Halfpenny Green Pinot Noir
An earthy English red wine from Staffordshire.
English wine is very much on the rise, and it’s a category that continues to get more interesting each year. While the South of England is often the focus when it comes to English vineyards, there are plenty of producers further north that are building their own impressive portfolios.
One of those is Halfpenny Green, a Midlands-based estate showing that serious wine production isn’t limited to the South of England. With a new winemaker, Elena Bari, recently joining the team, it feels like a winery very much in a period of evolution.
About Halfpenny Green Wine Estate
Based in South Staffordshire and established in 2005, Halfpenny Green Wine Estate is now one of the larger vineyards in the UK, at around 30 acres. The site was originally developed by farmer Martin Vickers, who set out with the ambition of creating a vineyard that could eventually stand alongside more established continental regions. Today, the estate is run by his son Clive.
The vineyard is planted with 16 different grape varieties, including Chardonnay, Bacchus and Pinot Noir, with wines produced across still, sparkling and rosé styles under the Halfpenny Green name. Alongside its own production, the estate also supplies grapes to a number of other UK vineyards, spanning multiple counties across the country.
It’s also more than just a working vineyard, with a restaurant, deli and shop on site, making it a destination as well as a producer.
Halfpenny Green Wine Estate Pinot Noir 2022
Among the wines in the core range, the 2022 Pinot Noir stood out immediately. It was also the first English Pinot Noir I’d tried, which made it a natural place to start, given it’s one of my favourite grape varieties.
In the glass, it’s a light ruby red, fading slightly at the edges. On the nose, there are aromas of red cherry and strawberry, alongside a more earthy, slightly herbal character that sits underneath. At first, the fruit feels more restrained, with earthier notes taking the lead before the red fruit opens up more over time.
On the palate, it’s light-bodied with fresh acidity and gentle tannins, in line with what you’d expect from Pinot Noir. Again, the earthy character comes through first, followed by red cherry, blackcurrant and a subtle peppery spice as it develops in the glass. With a bit of time, the fruit becomes more expressive, giving the wine a softer, more rounded feel overall.
With Elena Bari now part of the winemaking team, bringing international experience from France, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and the US, it will be interesting to see how the estate continues to evolve in the years ahead.
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