Gutter & Stars, Star Guitar Sauvignon Blanc

Star Guitar is made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown at Creeksea Place, close to the River Crouch in Essex. The grapes were hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed before the juice was settled and transferred to old French oak barrels. Fermentation took place slowly over 34 days using Burgundian yeasts, followed by six months ageing on fine lees in neutral ex-Burgundy barrels.

This deliberately unconventional approach brings texture, depth and complexity to the naturally bright character of Sauvignon Blanc without introducing obvious oak flavours.

Production was just 560 bottles.

Gutter& Stars is the tiny Cambridge winery of Chris Wilson, a former music and newspaper journalist who swapped the newsroom for winemaking, studying Viticulture and Oeonology at Plumpton before gaining experience in California, Germany and Sussex.

Chris owns no vineyards, instead sourcing carefully selected fruit from growers he trusts, with much of it coming from Essex. His winery is every bit as individual as the wines: just 33 square metres in the basement of the Grade II listed Chesterton Mill in Cambridge.

Production is tiny and decidedly hands-on, while Chris' background in music still makes itself known through brilliantly designed labels and wine names. The little cellar also hosts regular tastings which have developed a loyal following and frequently sell out.