With climate change, vines are acclimatizing across the Channel. They have also found a home on the lawns of the first British Michelin star to attempt wine production: Michael Caines at Lympstone Manor in Devon County.
The news
The chef/restaurateur with a vegetable garden is nothing new here in Italy, nor is the one with a vineyard. Just think of Niko Romito, Maurizio Menichetti and Lucio Pompili, who planted their own vines many years ago. Instead, it is news that someone is attempting the feat across the Channel, where the plant has rarely ventured. We're talking about Michael Caines, chef at Lympstone Manor, the first British Michelin-starred to make his own wine.
It all started in 2015. Caines was coming from 19 years spent at Gidleigh Park, without gaining the corporate involvement to which he aspired. Hence the irrevocable decision to look around to create something of his own, and the thunderbolt at Lympstone Manor (then called Courtlands Mansion), immediately recognized as the place of destiny because of the extraordinary location on the mouth of the Exe, the woodland and English lawn, promptly purchased by seeking funds. "I always remember my time at Quat'Saisons with great fondness. What Raymond Blanc accomplished really inspired me. I don't think I would have harbored the desire to make a country hotel if I hadn't worked there," the chef told cluboenologique.com.
From the first moment, the idea was to produce wine there. "The location takes your breath away; there is nothing comparable. When I arrived, I thought: we are facing south and I know the microclimate of Exmouth, because I have spent my whole life there. I said to myself, I'm going to plant a vineyard. And that's what happened." The first planting took place in 2018, and today there are 11 hectares of vines, the fruits of which are vinified with the help of Lyme Bay Winery, which from the very beginning confirmed the chef's intuitions: this was one of the most vocated spots in the country, thanks to the early springs, long summers, and temperatures mitigated by the nearby forest and river.
Chapter grape varieties, the choice fell on 50% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier, as in Champagne. So much so that on the table already comes the Lympstone Manor Estate Classic Cuvée, which spends three years on the lees. Then there's rosé, modeled after the Provençal Whispering Angel, pinot noir and still chardonnay, when the hot year advises against making sparkling wine. We're talking small numbers (for pinot noir 2020, 2200 bottles, while chardonnay 2022 totaled just 559), up to a maximum of 21 thousand bottles, sold at the restaurant or on the winery website.
It would not be difficult, Caines claims, to buy Sussex grapes and label them as one's own, but it would mean derogating from the value of integrity, which is fundamental to English wine, especially as it involves giving a new sense of place by pairing the drink with the best local produce, such as seafood and lamb. "Raymond Blanc started the vogue for the kitchen garden. It provides a distinction, but also a provenance, creating a direct connection between the place of origin of the product and its showcase. I never felt the need to grow acres upon acres of vegetables, because I thought planting a vineyard was something unique and was the future."
