A short video report on Oz’s visit by Bladesman Productions

*

The first bottles are some time off – but Sark is set to become a player in the wine world. And a preliminary tasting has impressed one of Britain’s best-loved experts, as Nicci Martel reports

BROADCASTER Oz Clarke knows a thing or two about wine. With a World Wine Tasting Champion title in the bag and a career as taster, writer and critic that has spanned two decades, he’s one of the most recognised experts in the UK.

It bodes pretty well for Sark, then, that this famous face has given his backing and a big thumbs-up to the island’s first foray into winemaking.

It’s a brave move, inviting an influential palate such as his to taste the island’s first harvest, but the flamboyant personality, who is a frequent visitor to the Channel Islands, had nothing but praise for Sark’s new venture.

Oz said the experimental blend of Savagnin, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris had a personality of its own, was ‘aromatic and fresh’ and he even pinned down notes of a ‘particular apple’ from Kent.

‘It’s something like a Cox’s Orange Pippin, it’s actually that specific. It’s very aromatic and it oozes ripeness and texture. It has a quite biting acidity, which is what I want. I can see the sea all around me and I want some of that freshness of the sea,’ said Oz, who attracted new fans after appearing alongside Top Gear’s James May in the BBC programme Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventure.

‘If you wanted to make this a base for a sparkling wine, I’m absolutely sure that you could make excellent sparkling wine out of this. I am really looking forward to seeing this in about six months’ time, when it’s had a bit more time to fatten up and calm down.

‘I am delighted to be one of the first people to taste wine from Sark and I bet I won’t be the last – I think Sark has every chance to do something special in the world of wine.’

The plan to put the island on the wine map is not as ambitious as it might have been thought a decade or so ago. British wine – especially sparkling – has been quietly gaining a name for itself. But Britain is no big wine producer, unlike our Gallic neighbour.

So when they embarked on the project little more than two years ago, Sark Estate Management employed experts to do a tremendous amount of research.

Leading the team is St Emilion winemaker Dr Alain Raynaud, one of the original ‘garagistes’ – innovative winemakers from Bordeaux, whose wines have often scored 100 points from influential critic Robert Parker.

Before planting in April 2010, and having looked at extensive samples, he established that Sark soil wouldn’t be suitable for red wine, but that its well-drained soil and temperate weather would make it a good bet for sparkling.

Sark Vineyards has four sites: La Rondellerie, Beauregard, Mon Plaisir and La Jaspellerie. There are more than 30,000 vines and it’s estimated that once fully grown, each will produce one bottle.

Proper bottling won’t start until 2013 for the still white wine and it will be available only in Sark. When there is enough, it will be sold in premium outlets across in the UK.

As for the sparkling wine, that takes a little longer, so won’t be ready until 2014-15 and will also go on sale in Sark first.

The grapes Alain selected to suit Sark’s soil type are Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Abarino, Muller-Thurgau and Savignin, which is most commonly found in France’s Jura region, just north of the Alps.

‘I am very happy to have the opinion of Oz Clarke and for him to discover the first wines of Sark. Savagnin is one of the rarest of grapes and the wines of Sark will be very individual. This is not an easy task, but we like to be complex,’ said Alain.

‘We have state-of-the-art winemaking equipment here at the winery in Sark and exceptional cellar facilities. And as we make the wine in the front room of an old manor house [La Jaspellerie], I call this wine a Vin du Salon.’

When Sark Vineyards starts producing wine on a larger scale, an eco-friendly winery is planned.

‘To have someone of Oz Clarke’s standing come to Sark and express such a positive view about our first wines is testament to the hard work and commitment that Alain and the entire team have put into Sark’s new vineyard region,’ said managing director Kevin Delaney.

‘I am absolutely delighted for them and they should be very proud of themselves.’