It鈥檚 a crisp fall afternoon, and the vineyards are humming with activity. The ripe grapes in overflowing bins move from the army of pickers to small trucks to larger bins, ready to be pressed. This scene could be unfolding in any wine-producing region, but here鈥檚 the twist: I鈥檓 in the south of England in the county of Sussex.
Along with Kent to the east, this area along the coast is becoming an unexpected, new player in the world of wine. In the U.K., there are now more than 1,000 vineyards spread over 4,209 hectares 鈥 and this area under vine has grown 123 per cent in just a decade, according to , the association for the English and Welsh wine industry.
English sparkling wines are also winning awards against much more established rivals. At the 2023 Global Sparkling Masters competition, for example, the Devon-based Sandridge Barton took the top prize with their Blanc de Noirs, beating out more than 200 other sparkling wines from around the world.
Winemaking in England isn鈥檛 new. The Romans were doing it as early as 43 B.C., but the country鈥檚 coolness has not been ideal for grapes, limiting the types that could be grown. However, over the past two to three decades, that is no longer true, particularly in the southern regions, thanks to climate change.
Grapes at Simpsons Wine Estate on the North Downs.
Thomas Alexander PhotographyCurrent temperatures are closer to what they are in northern France, making it possible to grow traditional Champagne grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. These new, more favourable conditions have also opened the door to experimentation for winemakers, who are keen to see what鈥檚 possible.
I ask sommelier Luke Harbor, group beverage director for the Pig Hotels, about the future. 鈥淭he U.K. lies on the edge of where grapes can be reliably grown, which presents a challenge but also an opportunity for greatness,鈥 he says.
鈥淪ome of the world鈥檚 best and most iconic wines come from regions where grape-growing conditions are difficult,鈥 he adds. While England鈥檚 wine industry is still in its early stages, Harbor believes it鈥檚 on the cusp of 鈥渟omething transformative.鈥
Major French Champagne houses have taken note. In 2015, Taittinger bought 69 hectares of land in Kent; it鈥檚 begun selling its first bottles of English sparkling wine from its new winery, which opened this fall. And Henkell Freixenet bought the in West Sussex in 2022. The momentum of English wines is now building steadily.
But is English wine any good? Curious about the terroir, I start exploring in Brighton on the south coast, a one-hour train ride from London, and bed down for the night at the wine-themed . I order a glass of Henners Brut NV, made in East Sussex, from the bar and carry it up five flights of stairs, so I can drink it baller-style in my claw-foot bathtub. At first sip, it鈥檚 heavenly, with notes of juicy green apple. I would soon learn that this fruit-forward style is characteristic of English wines.
Inside the wine-themed Hotel du Vin. The boutique hotel chain has 19 locations across the U.K.
Hotel du VinThe next morning, I wander the seaside town with , kicking off at , a restaurant known for seafood and an impressive wine list. I discover the joyous pairing of Jersey oysters and English sparkling wine, which complement each other in their minerality. The tour ends with more Sussex wines at . Everything I try is well balanced and delicious.
Later, when I see the famous Seven Sisters, a series of white chalk cliffs, further east, I begin to understand better the roots of English winemaking. Our tour guide explains that the chalky soil runs from England, and across the Channel, all the way to the Champagne region in France. Grape vines thrive in it.
At the picturesque 聽on the South Downs, I hear about how the process of making English sparkling wines mirrors that of Champagne, from riddling (where bottles are gently turned to loosen the naturally occurring yeast sediment) to dosage (where sweetness is added to balance acidity). But don鈥檛 call it 鈥淐hampagne.鈥 That upsets the French greatly.
I try my hand at dosage, mixing drops of the intensely sweet liquid into a glass of sparkling wine. Getting it right takes finesse and my attempts fail. Fortunately, the versions by the winery pros are much better, yielding bubbles that are fruitier and lighter than Champagne. It鈥檚 a revelation.
Next, I visit , home to the largest vineyards in the U.K. The Kent wine producer has another claim to fame: Their Ros茅 Reserve was served at William and Kate鈥檚 wedding. I sample it during a tutored tasting. With its delicate effervescence and notes of cherry, strawberry and red currant, it鈥檚 fitting for royalty and commoners alike.
Chapel Down, located in the Kent countryside, is home to the largest vineyards in the U.K.
Tim Winter / Visit KentI notice a lack of crowds at the vineyards I visit. At harvest time in Napa Valley or Tuscany, wineries are overrun by people, tour buses and cars. But wine tourism in England is just taking shape. A handful of companies, like and , offer excursions to wineries in the south, and more hotels are leaning into attracting wine lovers.
One such highlight is , near Canterbury. Over dinner there, I learn the hotel is big on promoting a 25-mile food menu. A similar approach applies to their wine list: About 20 per cent of it is devoted to English selections. In 2023, the Pig introduced their own locally made sparkling wines, followed by still wines the next summer.
There鈥檚 a sense of optimism in the wine industry here, which I also notice at 聽on the North Downs. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e witnessing in England is the birth of a wine region,鈥 says co-owner Charles Simpson as I swirl my way through several offerings, including their lovely Chalklands Classic Cuv茅e NV. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for winemakers, like us, to be a part of it.鈥
At the shop in Canterbury, guests can take tasting classes led by wine experts, such as Philippa Thomas. She pours splashes of seven wines produced in Kent and Sussex. The juicy fruit flavours of the sparkling wines are my favourites, but I expect the reds will continue to improve as those vines mature. I find the whites miss the robustness of those from Germany or New Zealand.
The restaurant at the Pig at Bridge Place, where the wine list highlights English selections.
Jake Eastham / The Pig HotelsI do appreciate the tenacity of English producers, who are attempting to grow grapes in a climate that remains challenging, despite the warming. There are, however, advantages to being an emerging wine region. As Thomas explains, 鈥淟ocal winemakers have a lot of freedom to experiment and innovate. They aren鈥檛 constrained by rules, as they are in other countries.鈥
She鈥檚 referring to the strict regulations governing how French and Italian producers craft wines, from the way vines must be pruned to using grapes only from specific regions. The English have freer rein to forge new paths, blending wines with varietals as they please, for example, or experimenting with wild yeasts.
All of this makes now an opportune time to visit. As Harbor says, 鈥淭his could be the beginning of England becoming one of the world鈥檚 greatest wine-producing nations.鈥
I鈥檒l drink to that.
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