Avalon Chardonnay-Pinot Gris, Gutter & Stars 2023 75cl

Avalon is an unusual and rather joyful thing: a Chardonnay and Pinot Gris blend from an urban winery in a Cambridge flour mill. Gutter & Stars make small-batch English still wine with a genuinely independent spirit.

Chris Wilson founded Gutter & Stars in a converted mill, buying fruit from carefully chosen vineyards across Kent and Essex and vinifying in tiny quantities in the middle of the city. Avalon 2023 brings together Chardonnay for structure and Pinot Gris for aromatic lift, a pairing that plays to the cool English climate's strengths of high acidity and delicate fruit.

Given the cool 2023 growing season and the winery's low-intervention leanings, expect a nose of green apple, pear skin and white blossom, with a subtle textural, leesy note. The palate should be dry and finely balanced, with bright, lemony acidity, a gentle waxy weight from the Pinot Gris and a clean, mineral finish. This is elegant, restrained English white rather than anything showy.

Drink it over the next two or three years while its freshness and fruit are singing. At around £36 you are paying for scarcity and craft rather than a big-name label, but for anyone who wants to taste the new wave of English still wine, this is a characterful bottle.

How to Serve

Serve chilled at 9-11°C in a white wine glass. No decanting needed.

Where to Drink It

Sessions Arts Club in Clerkenwell, for a low-intervention crowd. P. Franco in Clapton, a wine bar built for bottles like this. Top Cuvée in Highbury, for adventurous English pours.

Food Pairings

Roast chicken with tarragon, or a plate of soft cheeses and apple.