7th December

HAVE A FIZZING ENGLISH WINE CHRISTMAS - AS RECOMMENDED BY THE EXPERTS

If you are looking for something to celebrate the festive season with, look no further than on your doorstep, and has been recommended by a number of experts

Waitrose Wines Direct magazine recommend buying a bottle of fizz from close to home: “One of England’s best kept secrets is its sparkling wine,” they comment, pointing out that the climate and soil structure of the south of England is similar to that of Champagne, and a number of our vineyards are growing exactly the same grape varieties too.  Waitrose stocks four English bubblies, from Chapel Down in Kent, Nyetimber Vineyard in Sussex and two from Ridgeview Wine Estate, also in Sussex.  More information on the wines and ordering from their award-winning range of over 1000 wines is available from their dedicated website www.waitrosewine.com/dec

Hello magazine also features wine recommendations from top expert Oz Clarke, who includes Ridgeview Merret Bloomsbury (Waitrose) and Nyetimber Premiere Cuvee (Waitrose and Majestic) in the line up of super sparklers.

For more information on English wines at Christmas, vineyards open and wine related gift ideas, click here.

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6th December

ENGLISH WINES: A NEW MENTALITY?

Article by Douglas Blyde

Douglas Blyde is a wine writer, who recently competed in a wine trade sponsored competition for Young Wine Writer of the Year.  Douglas approached us for information and help with contacts and we gladly obliged.   Although Douglas did not win the coveted and hard-fought title, we think his article deserves recognition for all the hard work and research that went in to it.  Douglas has kindly agreed to have it published on this site and you can read it by clicking here.  We hope you enjoy it.  You can read more of Douglas’s work on his website www.douglasblyde.co.uk

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29th November

ENGLISH WINE STARRING ON 'READY STEADY COOK'

Paul and Lynn Langham, proprietors of a'Beckett's Vineyard in Wiltshire, will be appearing on the hit BBC2 cookery show 'Ready Steady Cook on 29th November at 4.30pm.

To mark their appearance on the show the landlords of their local, Steve and Nicky Wragg of the Green Dragon, Market Lavington, Devizes, will be hosting a special evening to watch the show on the big screen and taste some of the dishes from the show.

The evening commences at 4.30pm with the start of the show and will be followed by dinner at 6.00pm with a special menu prepared by Nicky featuring recipes cooked on the show. These special dishes will also be complimented by a glass or two of a'Beckett's Seyval and Estate Red.

Come along and join in the fun at the Green Dragon, High Street, Market Lavington. Tel: 01380 813235

    Paul and Lynn Langham

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23rd November

DOUBLE GOLD FOR CAMEL VALLEY IN CORNWALL TOURISM AWARDS

Camel Valley Vineyard became the Cornwall Tourist Board Champions again last night for the third time in four years.  In addition, Bob Lindo was stunned and delighted to receive a Gold Award for ‘Outstanding Services to Tourism’.  Previous winners include Rick Stein and Tim Smit.

Said Bob: ‘ I’m very grateful to the Cornwall Community for awarding us these terrific honours and to my family and our team at Camel Valley for their fantastic support’.

NYETIMBER FEATURED IN WAITROSE TV CAMPAIGN

Keep an eye out for Waitrose's latest Seasonal ad campaign on TV which features our very own English Sparkling Wine from Nyetimber vineyard in Sussex, making the point that you don't have to look too far afield to find excellent quality wines.

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28th October

THE SUSSEX BUBBLY REVOLUTION

For the second time in a week, the Daily Telegraph has highlighted the outstanding success of English wines, today reporting on the exciting developments at Nyetimber Vineyard in Sussex, and their plans, currently underway, to expand the acreage and increase production significantly.

Nyetimber has a highly successful track record, with a host of awards for its wines since their first vintage.  Its award winning wines convinced new owner, businessman Eric Hereema, that there was a very real future in English sparkling wine.  A further 150 acres have now been planted, to add to the current 36 acres, and when in full production will increase Nyetimber's output from 70,000 bottles to 500,000 bottles - the equivalent of a small or medium Champagne House.

Nyetimber has "created for the first time a future for the domestic wine industry," correspondant Richard Alleyn reports.

The English wine industry is seeing a significant increase in planting.  In the last two years alone, some 500 acres has been planted, representing approximately 26% of currently registered vineyard acreage. Much of this includes plantings of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for sparkling wine production.

The full story, and Telegraph video, which features an interview with Eric Hereema, can be viewed on http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/28/nwine28.xml

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24th October

A TASTE FOR ENGLISH WINES IN FRANCE

23rd October: The Daily Telegraph reports that the French are developing a taste for English wines.  Sales of English wines are selling successfully in Calais, writes correspondant David Sapsted, with a wine shop called Franglais selling out of stocks already, having ordered in supplies to sell alongside his French wine range.   Franglais' owner, Jerome Pont, organised a tasting trip for sommliers to the South East of England, encouraged by the many recent reports of global warming and how it is shaping the English wine industry.  Wines from the trip were tasted back in France by members of L'Association Sommelier Unione Francais, all highly trained tasters and many of whom had never tasted English wines before.  Many were astounded at the quality.

