England

This March, for the first time in two years, I was able to travel internationally and I chose, for the first time in four years, to travel to the UK. Apart from perusing the country’s many wine shops, that meant this wasn’t a wine-orientated trip for once. However, I made a brief trip to England’s fledgling wine country which is small but rapidly growing. Twenty years ago, no one knew much about English wine; now it’s something that needs to be known about, even if it will never match the commercial scale of Champagne.

As with most central and northern European countries, vines were first planted in England by the Romans. Between 1000 and 1400, the island was covered in vines as the climate was warmer than it is even now. However, when Europe entered a mini-ice age, plantings disappeared and England—and then the UK in general—was known for drinking rather than actually making wine, making it one of the most important centres for the global wine industry.

So there is some history, but the modern wine scene is very much a recent development. Vines were once again planted in the 1960s, but for the next three decades it was widely believed that because England’s climate is so severe for the cultivation of the vine that only hybrids, which are not usually associated with quality, could be planted.

That changed in the 1990s when new producers such as Nyetimber and Ridgeview started planting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with the aim of making sparkling wine that could rival those of Champagne. By the early 2000s, these producers were winning awards at international competitions, beating champagne itself, and English bubbles became a minor sensation. Now, there are 165 wineries and 760 vineyards and counting—this is an expanding and exciting category.

where

This is where it gets a bit confusing, as place isn’t as strictly defined as, say, in Champagne. This is in part because it’s such a young industry, but also because vineyards are spread across several counties which producers source from. Despite climate change, the weather is still difficult and having access to different vineyards provides security in varying vintages.

Although there are vineyards in Wales, Yorkshire, and even as far north as Aberdeen in Scotland, the wine industry is concentrated in southern England, in Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, and East Anglia, in a kind of horseshoe around London. The soils are often compared to those of Champagne (think of the chalky White Cliffs of Dover), but there are actually many different types, including greensand as well as chalk and clay. This is a varied terroir which producers are still exploring, and which can lead to interesting regional blends.

Needles lighthouse off the Isle of Wight, south of English wine country: an extreme example of coastal chalk soils

The wine industry is overseen by WineGB, which is in charge of regulations and definitions. For the sake of convenience, the regions are divided into the different counties, which independently oversee the promotion of local wineries. But there are subtle differences: Hampshire has clay soils and is the first to ripen; near the coast, the soils are more chalky, such as in Arundel in East Sussex, which gives England fizz its characteristic zip; while in Kent the soils are Weald clay, and where arguably England’s best and longest-lived wines come from.

The climate is what one might imagine: it’s warmer and sunnier than further north, but there are still inclement conditions. Wind and rain come in from the English Channel; growers and producers are reliant on sunny summers, and they’re often helped out by warm, dry Septembers even if it rained during the growing season.

The South Downs is a national park in Sussex which gives an indication of how local conditions influence the vine’s growing season. These are small undulating hills which protect vines from wind and rain, avoiding damage and rot. Although these hills are gentle and hard to spot, the protection they provide is vital. However, this may mean a lack of exposure to the sun—which is perhaps why sparkling wine works the best as the grapes don’t need to build up lots of sugar and high acidity is welcome.

tourism

Most of the wineries are not far from London and are located in beautiful regions that attract lots of tourism. It would seem natural for English wineries to latch on to those tourists, but it hasn’t quite happened yet. As is the case in many wine regions, the wineries are located in obscure country sites that take commitment to get to. They’re also often far apart from each other, scattered across various counties.

However, it would seem that English wineries realise that attracting tourists is the next necessary step to cementing the reputation of English wine. Plans to make English wine country a feasible destination are ongoing, on a county by county basis. There seems to be a collaborative, collective feel, as in what’s good for one winery is good for all of them. The possibility of commissioning a shuttle bus to take tourists from winery to winery has been raised; at the very least, a wine trail for tourists to follow will be created.

Wineries are also adding restaurants to their tasting facilities, a surefire way of attracting tourists who don’t simply want to do a wine tasting. I visited Ridgeview, one of England’s first wineries, and they are in the process of building a restaurant as part of an overall push to attract more tourists. Meanwhile, Wiston Estate already have a restaurant.

Digby are a slightly different case: they have a tasting room in the pretty, very English town of Arundel on the Sussex coast where there’s a castle, a cricket ground, and plenty of tourists from the US. Digby’s marketing strategy was heavily influenced by visiting California: think of opening a tasting room in downtown Napa or Sonoma, where there are already tourists waiting to walk in and taste the wines.

In either case, it’s about making English wine a destination. Because producers source from all over southern England, visiting wine country is very different from most other regions. There aren’t fields and fields of vines linking each winery; vines are actually quite hard to find. Instead, it’s about the experience of visiting the winery: meeting the people, tasting the wines, and potentially pairing the wines with food.

wineries

I wasn’t in wine country for long, so only got to visit a couple of wineries. However, it gave me a sense of the growing confidence within the industry and a growing sense of purpose; that now is the time to take advantage of the justified reputation of English wine. It’s all very well talking about how good English sparkling wine is; the pressing aim is to get more people actually drinking it.

