English Sparkling Wine ~ A Fast Growing Industry

English sparkling wine is a fast growing industry. In the Domesday Book there were 46 vineyards listed. Most recent figures show that there are now 434 vineyards on more than 4,500 acres in England and Wales.

The modern age of winemaking began in England in 1951, when Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones planted a vineyard at Hambledon in Hampshire, the first to commercially produce wine since 1875.

Today, 66% of all English wine produced is now sparkling wine.

English sparkling wine can be found in more supermarkets and many top restaurants now have English wines on their lists. The Queen also has English sparkling wine served at state banquets.

Thanks to an improvement in quality, the English sparkling wine is continuing to develop its own distictive style and is being recognised to a worldwide audience with international awards.

The next step is to increase exports. The Export markets are growing year on year for a number of England’s producers, with exports now extending to some 14 different countries. As producers grow in number and production in volume, more producers are now branching out in to export as an important part of their business.

In a move that has caused some controversy in the industry. Sussex vineyards, including Ridgeview and Bolney Estates have asked the EU for protected status.

Sussex has the largest and most densely planted cluster of vineyards (23 in total) in the UK At least half the vineyards are supporting the bid to give protected status to wine made from grapes grown in Sussex. A step they believe will give extra credibility in the export market.

If approved, Sussex wine would be elevated to the ranks of other protected British products, such as Cornish clotted cream and Stilton cheese.