Gutter&Stars 'Rage Against the Dying of the Light' Rosé 2022

Made from a blend of Bacchus and Pinot Noir grapes, this unique English wine is bright in colour and flavour. Perky and refreshing it's shot through with notes of red berries and aromatic pink grapefruit.

An experimental wine in every sense, it was made up bringing together two live fermentations; Bacchus grown at Yew Tree Vineyard in Oxfordshire and Pinot Noir from Brenley Farm in Kent.

The wine completed fermentation in barrel, where it matured for almost five months before bottling. This time in barrel helped develop a little texture and bite in the wine, while retaining the bright red fruit and citrus-licked acidity.

The perfect spring/summer serve.

Press Review: "A vibrant nose of juicy strawberry, pear drop, watermelon and hints of floral and spice. Similarly diverse on the palate, this leads with a fusion of ripe strawberry, lime and fleshy melon. There’s a richness to the red fruit here, which contrasts with the zesty, grassy and floral character of Bacchus. While fruit-forward, this has got a certain structure and complexity that continues to make it stand out." - John Mobbs, Great British Wine

Gutter&Stars is Cambridge’s first winery. Winemaker and founder Chris Wilson has wanted to start his own winemaking business for some time, and in 2017 he began the search for the perfect site for a small-scale urban winery in Cambridge, the city he’s lived in with his family since 2013.

In 2020 a golden opportunity came up to house the winery in the basement of a Grade II-listed windmill less than a mile from the city centre, and work began turning this octagonal cave into the city’s first winemaking facility. The winery is housed in the mill’s basement. It’s the perfect spot in some ways (a 15°C ambient temperature, a good drainage system, bags of character) and challenging in others (low ceiling height, single phrase power, narrow-ish door). It’s these challenges that Chris is looking forward to overcoming during his winemaking adventure; and he’s sure they will shape the wine he makes in many ways.

The space itself is bijou (just 33m2) but it is big enough for a rack of ex-Burgundy barrels, a handful of tanks - including a natty egg-shaped fermenter from Germany - and all the equipment and fittings needed to make quality wine.