ridgeview

Located about 30 minutes north of Brighton, Ridgeview is one of England’s oldest wineries—dating way back to 1995. It’s still family run, and is a good example of how English wines have been established and consolidated over the last 25 years. 15km from the sea with clay soils and chalk subsoils, Ridgeview only own 4ha of vineyards, but these include rugged Chardonnay vines planted right at the winery’s set-up, an example of how the industry is beginning to mature and develop deep roots. Located in the heart of the South Downs (where there is room for further growth), the winery was established after plenty of research into soils, climate, and suitability for sparkling wines specifically. The research was well conducted, because quality is high and a great representation of English sparkling wine.

bloomsbury/cavendish/fitzrovia non-vintage

These are the introductory Ridgeview wines, widely available in quality outlets in the UK such as Waitrose as well as internationally. “Bloomsbury” is 70% Chardonnay plus Pinot Noir and Meunier, with 18 months on the lees, for a light, easy, delicious style (£30; ✪✪✪✪). “Cavendish” is a third each of the Champagne grapes, for a fruitier style found most often in restaurants (£30; ✪✪✪✪✪). Fitzrovia is a rosé whose colour comes from red wine made from the earlier ripening Pinot Noir Précose strain, although the majority of the wine is Chardonnay. A fruity, creamy, but delicate style (£35; ✪✪✪✪).

blanc de blancs 2016 and blanc de noirs 2015

The Blanc de Blancs is from 2016 which was a warm vintage, seen in the surprisingly ripe, fruity style although balanced by vibrant acidity. From the original 1995 plantings, there’s a lot going on, bright, round, and rich, with an integrated lees texture and a saline quality. Great now with definite potential for ageing over the next seven to ten years (£60; ✪✪✪✪✪✪).

The Blanc de Noirs, as one would expect from black rather than white grapes, is completely different. It’s from 2015, which saw a wet August but a sunny September. It’s smokier and richer, with red and dried fruits, liquorice, mushroom, smoke, and toast, and a long, fresh finish. I’m not always a Blanc de Noirs fan, but, perhaps because of England’s cooler climate, this is superb (£50; ✪✪✪✪✪✪).

rosé de noirs 2016

Very different from the introductory rosé, as this is made using the saignée method and is 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Meunier, without any Chardonnay. Ideal with spicy food, this is a serious sparkling rosé with developing tertiary, mushroom aromas and a light, peachy creaminess (£50; ✪✪✪✪✪).

digby

Digby take the regional blending characteristic of England’s wines to an extreme, as they are a négociant who don’t own any vineyards. Instead, everything is sourced. This is of course comparable to Champagne, where even the biggest producers don’t own that much land: sparkling wine is an art form in blending vintages, vineyards, and varieties to create a consistent level of style and excellence. And Digby certainly achieve that in their reliable, expressive, high quality range.

rosé 2014

Digby add more dosage than most other English producers, which is arguably necessary as the acidity is so searingly high. For the vintage rosé, it’s 10g/l, which in this case is perhaps a little too much as this is the lowest in acid of Digby’s wines (6.8g/l TA). However, it’s still a complex wine with fresh red fruits and developing mushroom, dried fruit aromas. As with all of Digby’s wines it’s 12% ABV, and is aged for 30 months. 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Meunier. (£48; ✪✪✪✪).

vintage reserve 2013

A Chardonnay dominant blend—65% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, 10% Meunier—dosage is 8g/L, complementing the TA of 10.4g/L (Digby have some great tech sheets). This is a classic representation of English sparkling wine, with the acid and structure to age, with a zippy, acidic mouthfeel, integrated lees, toast aromas, a gently long finish. Definite proof that English sparkling wine has the capacity to age (£42; ✪✪✪✪✪✪).

non-vintage brut

As with the Ridgeview range, this is a perfect introduction to English sparkling wine. It’s light and lean, with zippy acidity, a gentle lees texture, and spicy, lingering finish. Dosage is high at 12g/l, but necessary to balance the high acid (9.5g/l TA). I could drink this all day long (£32; ✪✪✪✪✪).

“leander pink” non-vintage brut rosé

Digby wear their Englishness/Britishness very proudly, although it is a gentrified Englishness very different from how I grew up in the north of England. I find it a little grating, but I can see how tourists in Arundel would lap it up. This wine is made in tandem with the Leander rowing club in Henley, definitely associating English sparkling wine with the crème de la crème of English society. 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Meunier, and aged for 24 months with a dosage of 12g/l and TA of 9.5g/l, this is another high acid wine with red fruits and light spice aromas, and a slightly sugary finish (£33; ✪✪✪✪). Digby also make a wine in collaboration with the House of Commons.

blanc de noirs brut 2010

Aged for eight years before bottling with a milder dosage of 7g/L (TA is 9.2g/l), the grapes are sourced from Hampshire and Sussex. It’s 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Meunier, and is a serious, sophisticated wine—as with the best sparkling wines, it tastes more vinous with age than bubbly. It’s powerful, rich, and weighty, maintaining its vibrant acidity despite its age. A mature, structured wine which will continue to develop over the next decade (£59; ✪✪✪✪✪✪).

When I first moved to California in 2014, there was almost no English sparkling wine to be found. Now, most of the major wineries are represented, a sign of how far and how quickly the English wine scene has moved. It’s still small and the cost of land makes further development difficult, but these are wines that more than hold their own against the best champagne and other sparkling wines made using the traditional method. This was the first time I had visited English wine country; I can’t wait to revisit to catch up on yet more future developments.

for more on Digby and English sparkling wine, listen to my podcast interview with Trevor Clough