SAVOUR & SIP
Everyone is so welcoming and wants to support development constantly need to check how the mould is growing on rice. If you make one mistake, there’s no saving that batch.” Rice is another must. “There used to be the big Dojima rice market of the Edo period, which is said to be the world’s first commodity futures market,” Kumiko continues. “Rice is still the staple food of Japanese people, but used to be more revered. When samurai achieved something in battle, they would be rewarded with a piece of land measured in a unit called koku – describing how much rice that land would yield. “Traditionally, in my family, we like sake that’s umami-rich and not too dry,” Kumiko says. “You can design sake by polishing away the outer layers of rice. The more you get rid of the outer layers, the lighter the taste. In sake rice, there is starch in the centre. Protein, fat and other minerals are in outer layers.” While the Hashimoto family hopes to make sake as ubiquitous worldwide as Japanese whisky, Chris Wilson at Gutter & Stars is working on a much smaller scale – from the basement in the old Chesterton Mill. Experimenting with products such as orange wine since getting started in 2020, Gutter & Stars has already become a fixture of Cambridge restaurants. “There have always been more wine merchants here than I could understand,” Chris muses. “The appetite for good-quality wine is clearly here.” Spotting an unmet demand, he amalgamated equipment including a basket press, German flotation egg and barrels. “There’s no fining or filtering, so I’m not putting anything in
SOMETHING’S BREWING It’s an exciting time for winemaking, from Dojima (above) to Warden Abbey (left) and Coopers Croft (bottom left)
Encouraging insects as natural pesticides, taking pride in the diversity of bird species and planting thousands of trees in partnership with Creating Nature’s Corridors, the environment is key. A number of studies on biodiversity and wellbeing are being carried out on-site. Others have been finding that getting green-fingered can fuel communities. Warden Abbey Vineyard, which was of medieval, monastic origin, runs wellbeing activities to support those with brain injuries or learning difficulties, rough sleepers and ex-offenders. Over at Coopers Croft in Newmarket, WineGB East deputy chair Nick started growing after a local vineyard gifted him two vines. “It’s an incredible community,” he says. “Everybody is so welcoming and wants to support the development of this somewhat new sector. In East Anglia alone, we have seen an increase in planting of over 400% in the last four years.” With vineyards like La Leghe tipped to open in 2023, there is no doubt that Cambridgeshire’s wine scene will continue to grow.
the wine to remove particles,” Chris says. “Historically, you would have used things like gelatine and isinglass, which are not vegan-friendly.” NO SOUR GRAPES Keeping sustainability in mind, Chris collaborates with Pastore Brewing to donate all wineskins to be transformed into beer. It’s something also at the fore for Saffron Grange: “Frosts are coming later now with climate change, because everything is starting earlier, which means from a budding perspective, they’re more susceptible to later frosts,” Nick says. “Not just locally, but globally, rules feel like they are going to have to be rewritten. What were traditionally wine- growing regions might get too hot; we’re seeing new areas like ourselves, Scotland and even Norway making vineyards. That growing threshold is changing and everyone’s having to adapt.” For most vineyards, minimal intervention is what growers strive for, but Saffron Grange turns this up a notch.
50 SEPTEMBER 2022 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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