Simpsons' Wine Estate Launches Q Class 2020: A Golden Era For English Still Winemaking

Inspired by the international acclaim achieved for their Rabbit Hole Pinot Noir and The Roman Road Chardonnay, the team at Simpsons’ is committed to maintaining outstanding still wine production, always seeking to deliver beyond expectations.

Simpsons' Q Class wines will only be produced in remarkable years, in order to showcase the Simpsons’ hallmark of quality, luxury and finesse. The idyllic 2020 harvest conditions, combined with an outstanding parcel of Chardonnay on the Railway Hill Vineyard site, meant that 2020 was the perfect year to push the boundaries of world class still wine production even further.

The Q Class wines are named after the Q Class engines which traversed the Canterbury to Folkestone light railway in the late 19th and early 20th Century. This light railway passed through the current site of the Simpsons’ Railway Hill Vineyard. These engines were powerful, yet elegant, qualities that the team believes are exemplified in this wine.

Charles Simpson says, “We are delighted to be launching this duo of world-class still wines in magnum format. It has been an incredible journey for Simpsons’ Wine Estate, as our original focus was solely on producing sparkling wines. However, with the quality of the Chardonnay from our first harvest in 2016, The Roman Road Chardonnay was born, and then two years later, the bountiful 2018 vintage made it hard to resist venturing further into still wine production. Simpsons’ Wine Estate will be celebrating its 10^th anniversary next year and we are proud to now be known as one of the leading English still wine producers, both nationally and internationally. The Q Class Magnums will also be available in one of our leading export markets in Norway, where they have already garnered a huge amount of interest. “

Ruth Simpson adds, “As we will only ever produce these wines in exceptional vintages, we wanted to make sure that every detail poured into each stage of their production would add that extra special touch. The labels evoke the rail travel theme, whilst in keeping with our signature Simpsons’ style. Each bottle has been sealed with wax by hand and will arrive in a beautiful presentation box. We look forward to sharing these wines with consumers and the trade, in perfect time for some long-overdue celebrations as we head towards the festive period.”

Q Class 2020 is an extremely limited release, with only 1,000 bottles per wine available exclusively through Simpsons’ Wine Estate, http://www.simpsonswine.com/, and in selected on-trade and retail stockists from 20 November 2021.