For many years we have been extolling the virtue of English sparkling wines and only last month I was at my niece's wedding in Sussex where the fizz of choice was English from just up the road at Nyetimber and jolly good it was too!
Most of the sparkling wine production is from the south of England, with vineyards stretching from Kent across to Dorset and beyond. Here the geology is very similar to that of north eastern France where the Champagne region is situated with plenty of chalk and limestone in the soil. The equipment and expertise to make good fizz can be brought in and when the weather behaves itself you have all the essentials to make top quality sparkling wine.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the most widely used grape varieties exactly the same as in Champagne and the best wines are always made using the méthode traditionelle, again, just like Champagne. There has been lots of favourable publicity over the last 20 years as English fizz has been awarded numerous prizes and accolades and is now starting to be taken very seriously by consumers both at home and abroad. Certainly last year’s wonderful summer resulted in a tremendous vintage both in terms of quality and quantity and has been a great boost for the industry with production up by more than 160% on previous years. Last year also saw a record number of new vines being planted 1.6 million – and this year the total is expected to comfortably exceed 2 million with many believing we are witnessing the coming of age of the English (and Welsh) wine industry.
Whilst the UK’s sparkling wines are definitely leading the way there are also excellent still wines to be had too. Some of the grape varieties grown may not currently be household names but they are certainly well worth investigating.
Try the appropriately named Bacchus; originally a German variety it is now very much the signature grape for English and Welsh still white wines. Think Sauvignon Blanc, but a little lighter with good acidity and a lovely elderflower hint on both the nose and palate. The wines can be dry or off-dry and make delicious drinking.
Another white variety is Solaris again a German creation with the emphasis on early ripening which makes it well suited to the vagaries of the British weather! The wines are generally richer and rounder than those from Bacchus definitely at the medium end of the taste spectrum.
Delightful examples of these two wines are produced locally by Elise Lane at Laneberg Wines. Elise brings grapes grown in Leicestershire and vinifies the wine in her urban winery on Team Valley.
Reds can be a bit trickier but good still Pinot Noir is widely available light and fruity and a bit like a rosé with attitude! One of my new favourites is Rondo which is another disease resistant and early ripening variety. The wines have good colour and ripe juicy fruit and can be excellent I was recently very impressed by the Rondo from Montgomery Vineyard in Wales a fragrant nose with hints of smoke and a palate with ripe dark fruit flavours a bit like a good Beaujolais.
Whatever the style, wine is also starting to be a significant force in rural employment not only from the production side with growing, harvesting and processing the grapes, but also from the hospitality side of the industry with jobs being created to encourage tourists to visit wineries to see them in action and discover the wines they are making. Currently there are about 500 wineries in the UK with just over 200 of them welcoming visitors.
While the export market is still quite small at the moment it is confidently predicted that in the next 10-15 years exports will account for between 30%- 40% of the total production of English and Welsh wines so the future is definitely looking promising.