that we’ve just got fibre optic broadband into the vineyard so we’re actually able now to have virtual weddings that we can livestream to people all over the world. You can have the same menu, the same wine and you can experience it without actually having to fly.
A: We also have a lot of online wine tastings so people that can’t come to our place can still feel the experience. We can show them the vineyard and I think this is very important actually.
What is the most awkward wine moment you have ever had?
N: I was at a wine tasting up in London and someone came up to me very earnestly and asked me to try this wine. I put it in my mouth and it was really awful. All I was thinking was, how am I going to get this wine out of my mouth? I was desperately searching for a spittoon and then I had to smile and actually tell them that yes, it was perhaps not my most preferred wine but it had some merits.
A: Basically, I love wine but I didn’t know that some wine can actually affect me in different ways. So there I was in a restaurant with Nick and I started to drink a wine [in this case a Merlot] that just made me so emotional. I started to shout at him.
N: So what happens now is America never has Merlot with me. If I drink Merlot I drink it on my own or with friends, never with America.
A: It’s a shame. I love Merlot!
Has your opinion on English wine changed since you first started your vineyard?
N: Yeah, definitely. I think we started off initially with the view that we were probably going to be producing a lot of sparkling wine. But we kept our options open and I’m glad we did because I think the frontier now is in English still wine. There are some pretty good English white still wines – our pinot gris included – but I think red wine is going to be quite interesting as well. We like experimenting and really trying to make a difference so that’s the bit that really excites us.
Do you feel any pressure with new English wine producers popping up?
N: No, not really. What we’re looking for is innovation so if you have new producers who are able to innovate with new ideas, that keeps us on our toes. But it’s a new and emerging industry and so it’s inevitable that people are going to come in. I think we need to embrace that change.
A: It’s like in anything, if you have just one person do one thing you cannot complain, you cannot do something better. But when you have competitors you try to make it the best you can. It’s a challenge every time but I quite like the challenge.
What is the most memorable place you have drunk your own wine?
N: I think it was in Hong Kong in the Grand Hyatt Hotel. We bumped into Miss Hong Kong in the lobby and of course my wife went over to talk to her and said, “You must try my wine!” And then she did and we had our own impromptu party in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt.
A: When I first open a bottle and I’m walking in the vineyard, I just love it. It brings me back to the first grapes that I ever tasted which was at my childhood home in Brazil. I used to climb up to the windows to steal the grapes from my mother’s vine. No-one ever had a grape there because I was eating them while they were still green.
Does most of your business come from international countries or from domestic demands?
N: It’s primary domestic. We think there are some markets that look really attractive to us but we’re focusing on the UK because it’s easier for us to look at that market and we have a greater understanding of it. But over time, as our volume starts increasing, we will definitely be exporting.
A: The English industry has a long way to go in terms of getting people to understand more of what’s going on inside it. I have had visitors here in the vineyard that didn’t even know that England produces wine. So I think what Nick said is absolutely right but I do think that we should focus as well on getting people to understand more about the fact that we can produce very good and outstanding wine.
Do you think that England has the potential of becoming an international destination for wine tourism?
N: Yes, I definitely think it does. I think it’s beginning to happen. The most important thing is the domestic market, it needs to evolve first. I think within 11 years we should be there but we probably need to get our skates on and work collegiately as vineyards together to create environments so people have that feeling that they can come here as a destination for the whole holiday. Which is what you would do if you went over on a wine trip to the Cape, for example.
If you could choose one person each – dead or alive – to spend a nice evening with drinking Oastbrook wine, who would it be?
N: For me I think it would have to be Nelson Mandela. His ability to forgive, be constructive and move on is inspirational. I would love to have a glass of pinot gris with him.
A: I could share a bottle with Margaret Thatcher because I think that she is such a strong woman and that is so inspiring. I would love to have the chance to sit down with her, with a glass of my wine in her hand, enjoying English wine in England.
N: I think she liked gin and tonic.
A: She would change her mind!
What is the most unusual thing you have ever done in a vineyard?
N: I landed a helicopter in the vineyard. America wasn’t happy because she was worried about her vines. She was yelling and I couldn’t hear her because the helicopter was too loud.
A: Not only that, he destroyed all my roses. My roses just went everywhere.
Would you say it’s a safer choice to focus on just making sparkling wine like the majority of English wine labels do instead of making both English still and sparkling like you do?
A: The thing is still wine is even more weather dependant than sparkling wine. For sparkling you need acidity and water whereas for still wine you need a very good degree of sun exposure. So if the weather is good what we try to do here is to get the clone, for example, a Burgundy clone or a Champagne clone, to make a top end still wine. If the weather is not good then it’s safe to make a sparkling wine but if the weather is good why not make the best pinot noir in the country? Or in the world, even?
If you could own any wine brand in the world, which one would it be?
N: I love Burgundy white wines particularly Montrachet so for me I think it would have to be Olivier Leflaive.
A: I would go to Chateau Margaux. I love their wine.
Except if there’s too much merlot.
A: Yeah, but I love merlot. It doesn’t matter that I can’t drink it without Nick.
N: She can drink it with anyone else but me. So when she takes over Chateau Margaux, I just can’t come.
Can you each share with me a quote which inspires you every day?
N: There’s one quote from Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ which I think for me describes the life that we’re trying to create here, which is: “And this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.”
A: I’m a farmer so I’m more simple. My mum used to say, “Wake up early in the morning so you can enjoy the day.” That’s me. What inspires me every morning is to wake up and realise that I can breathe, that I’m alive and I’m happy to be alive. I’m just happy to learn more and put a smile of everyone’s faces.
Components: 100% Pinot Gris
Price: £18
Nose: Peach, nectarine, honey, elderflower
America says: “This wine has aromas of stone fruits and a very rich aftertaste of honeysuckle. It is an acidic wine but because it’s very well balanced you get that viscosity that breaks up the acidity and makes it smooth and soft on your palate.”
Blend: Pinot Noir 50%, Chardonnay 30%, Pinot Meunier 20%
Price: £38
Nose: Forest fruits, strawberries and brioche
Nick says: “It is intensely red fruits so loads of strawberries on the nose. It had a really delicious palate and a lovely finish which I always describe as shortcake. Good balance of acidity and sugar.”
With St Valentine's day approaching very fast, I would say that their Pink bubbly would be the perfect treat to celebrate love.
You can get a 15 % discount on any Sparkling and mixed cases with the Discount Code : sparklingsophie through here -
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