Breaky Bottom – Peter’s Notes, July 2024

2024 has been a difficult growing season for English and Welsh vineyards. Earlier heavy rains were followed by two weeks of overcast cool weather. Some vineyards have good potential crops while others, including Breaky Bottom, will harvest a more modest crop.

However, the sun has been shining during early August, so fingers crossed!

Cuvée Names for Breaky Bottom Vintages

I am often asked about the Cuvée names I ascribe to each vintage – how and why……

The first sparkling wine I released was in 2000, honouring my dear mother, ‘Millennium Cuvée Maman Mercier’ (her maiden name). It was then I decided that for each subsequent vintage I would choose people close to me who have had a big influence on my life. Each, in their own way, has had a profound effect on me which I still gratefully cherish today.

Every individual is of course a ‘one-off’. Listed on the website under ‘Main Cuvées’ there is a brief description of them. If I was asked for more details of any individual this would run to many paragraphs!

Sir Andrew Davis

Many of you will know of the sad death of the great conductor Sir Andrew Davis. He died on the 20th April this year. From 1988 – 2000 he was the musical director of Glyndebourne Opera. He moved to Rodmell village and declared, as he knocked on my door one cold March morning, that he had become my new ‘nearest neighbour’. My love of music led to long discussions, and we became close friends. I told him of operas we had staged over three years in the winery at Breaky Bottom. After bottling the still wines in early spring, we moved the empty tanks out to make space.

In 2000 he moved to the USA with his famous opera-singing wife, Gianna Rolandi, and their son Edward. He became music director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, conducting nearly 700 operas, including Wagner’s Ring Cycle

A few years ago I sent him an email, what I called my ‘Blast from the Past’, asking him whether he would like me to name a cuvée after him – within 20 minutes the phone rang and he said ‘Yes please!’

[Please pass to Andrew Davis as a private message from Peter Hall]

Dear Andrew,

[Please forgive this ‘blast from the past’]

We met many years ago when you were working at Glyndebourne. You arrived at my door at Breaky Bottom wearing a grey tracksuit, declaring that you were my ‘new neighbour’ – it was cold, so we sat indoors by the Rayburn with mugs of coffee, chatting about the world and particularly of music. I recounted how years before I had staged operas in my winery and had Nigel Kennedy (among others) playing wonderful chamber music to raise funds for the soloists.

You were interested and asked so many supplementary questions………but eventually (I was well brought up!) I whacked you on the knee and said “anyway, what’s your trade” – you responded, “I’m Andrew Davis” and at that same moment I said, “Oh God, you’re Andrew Davis!” I remember my ‘excuse’ was that I only saw the back of the conductor’s head!

Breaky Bottom Opera developed, but when I began planning to stage Beethoven’s Fidelio, I realised that the Sussex Flint Barn – the winery – was not big enough to do Ludwig justice, so with friends I started ‘New Sussex Opera’ which is still flourishing today. We had just staged a production of ‘Peter Grimes’ with young Nick Hytner, which I was telling you about…….I then said to you “Oh heck, you’re doing Grimes at Glyndebourne this year!” Notwithstanding, I went on to describe our NSO as the ‘best production ever’ of Britten’s great work. I told you this because, at the end of our final performance, I noticed an elderly gentleman hovering by the stage apron. The auditorium had cleared. I rushed down to greet him and told him I was aware that he had attended all five evenings of the production. “Young man” he said to me, “I was a personal friend of Ben and I have travelled the world to see his shows – I was present at the first productions of Peter Grimes at Sadler’s Wells and Aldeburgh and I think this one is the best I have ever seen”.

With all the politeness I could muster I responded (cheekily?) ”But I already know this”………….He said ”Why?!”…………”Well sir, during countless rehearsals with music, lighting and staging etc. I sat at the back of the auditorium and felt the presence of Benjamin Britten, his ghost if you like, and he said to me, pointing with great enthusiasm at the stage “That’s what I wanted……..That’s what I have always been looking for!!”

And you were kind enough to arrange for me and my wife to see your Peter Grimes production from the conductor’s box.

Following our first meeting I remember delivering wine to your house and on many occasions enjoying our musical chats, including your affection for Brahms which I share.

I have a particular reason for recounting our meetings, now so long ago. I planted my vineyard back in 1974. In the first twenty years I made still white wines. Then I jumped ship, and for the past twenty-five years I have been making sparkling wines. Each year I give a special cuvée name to the vintage, drawn from family members, friends and others who have been linked with my living at Breaky Bottom. Each cuvée name has a story which intrigues my customers and I often recount the above meeting with you as an important part of my 50 + years at Breaky Bottom.

My question to you is this – would you allow me to name my 2016 vintage ‘Cuvée Sir Andrew Davis’? I can ‘hear’ you saying, “Well what’s the wine like”?

My wines have a very good reputation and are considered, despite the small-scale 6-acres, to be one of the best in the UK. In last year’s Wine GB Awards BB won five Gold Medals. You could visit my website www.breakybottom.co.uk to see more. If you were to consider my request, I would be happy to send you a sample of the wine for you to taste. Meanwhile, if you would give me your address, I could send you sample labels of previous vintages.

I eagerly await your response!

With my very best wishes, Peter

July’s Footnote

I’ve been fumbling through ancient newspaper cuttings collected over the years and discovered an article from the Daily Telegraph when Oz Clarke was selecting trophy-winners for the IWC. Two whole columns about wines of the world, and the last paragraph reads as follows:

“The gold-medal winner that gave me more pleasure than any other was Breaky Bottom Seyval Blanc ’90. This is a delightful wine, ripe, honeyed, but slashed through with a meadow-fresh green acidity. I thought it was from the Loire Valley. Not a bit of it. It’s from the Sussex Downs near Lewes, and it’s made from a grape they’ve banned in the Loire, and that they would like to ban in England. Why can’t these idiotic bureaucrats leave well alone? (About £6.50 from the English Wine Centre 0323 870532, or the Wine Society 0438 741177)”

With all best wishes from the Breaky Bottom Team, Peter & Christina