An award-winning vineyard near Harrogate has announced the launch of its first ever vintage sparkling wine.
The vintage wine, which is a rich sparkling rosé, is being launched by Yorkshire Heart Vineyard and is produced using Seyval Blanc grapes harvested in 2018.
It is a luxurious pink colour with refreshing summer fruit flavours and notes of raspberry and cherry.
The vintage rosé has been thoughtfully named ‘Kathleen’ in memory of Yorkshire Heart’s chief winemaker, Gillian Spakouskas’ late mother, who passed away in August 2024.
Kathleen was a huge supporter of the vineyard, which is built upon family values, now with three generations of the Spakouskas family working together.
Speaking of the launch of the Kathleen vintage, Gillian Spakouskas, Founder and Chief Winemaker at Yorkshire Heart Vineyard, said:
“We are very proud to be releasing our first ever vintage sparkling wine which has been over four years in the making.
“What makes the release even more special is of course it’s naming, ‘Kathleen’, in honour of my late mother, who was immensely proud of what we have achieved as a family at the vineyard and frequently gave us the well needed reminder to stop working and take a minute to appreciate what we have created!
“We thought that it would be especially fitting to release the wine in time for Mother’s Day, not only as a celebration of what a wonderful mother Kathleen was, but as a reminder to those who have a much-loved mother figure in their lives to stop and celebrate them.”
Renowned wine critic, Tom Gilbey, recently visited the vineyard as part of a filming project which will go behind the scenes of vineyards across the country.
Having been able to sample one of the first bottles of the wine, Tom said:
“I loved it. A glass full of bright pink, bubbly joy.
“Fresh and bursting with red berry fruit it’s a wine that I’d definitely pour another glass of and get straight back on the dance floor!”
The wine underwent an initial 28-month tank lees ageing and then a 20% addition of Pinot Noir was added.
The initial fermentation was followed by a traditional method second fermentation in the bottle, then a 49-month bottle lees ageing process, before being finally de-gorged this month.
Yorkshire Heart’s Kathleen vintage sparking rosé is priced at £55 per bottle and can be purchased online at www.yorkshireheart.com or at the Vineyard’s shop & café.
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