Although some of Mr Pont's customers are British, about half are French.  Tastings in the warehouse have prompted sales of English wines, and further stocks being bought in.

Full story: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/23/nwine23.xml

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18th October

CHAMPAGNE TECHNOLOGY ARRIVES IN ENGLAND

The first Coquard Champagne Press has arrived in England and is operating at Ridgeview for their 2006 harvest. Coquard ranks amongst its customers virtually every major grande marque Champagne house include Bollinger, Krug, Veuve Cliquot, Roederer and Lanson. The only other producers outside Champagne that have purchased this prestigious press are Montana in New Zealand, Bellavista Franciacorta in Italy and now RidgeView in England.

The timing for the new press is fantastic as RidgeView are experiencing their biggest harvests ever and with new vineyards coming on stream. The 2006 harvest benefited from a very dry spring helping during flowering and the great temperatures in summer have produced a bumper crop.

The new press is assisting RidgeView with their expansion plans.  RidgeView are planning a five-fold production increase within the next 10 years to keep up with current demand.  The press has been purchased with the assistance of funding from DEFRA.  RidgeView were awarded a Processing and Marketing Grant from DEFRA and the EU to extend their facilities within the winery to enable planned increase in production and to support other growers.

The Coquard phylosophy is that a wine is only as good as its grape juice.  Grapes for sparkling wine must be pressed very gently so only the best of the juice is captured with subtle and discrete aromas.  The new press takes advantage of hydrolics and sloping plates to ensure that maximum clafity of the juice.  Coquard achieved an award for innovation at VTEF (Champagne) for their latest invention.

RidgeView is a family enterprise. Mike and Christine Roberts set up RidgeView in 1994. Son Simon shares the winemaking, his Australian born wife Mardi is responsible for Sales and Marketing and daughter Tamara is General Manager.  Since their first commercial release in the year 2000 RidgeView sparkling wines have had phenomenal success in International Competitions and much critical acclaim. The awards culminated in the ultimate accolade in 2005 when they won the Trophy for the Best Sparkling in the International Wine and Spirit Competition. This year their sparkling was the first and only English Wine on the menu for the Queens 80th Birthday lunch.

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10th October

HARVEST 2006: OFF TO A BUMPER START

Harvest is well underway and predictions of a bumper crop are still holding strong, with the harvest pointing to good yields, good quality and early picking.

Vineyards started picking the early ripening varieties such as Siegerrebe at the  beginning of September.  The autumnal weather in recent weeks has meant that some vineyards are picking a little earlier than they would have liked, to avoid any further bad weather which could potentially affect the crop.  The quantities this year, though, will be well up on 2005, which is encouraging, as the industry sees sales of English wine soar.

The sparkling wine producers Nyetimber and Ridgeview have started – Nyetimber on 9th October, with Ridgeview a few days earlier. 

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5th October

A BRIGHT START FOR THE WINE HARVEST AT PLUMPTON COLLEGE

As with many other vineyards in the UK, Plumpton College vineyards are expected to produce record yields.  Staff and students on the Wine Studies courses are currently hard at work, grape harvesting on the three Estate vineyards.  This year the staff and students of the Wine Studies department are expected to produce another record amount of wine in the new, on-site Winery.  It is hoped that some 23,000 bottles will be ready for sales in 2007.

Plumpton College, near to London, offers a wide range of wine studies courses, including the
unique, full time, courses at degree level in wine studies. These are unique within both the UK and Europe.

There is a forthcoming opportunity to see what Plumpton College can offer, by attending their Information Morning on Saturday 11 November 2006 :  9am-12.30 pm. Amittance is free of charge and the morning provides the opportunity to meet staff and current students, discuss entry requirements, course details, career options, employment paths and find out about life as a student at Plumpton College.

If you are unable to attend, there is a Plumpton College OPEN DAY taking place next year on Saturday 12 May 2007: 10 am-5 pm, cost: £5.00 entry for adults, free entry for children under 16 years.
Careers and courses advice will be available along with winery tours for adults, farm tours, practical demonstrations, forestry displays, animals to see, estate walks, crafts and food stalls, as well as wine tasting and wine sales for adults.

For more information, please contact  Plumpton College, Ditchling Road, Plumpton Nr Lewes, East Sussex  BN7  3AE
 T: + 44 (0) 1273 890454         F: + 44 (0) 1273 890071
 website: www.plumpton.ac.uk

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1st September

GOLD MEDAL FOR ORGANIC ENGLISH VINEYARD

As sales of organic food and drink grew by an astonishing 30% last year, the Soil Association have just announced the results of their 2006 Organic Food Awards, a competition that has been at the fore-front of organic food production since 1993.

The competition is divided into several categories, one of which is for international organic wines. Davenport 2005 Limney “Horsmonden” dry white wine, was the overall winner, beating wines from several other countries to take the Gold medal.

