It was the Romans who first brought vines to Great Britain and wine production was an important industry for hundreds of years however at the turn of the 20th century wine making began to disappear and only in the last 20 or so years that there has been a major resurgence.
Most vineyards are situated in the South East and West of England, although there are also vineyards in parts of Wales and the Midlands and North of England.
With vast swathes’ of South East England similar in climate and soil to that of the Champaign region, high quality sparkling wines have become the driving style, classically blended from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both of which are now the most widely planted varietals in the UK.
Other varieties grown in England & Wales include Seyval Blanc; Bacchus and Rivaner (Müller-Thurgau).
English wines, those from grapes grown in the England and made and bottled within the same region (as distinct from British wine which is normally bottled in the UK from bulk grape juice from other countries) is becoming extremely popular for their high quality sparkling and still styles and was the ‘wine of choice’ at the recent Royal wedding.
Come, good wine is a good,
familiar creature, if it be well used!
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