Norwich: Gyre & Gimble create Pinot Noir gin with vineyards

The Pinot Noir gin has been brought to life by Gyre and Gimble with £1,000 of funding from Norwich Business Improvement District (Bid).

The product is made with sustainable practices using discarded grape skins by the award-winning distillery in the heart of Norwich.

Gyre and Gimble's Pinot Noir gin (Image: Gyre and Gimble)

Gyre and Gimble, which is located in Charing Cross and the Royal Arcade, strives to produce industry firsts while remaining environmentally conscious.

The Pinot Noir gin is created using principles from the circular economy which involves sharing, reusing and recycling existing materials to mitigate the environmental impact - using the residue pomace from grape skins picked and pressed in Norfolk.

Craig Allison and Rory Smith, co-owners of Gyre and Gimble (Image: Gyre and Gimble)

The Norwich-based company has teamed up with Flint Vineyard in Bungay, Burn Valley Vineyard outside Burnham Market and Cobble Hill vineyard between Burnham Market and Hunstanton to use their grape skins which would usually go to waste.

The Pinot Noir gin is bottled at 40pc ABV in a bottle made from 95pc recycled glass - which weighs half the amount of a normal spirit bottle to reduce the carbon footprint of materials and distribution.

Flint Vineyard directors Hannah Witchell, Adrian Hipwell and Ben Witchell on their vineyard in Earsham, just outside Bungay (Image: Danielle Booden)

The development of the gin was supported by funding from Norwich Bid as part of its investment effort to champion upcycling among small and medium-sized enterprises.

Gyre and Gimble co-founder Craig Allison said: "This newest creation from the Gyre and Gimble team aims to champion our sustainable ethos.

"We have reduced our carbon footprint with paper labels and wooden cork stoppers to minimise single-use plastics.

Gyre and Gimble's Pinot Noir gin (Image: Gyre and Gimble)

"Limited to only a few thousand bottles, our 2022 vintage is dependent on the amount of pomace we have access to.

"With some forward thinking, we can look to increase this volume significantly by next October when the next batch is available."

Distiller Rory Smith explained how the gin has notes of stone fruits and raisins.

The 2021 grape harvest at the Cobble Hill vineyard near Burnham Market (Image: Andrew Waddison /AW PR)

"The Pinot Noir gin is infused to create a bold, subtly spicy flavour with a vermouth character and port-esque finish," he said.

"It pairs beautifully with Mediterranean tonic water on ice or as the base gin in a negroni garnished with caramelised orange peel."