The Coming of Age of English Wines

The UK’s oldest commercial vineyard opened in 1952 at Hambledon Vineyard in rural Hampshire, along the South Downs. Although much of the UK’s fine wine growing regions run along the South of the country, you might be surprised to learn that East Anglia provides just over 10% of the UK’s vineyard acreage, and Midlands and the North, which includes Lincolnshire, a further 4%. Across the UK, there are now 800 vineyards, 178 wineries and 8.7 million vine plantings.

Around 75% of the plantings are to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the three classic Champagne grapes, almost all of which go to making our world-class English sparkling wines. The remaining 25% are largely the traditional varieties used in the UK for still wine production, Bacchus, Seyval Blanc, Pinot Gris and Rhondo. However, we are now seeing an increasing planting of higher quality international grapes for still wines too.

One of the largest difficulties for English wines historically was the fact that in most years, we just didn’t have a long enough, suitable, growing season for grapes to reach full ripeness. It is not a huge problem for sparkling wines as they can benefit from a slight lack of ripeness, leading to high acidity and a light nose and flavour profile, which all adds to the effervescence and lift. However, for still wines, it could lead to green notes, insufficient balance and excess acidity. In an unusual turn of fate, global warming has improved the prospects for English still wines immeasurably and now, with a warmer and longer growing season and with better and more sophisticated plantings and of the right varieties in the right places, English still wine is definitely on the up.

Perhaps the principal headwind for English wines is the perceived high cost. It is a simple fact that our vineyards tend to be smaller scale enterprises, with proportionately higher fixed production costs than many of our European counterparts. Additionally, UK labour costs are higher than many places around the world. All of this has to be factored into the end price for the consumer. Sparkling wines tend to be priced between £25 to £35 per bottle and still wines between £12 and £25. Nevertheless, you are getting a very high quality beverage and almost all sparkling wines are made using the traditional double-fermentation process that is adopted in Champagne. Measured on this basis they compare very favourably on price, but not so when compared to a cheap bottle of Prosecco! In effect, you are paying a fair price for the excellent quality. WineGB, with records taken by DEFRA, indicates that the UK will sell in excess of 6 million bottles this year, around 10% of which is exported around the world. Selling English wines remains a hard sell with only around 54% being made via the trade (supermarkets, wine merchants and restaurants). To get around this, wineries have to sell from their own on-line shops, visitor centres and at craft shows and these now account for almost 30% of wine sold.

We are very fortunate to have quite a few wineries within very easy reach and the following are two very good examples.

The first of these is Ovens Farm Vineyard, based at Harrington, roughly between Louth and Skegness. Husband and wife team Simon and Bridget White first planted vines in 2015 and saw their first real harvest come to fruition in 2019. They grow several grape varieties, all well suited to the English climate, including the aromatic Bacchus, an early ripening Solaris (for the whites), a medium- bodied, full-flavoured Rhondo (for still red production) and Pinot Noir for their sparkling wine.

Despite their relatively recent entry into the wine business, they have already scooped a number of awards and business is growing year on year. Their silver medal-winning Bacchus has a lovely aroma of cut grass and gooseberries and a fresh, citrusy dry flavour, delicious on its own or with a goat’s cheese salad. It sells for around £14 per bottle.

Simon tends to take care of the viticulture, as he has an agricultural background, and Bridget takes care of the winemaking, once the grapes are harvested. For more information visit www.ovensfarmvineyard.co.uk.

Another very successful winery within striking distance is based at North Creake, around 10 miles inland from the North Norfolk coast. Burn Valley Vineyard is also a family owned venture, set up in 2015 by John Robinson, who has now been joined by daughters Laura and Samantha to run the business, both of whom hold wine-specific qualifications from the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust. Additionally, Laura attended Plumpton College, the UKs foremost Wine college and research centre, and passed with flying colours.

They have undertaken detailed soil analysis and this has enabled them to grow very specific varietals on parcelspecific plots with the aim of producing the highest quality of fruit possible. They have nine varieties of grapes, carefully chosen for the making of still white and red wines, rosé and a sparkling wine.

The Pinot Blanc and the rosé have both won awards this year and come highly recommended. I can also recommend the Pinot Noir still red wine. This wine receives a proportion of its maturation in oak barrels and this gives the resulting wine a roundness and suppleness without diminishing the vibrancy and lift of the fruit. The palate shows a pronounced note of wild strawberries and brambles and it has a lovely long finish. Ideal with local cheese, Norfolk White Lady, sea trout or lamb, this wine retails at around £21.

Vineyard tours and tastings are available, as are dinners with wines. Their website has full details of these: www. burnvalleyvineyard.co.uk.

English wine really is a class act these days and I would encourage everyone to sample a few bottles. With Cobble Hill and Burn Valley within very easy reach, I can think of no better places to start!

Leigh Johnson is an avid wine enthusiast and collector. He holds the Advanced Certificate from the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust. You can follow his wine reports on Facebook at Bells Farm Vintners