Stanlake Park - Wine Estates

Sparkling Praise for Stanlake Wine

One of the world’s leading experts, Master of Wine Richard Bampfield gave Berkshire finest wines a firm thumbs up. "I’m a big fan of the sparkling and dry white wines and Peter Dart has carefully produced a number of excellent wines here" he said. "I travel all over the world as a master of Wine but it’s wonderful that there is a vineyard like this so close to home".
(Reading Chronicle)

Matthew Jukes, Daily Mail

Ref. STANLAKE PARK

"This is a picturesque property with a shop and vineyard gardens. It makes the full range of wines of which the most famous cuvee is the Regatta named after the Henley Regatta, a dry, fresh white."

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book

Ref. STANLAKE PARK

"...under new ownership. Kings Fume very good. Large range of wines of above-average quality."
(Hugh Johnson)

Oz Clark's Pocket Wine Book

Ref. STANLAKE PARK

"Over the past 20 years this vineyard has produced many stunning wines. The range includes toasty oaky Fumé and fragrant Regatta and Hinton Grove whites; barrel-aged Pino Noir and Ruscombe red; Sparkling Heritage Brut ad Stanlake Park Brut Superior."
(Oz Clark)

Around The Britain With a Fork - Matthew Fort on Cordials and Wine in Berkshire

"Refreshing in a slightly different way are the wines from the Stanlake Park Wine Estate a few miles away. The first vines were planted here in 1979, and now there are 25 acres of them, with such names as ehrenfelser, madeleine angevine and reichensteiner, as well as chardonnay, pinot noir and gamay.

Stanlake is the demesne of Peter Dart, who is a marketing wiz when he is not overseeing production and sales. "To be honest, this is not a money-spinner," he says, "but ..." His eyes gleam with pride and he outlines how he sees the estate developing: a cheese shop here, a restaurant there, more vines, more wines.

Dart knows what he has taken on. Wine production in Britain is an uncertain business, hampered by the weather, the snobbery of consumers to the home-grown product and the fact that native wine producers are penalised with the same taxes as imported wines, which isn't exactly fair. Luckily, Dart has the energy and vision of a convert. His main problem is that he doesn't have enough wine.

Stanlake has more awards than you can shake a stick at, and 80% of the estate's production - three whites, two reds, two sparkling and a rosé - is sold through the estate shop and the rest through local Waitrose stores, restaurants and off-licences. This year's harvest is already being heralded as potentially one of the finest of recent years, thanks to the exceptional summer. If Peter Dart has anything to do with it, British wine's time has come. "

For the full article, click the following link: Around The Britain With a Fork - Matthew Fort on Cordials and Wine in Berkshire
(Matthew Fort, The Guardian)