Visiting Sugrue South Downs - Richard Brendon

Richard Q: How did Sugrue South Downs begin?

Dermot A: Well 20 years ago I had a fantastic job in the English wine industry. I wanted to start my own project so I planted a small little vineyard, a place called Starrington Priory Vineyard, in 2006. 2009 was the first vintage; we called it "The Trouble with Dreams" and that's the wine that I've been making pretty much for the last two decades. I wanted Sugrue South Downs to be specifically about chalk and Chardonnay on chalk. I wanted that kind of drive and precision that you get from Chardonnay on chalk. We have this unbelievable natural resource in the south of England, the South Downs National Park, which is characterised by this remarkable rock. I was most inspired when I was working in Champagne by the Chardonnay wines grown in the Côtes du Blanc and that's really the kind of model that I wanted to aspire to in England. That's what "The Trouble with Dreams" is: it's a Chardonnay-led wine with some Pinot Noir giving some structure and some support but it's really about the picture that Chardonnay plays on chalk in England.

Richard Q: Tell us about your wine named Bonkers?

Dermot A: Yes, this is Bonkers — or, to give it its full title, Bonkers Zombie Robot Alien Monsters from the Future Ate My Brain (sur lie).

The first release of Bonkers was based on the 2022 vintage, which was exceptionally warm. We decided to start a Solera system, so we blended the 2022 and 2023 vintages and released it as a multi-vintage Solera wine, all aged in barrels here on the estate.

The wine was incredibly successful, and this is the follow-up release: Bonkers Version Two. It incorporates the Solera along with components from the 2022, 2023, and 2024 vintages. So there’s always a memory from those earlier vintages in the wines.

Richard Q: Where else in the world did you make wine before starting in the UK?

Dermot A: Bordeaux was my principal introduction to professional winemaking. After that, I came back to England and realised that a revolution in English winemaking was taking place.

I wanted to be part of it because I could see the quality of what we were capable of producing here, and I thought it was sensational.

Once you plant vineyards, you become rooted to the spot. That's why I'm now rooted to the South Downs.

Richard Q: How is climate change affecting the wine you're producing?

Dermot A: It's been dramatic. Vines, and the way they ripen, are a very accurate barometer of climate change and temperature shifts.

In recent decades, almost every year has been warmer than the last, and I'd suggest that this trend has accelerated significantly over the past decade.

Richard Q: Are you worried climate change is progressing so quickly that it could eventually become too warm for wine production, or do you think there's still a long period before that happens?

Dermot A: I think we still have a lengthy period of time before that becomes a concern.

The key is adaptation. Viticulture needs to evolve and adapt to cope with warmer temperatures. Winemaking itself is less affected; it's really vineyard management and viticulture that are critical.

Richard Q: Can you run us through the process of making your sparkling wine, from the vineyard to the bottle?

Dermot A: The vineyard year generally starts in January and is focused on vineyard management during the first few months.

In June and July, we see flowering, fruit set, and the formation of the berries. August, September, and October are the key ripening months, when the berries accumulate sugar, acidity falls, and flavours develop.

We harvest the grapes by hand and then load them into the press. The juice is extracted very slowly and gently over a long period. This careful handling is essential for producing fine sparkling wine.

What distinguishes Sugrue from many other UK sparkling wine producers is our extensive use of barrels. Many of our base wines are fermented and aged in a variety of barrels to build complexity and texture.

Around June or July following harvest, we bottle the wine and then largely forget about it. Our wines are typically aged in the cellar for four, five, six, or even eight, ten, or twelve years before release.

Richard Q: We have the Jancis Robinson Universal Wine Glass here. What do you particularly like about using this glass?

Dermot A: It's an incredibly versatile wine glass and the one I use at home for almost everything.

I especially enjoy using it for sparkling wine. The large bowl provides a generous surface area, helping the wine express itself fully. The nucleation point is also fantastic because it creates a beautiful stream of very fine bubbles.

We spend a great deal of time and effort creating those bubbles in the wine, so being able to enjoy them properly in the glass is wonderful.

Dermot Q: When you're developing new glasses, such as the Burgundy glass, what are you thinking about?

Richard A: We've introduced three new glasses: Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne.

The motivation was partly the ritual surrounding wine. When people open a particularly special bottle, they often enjoy using a different style of glass to enhance the experience.

The Burgundy glass has a more generous bowl, which helps open up the wine and release its aromas. It's a beautiful shape and feels quite opulent.

It's really about creating a sense of occasion. The Universal Glass works brilliantly for everything and remains my favourite everyday glass. But when I'm opening something truly special, I enjoy reaching for the Burgundy glass, and that's why we developed these additional designs.

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