British wine is flying high: Here are some of the best
It is time to drink patriotically because business is booming for British wines. The pandemic did little to slow the growth; in fact wine sales went up by 30 per cent and last year we planted 1.4m new vines.
This green, little island of ours now boasts around 800 vineyards and 178 wineries, though England takes the lead with 98 per cent of the hectarage, followed by Wales at 1.5 per cent and the remainder split between Scotland and the Channel Islands.
Unsurprisingly, due to our similar soils and ever more similar climate, the majority of our plantings are the three traditional champagne varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and sparkling wines make up 64 per cent of our winemaking. But still wines are on the rise too. German grapes tend to grow well here, as well as aromatic Bacchus, which is increasingly seen on supermarket shelves, and some incredible Pinot Noirs and rosés.
It seems the rest of the world thinks so too, with our exports rising by 51 per cent in the last 12 months, including a meteoric 501 per cent growth in still wines, hopefully driving producers and winemakers to continue this style.
Thanks to the lack of overseas trips the British public have been turning to domestic breaks and this has led to the happy development of wine tourism. The UK’s first vineyard hotel, the luxurious Llanerch, opened just twenty minutes outside of Cardiff and offers 26 suites with far reaching views of the Welsh countryside.
Many vineyard vistas and wine-tasting estates are within a couple of hours drive from London. The Wine Garden of England has created a bucolic wine trail linking seven of Kent’s top wine producers together as a ‘Napa-style’ experience. Visitors can tour and taste at English glories including Chapel Down, Squerryes, Simpsons, Gusbourne, Biddenden, Balfour and the new Algo-French alliance of Domaine Evremond. Every Estate has its own unique personality and each one creates award-winning wines.
There has never been a better time to discover British wine – what are you waiting for?
• For mor information visit winegardenofengland.co.uk
Wines of the week
Gusbourne Blanc de Blanc 2016, £59, Fortnum & Masons
Timeless. Classic. Elegant. An Oscars dress in bottle form. My first impression was that it was like “sipping on a cloud”. One of the very best English sparkling wines out there. Treat yourself.
Simpsons Rabbit Hole Pinot Noir, £25.99, Grape Britannia
Potentially the best Pinot Noir in the UK. Stunning juicy red fruits and plums with hints of sour cherries, roses, smoke, earth and baking spice. This bright ruby red wine is playful but sophisticated.
Litmus Element, £16.99, Waitrose
Bacchus grows beautifully in the UK and blended with Chardonnay creates a gorgeous, aromatic white wine. Cool crisp stones balanced by ripe fruits with a long flinty finish, this will be pairing with my Sunday roast chicken.
Wyfold Vineyard Sparkling Rosé, £29.99, Laithwaites
A small but special yield from this award-winning Estate in South Oxfordshire. A host of red berries from strawberry to pomegranate, crisp minerality and creamy, effervescent bubbles.
Busi Jacobsohn Cuvée Brut 2018, £38, Harvey Nichols
Exciting new talents on the UK wine scene, Susanna and Douglas create refined sparkling wines as sustainably as possible like this excellent crisp and complex cuvée full of fresh green apples and almond croissant notes.