5 English Red Wines To Try This Spring

The Marasby take on 5 of the best English red wines to try this spring.

Welcome the return of warmer days and longer evenings with Maraby’s selection of the best British Delicious red wines to try this spring.

There are English Pinot Noirs of course, since this internationally acclaimed red wine grape seems to love our clay soils. Yet the best English reds are not just about Pinot – our selection includes some superb value red blends made from England’s lesser-known grapes – all delicious with seasonal British ingredients.

Pick yourself up a few bottles from this brilliant selection of 5 English red wines to try this spring, grab a glass, and enjoy one of the best seasons of the year the British Delicious way.

1. Oxney Organic Pinot Noir 2020

In our recent English Pinot Noir tasting, our panel members consistently placed Oxney in their top three wines. Why? Because it’s one of East Sussex’s best examples, and with its natural/organic flavour profile, it really stood out from the crowd. 2020 was a fantastic year for English red wines, yet many smaller producers made so little Pinot Noir than much of it is already sold out. Lucky for us that (at the time of writing), Oxney still have a few bottles left – make sure you grab yours.

Taste: Medium bodied, with complex flavours of red berries, spices, dark chocolate, and well-integrated oak character. A distinct aroma of rose petals, and an appealingly natural earthy/farmyard note in the finish.

Buy: £32 Oxney Organic Estate

2. Lyme Bay Pinot Noir 2020

Also one of the most popular wines from our English Pinot Noir tasting, Lyme Bay Winery is based in Devon, but sources the grapes for their Pinot Noir from Crouch Valley, Essex. If you’re not up to speed with Essex, it has some of the best soil and climate in England for growing Pinot Noir, and most of the country’s highest-rated examples come from this small region. It’s not just Marasby that thinks this wine is great – it also picked up Gold Medals at both the International Wine Challenge and IWSC last year.

Taste: Elegant, refined, and complex, with aromas of black cherries, cigar box, and a hint of vanilla. In the mouth it’s rounded and silky, with juicy red berry fruit and a long finish.

Buy: £27.99 Lyme Bay Winery

3. Burn Valley Marsh Red 2021

We loved this super-vibrant, juicy red made from a blend of Regent and Rondo grapes grown on a south-facing vineyard in Norfolk. Aged in old oak barrels that give a silky-softness to the texture of the wine without imparting any ‘oaky’ flavours, this would be perfect served lightly chilled with a spring picnic or an off-sweet pudding.

Taste: Fragrant red berries with a hint of wild hedgerow herbs and spices. As smooth as silk and as long as the day.

Buy: £16.99 Burn Valley Vineyard

4. a’Beckett’s Vineyard Penruddocke’s Pinot Noir 2018

Think it’s hard to get hold of 2020 English Pinot? 2018 is widely considered to be the best-to-date vintage for red wines in England, so we couldn’t believe it when we found this to taste at Bluestone Vineyard, just off the A303. Many vineyards made their first ever red wines in 2018, yet a’Beckett’s had been at it since 2004, and the experience shows. Grab a piece of history before it goes forever.

Taste: Vibrant, fresh and full of red berry fruit, but now intermingled with more mature notes of earthy undergrowth and musky spices. Good for a few years longer, but why wait?

Buy: £22 a’Beckett’s Vineyard

5. Halfpenny Green Penny Red 2021

It’s hard to make great-value, great-tasting red wines in England, yet Staffordshire’s Halfpenny Green Vineyard have pulled off the near-impossible with this Rondo-dominated field blend. Martin Vickers planted his first vines on a sheltered, south-facing slope 30 years ago and is still in charge of viticulture today, while his son Clive takes care of winemaking. A true family business!

Taste: Crunchy, vibrant, red berry fruits are joined by notes of eucalyptus, fennel, and cinnamon. Drink this room temperature with game, or chill and serve with sushi.

Buy: £10.50 Halfpenny Green Vineyard

And finally …

At the time of writing all our English red wines to try this spring are available to buy, but with the increasing interest in English still wines, many sell out quickly – so don’t delay!

England is the world’s most exciting cool-climate wine region, yet 99% of the wine we drink is still imported. Show people that you’re part of the 1% leaning into local, sustainable and delicious English wines with a Marasby limited edition Join The 1% tote bag.