"In just a few decades, English wine has gone from virtually nonexistent to standing up on a world stage. A cooler climate, chalky soils and coastal breezes, particularly around Sussex, Kent, Essex and Suffolk, have created ideal growing conditions for grapes like Bacchus, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, leading to an explosion in the production of English sparkling wine."
"The big players in the sparkling scene - Nyetimber, Chapel Down, Gusbourne, Rathfinny - are regular award winners and are producing bottles good enough to rival those coming out of France. Our fizz is so good that many renowned Champagne houses have started planting their own vines on these shores and in 2024 Tattinger launched their first English sparkling wine."
"While English sparkling wine is what the nation is best known for, the still wine game is improving at a rapid rate. The weather has certainly had an impact; though still cooler than other wine growing regions like the Med, Australia, Argentina and California, the UK climate is warming, which is more favourable for grapes for still wines."
"Some of the sparkling wine producers have been in business for over 30 years and there's now a solid winemaking community in England, one that's only getting stronger. That, coupled with what Nic Rizzi of importers Modal Wines calls, "the advantage here of not being restricted by tradition or consumer expectations, which is a perfect condition for innovation", and an increasing desire to support local, means the English wine scene is truly flourishing."
English wine has grown from minimal presence to a major global presence in a few decades. Cooler conditions, chalky soils, and coastal breezes in regions such as Sussex, Kent, Essex, and Suffolk support grape varieties including Bacchus, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. This has driven a surge in English sparkling wine production, with leading producers producing award-winning bottles comparable to those from France. Champagne houses have begun planting vines in England, and exports and tourism have increased. Still wine production is also improving as the UK climate warms, creating better conditions for still grapes. Long-running sparkling producers and a strengthening winemaking community support ongoing innovation, while more English bottles appear on city wine lists.
Read at London On The Inside
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