News

Napa winery director to plant Sauvignon in the Cotswolds

09 March 2023 By Patrick Schmitt

Global sales director for Napa’s Staglin Family Wines, Amber Mihna is planting vines in the Cotswolds to make English fizz and still Sauvignon Blanc – and she tells db why she’s chosen British soil for her first vineyard.

36 local sheep eat the weeds in the Horseshoe Hills vineyard at Fossebridge House in the Cotswolds

Mihna, who worked for Napa Valley Vintners before her current role at top Napa estate, Staglin, fell in love with the Cotswolds countryside during the pandemic, having toured it with her UK-born partner, Phil Robertson.

She explained, “We have a Covid story as most do: Phil had to return to the UK after living in the US after Covid started. The US put the international travel ban on and I had to start coming over to the UK. After a couple of months of staying in different Airbnbs all over England, we stayed in the Cotswolds, fell in love with it, found a property unexpectedly with land, bought it and started working on the soil immediately.”

Continuing, she said of the place, which is called Fossebridge House, “We planted one year after purchase and now intend on staying and being a part of the WineGB family.”

She added, “It’s risky and so much work, but it’s ours.”

While Mihna planted 3,600 vines of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in May last year, she plans to put more plants in the ground this spring at the property, which is in the Coln Valley, near Northleach.

Among these will be “a little more Chardonnay”, along with Pinot Meunier, and, notably, Sauvignon Blanc.

It’s the latter that may come as a surprise, as it’s an unusual addition to the average English vineyard, which tends to be planted with ‘Champagne grapes’ Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, sometimes Meunier too, all chosen specifically for making traditional method sparkling wine.

The Sauvignon Blanc, however, is for making a still, dry wine – and Mihna also hopes to make a Chardonnay and Pinot-based rosé in the future.

So why did Mihna choose Sauvignon Blanc? Primarily because of a db competition held late last year that has shone a light on the quality potential of this grape from the Cotswolds.

“The reason we are planting Sauvignon is because we tried one from Woodchester Valley Vineyards, and thought it was good, and then it won an award, and I thought, ‘yes’,” recalled the Staglin sales director, referring to this nearby Cotswolds estate, which won the ultimate accolade of Master in the 2022 Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters.

When pitched against a set of fine Sauvignon Blancs from around the world, including samples from Sancerre, Sonoma and Marlborough in the £20-£30 category, the judges, who assessed the wines blind, gave the highest overall marks to the wine from the Cotswolds (and you can read a tasting note at the bottom of this article).

Following the win at the competition, which was conducted by db in November in London, the national press picked up on the momentous result, and Woodchester became the centre of media attention for several weeks, having sold out of the Sauvignon Blanc within hours of the award making headline news.

Mihna’s wine estate, which is yet to be named, has similar conditions to Woodchester, with a setting that should favour producing fine Sauvignon Blanc – a grape that likes cool climates and alkaline soils.

Woodchester has free-draining sunny, south-facing slopes with, importantly, a high proportion of limestone in the soils, mixed with fertile clay – a combination that’s considered ideal for vines, and the make-up found in the top vineyards of Sancerre, the French region where pure Sauvignon Blanc is thought to reach its greatest expression.

As for Mihna’s land near Northleach, she said, “We have south-facing slopes with limestone soils, and the river [Coln] is right below, which reduces the risk of frost.”

“It’s also beautiful,” she added.

A view from the top of the hill looking down over the vineyard in Fossebridge

According to the Stroud Times, Woodchester Valley founder and owner, Fiona Shiner, took a leap into the unknown when planting Sauvignon Blanc vines on a steep, south-facing limestone slope on the edge of the Cotswolds at Stonehouse, formerly ‘Stanhaus’ where there is mention of vineyards in the Domesday Book.

Fiona told the local publication: “It’s a phenomenal result for us. Eyebrows were raised in 2015 when I planted Sauvignon Blanc in the Cotswolds… nearly eight years later to have our Sauvignon Blanc wine judged one of the finest in the world and by such a prestigious panel of judges – it really doesn’t get much better than that! From the first taste of the juice from the 2021 harvest we were excited about its potential and are immensely proud of winning this award. We hope this highlights that England can produce great quality still wines as well as sparkling.”

As for Mihna’s project, the Staglin employee is not only working with wine grapes, and is running the property as a biodiverse productive estate that’s managed according to organic principles.

“We also have our own garden, fruit trees, and bees are coming soon,” she recorded, adding, “We grow mustard, which helps put nitrates back in the soil and I also dry the seeds and grind my own mustard.”

Looking back, she told db that the couple “grew 450 pumpkins last year and sold them to local farm shops, including the well-known Diddly Squat Farm Shop and Upton Smokery.”

Meanwhile, she is managing weeds in the new plantations using sheep, and said, “we have done everything ourselves with help from a local friend, Brian Brazington, in the agricultural business and are doing trellising soon.”

As for why Mihna is making wine in the UK and not the US, she said, “It has been a dream of mine since my early 20’s to plant my own vineyard. Growing up in a farming community, I’ve always loved farming. I started in the hospitality business in my teens and the wine business at 21. Napa Valley is my ‘home’ but it is unattainable as land is so expensive.”

The first day of planting: Mihna is wearing her Buehler Vineyards Napa Valley shirt, which was the first winery she went to 23 years ago, and where she lived for her first five months in Napa. Mihna is holding a Chardonnay vines passport from France

England produces a tiny amount of Sauvignon Blanc – but it’s beating the rest of the world

This is what Sauvignon Blanc Masters judge Siobhan Turner MW said about Woodchester Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2021:
“This is a perfect example of why we taste blind – partly to leave any preconceptions behind us, and partly for the absolute joy of surprise when something unexpected turns out to be wonderful. And this wine was, indeed, wonderful. It starts with an intense gooseberry nose, building to reveal undertones of ripe lemon. On the palate there is bright, taut acidity and a juicy mouthfeel. Very well balanced, there’s just a hint of sweetness on the finish, which is long and textured. A very engaging wine, perfect for matching with asparagus or goat’s cheese.”

Producer: Woodchester Valley
Region: Gloucestershire
Country: England
Vintage: 2021
Approx. retail price: £21.95