Tillingham, Qvevri White 2020

Bacchus grapes (conventionally grown) were crushed and destemmed and after a short maceration pressed to Qvevri (2 x 400l Qvevri). After 6 months in Qvevri the wines were pumped out to stainless steel tanks. The pinot blanc (grown under low input/lutte raisonnée principles) was whole bunch pressed and transferred to one large (800l) Qvevri, a long, slow ferment that
is typical of the pinot blanc from this vineyard took until Christmas, then after 6 months it was pumped out to stainless steel. The two wines were then blended together and transferred to foudre for a couple of months. Racked and bottled by gravity with a small sulphur addition.

Tillingham is set amongst 70 acres of rolling hills and woodlands with far reaching views along the Tillingham River valley and across to the fortified, hill top town of Rye, East Sussex, to the sea and the Romney salt marshes beyond. The philosophy at Tillingham would be best summarised as progressive: incorporating what we know of the best scientific and technological knowledge available to us, whilst championing ancient traditions and best practice learnt from millennia of farming and winemaking. At Tillingham they are committed to farming in a diverse, poly-cultural way, they believe this is not only a highly sustainable approach, but in conjunction with biodynamics, aims to restore soils to an optimum level of organic matter and microbial and wider ecological diversity.