English Sparkling Wine from Sussex given Protected Status

Sparkling wines from Sussex have been granted protected regional status by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). It means that producers in the county must meet stringent quality guidelines in order to display the name of the county on their wines.

In 2015, 37 new wine producers and vineyards opened in England, while vineyard applications have risen over the last decade from 1,879 to 4,500 last year, the majority of these are in West Sussex and Hampshire. Wine made in East and West Sussex accounts for about a quarter of the total produced in England.

Some of the vineyards producing English sparkling wine in Sussex include: Ridgeview, Bluebell Vineyard Estates and Bolney Wine Estate.

While winemakers in Sussex will be popping corks at the news, many in Kent, Surrey and Hampshire are less than impressed. Several had been pushing for a designation which covered the whole region. Now, it seems more likely that they will have to apply for their own similar protected status.