The wine is made from organic grapes grown in Kent and then taken to Rotherfield in East Sussex, where Will Davenport has his modern winery. He converted all his vineyards to organic management in 2000 because of a belief that environmentally-friendly farming produces a better balance of flavours in the grapes. Organic principles continue in the winery, using natural yeasts from the grape skins and only minimal filtration. Will Davenport aims to make a wine that reflects the flavours from the grapes and the soils in his vineyards. His natural approach has resulted in a dry white wine that is full of fresh gooseberry and elderflower flavour. It is a wine that would go well with most light meals or is delicious to drink on its own.

A panel of six expert judges spent the day blind-tasting dozens of wine entries before reaching a conclusion and awarding the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to the three top wines. Barny Haughton, Chairman of the judges and owner of the Quartier Vert Restaurant in Bristol said that “all the award winners represent benchmarks of excellence in their field”.

Davenport Vineyards is one of the few organic vineyards and wineries in the UK. The wine is sold through selected shops and restaurants around the country and also by mail order from their website.

Will Davenport collected the Gold award from Hugh Fernley-Whitingstall on the 1st September, said “I was extremely surprised to be awarded the only Gold medal as there are many excellent organic wines around. We work extremely hard in the vineyard and take enormous care and pride in our winemaking, so it is great to know that our locally-grown wine is up there with the best”.

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17th August

ENGLISH MERLOT?

The better-known red grape varieties of the world are  are now in production in the UK.  Many will know of award-winning Beenleigh red from Sharpham Vineyard, produced from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes grown in Devon.  Now a wine from those same varieies is also available from Gloucestershire.

Strawberry Hill Vineyard, based near Newent, is growing Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in the extensive glass houses on site.  Their resulting wines include an unoaked red blend, Cotswold Classic, and one of the few still Chardonnays from the UK. Strawberry Hill Vineyard is the work of Tim Chance.  The extensive glass housing on site encouraged him to plant the more familiar vine varieties, which would benefit from the extra help against the cooler outdoor climate in the UK that normally prevents such varieties to thrive.  Other varieties and wines are also produced.  Visit www.strawberryhillvineyard.co.uk for more information on the vineyard and the wines.

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15th August

ANOTHER WINNER FOR ENGLISH WINES

The Wine Society holds an annual blind tasting among its staff looking for its star wines. This year one of the voted winners was Chapel Down Bacchus 2004, putting English wine up alongside some of the stars of the wine world.

The Wine Society has supported English wines for a number of years now, and currently lists a selection of white, rosé and sparkling English wines, including a white wine exclusively produced for them by Three Choirs Vineyards.

The Wine Society is a co-operative wine club and is entirely owned by its members, each of whom owns one share.  For more information visit www.thewinesociety.com

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20th July

ENGLISH SPARKLING WINES TRIUMPH IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

England triumphed as the most successful country in the bottle fermented sparkling wine category in the International Wine & Spirit Competition 2006, scooping the Trophy and top medals.  The Trophy for Bottle Fermented sparkling wine was won by Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 1998 – beating entrants from around the world.  This is the second year in succession that an English wine has scooped this prestigious trophy.

England was the only nation in this category to win Gold 'Best In Class'.  Infact two of these accolades were awarded - to Denbies Greenfields 2003 and Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 1998.  In the same category England also won five of the seven Silver Medals awarded, and gained the second most medals of any country, with a total of ten (behind Spain's 26).

There were some other notable winners for England.  Three still whites – Chapel Down Bacchus 2004, Chapel Down Nectar 2005 and Denbies Ortega 2004 – won Bronze medals.  English reds also featured this year, with Bronze medals awarded to three Pinot Noir reds from Bookers Vineyard, Chapel Down, and Denbies Wine Estate.

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5th July

TWO WAITROSE AWARDS FOR RIDGEVIEW

RidgeView Wine Estate has won two coveted titles in the Waitrose Small Producer Awards, announced at the Royal Show on Monday (3rd July).  These national awards, also sponsored by BBC Good Food Magazine, The Financial Mail on Sunday and Farmers Guardian, acknowledge Britain’s best small producers and businesses.

The winner of the Drinks category was RidgeView Merret Bloomsbury 2003, which is currently available in over 130 Waitrose stores across the country, retailing at £16.99. The Small Business Award, sponsored by the Financial Mail on Sunday, was also won by RidgeView, recognising their significant contribution towards the growth in the popularity and sales of English sparkling wines.

“We are so thrilled to have won these two awards in the Waitrose Small Producer Awards,” commented Michael Roberts, proprietor and winemaker of RidgeView.  “We have worked with and supplied Waitrose now for four years and as a family business dedicated to quality production, we are delighted to receive recognition for both our wine and our company.”

Michael added: "This accolade comes on top of an already fantastic year for RidgeView, last month having the honour of our sparkling wine toasting the Queen's birthday as part of the Great British Menu."

Waitrose has recently added another RidgeView English sparkling wine to their portfolio: RidgeView Merret Fitzrovia 2003, a rosé produced from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, is available in selected stores and selling at around £19.95

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21st June

NYETIMBER TRIUMPHS IN NATIONAL COMPETITION

Nyetimber Vineyard has once again scooped the top prize in the UK wine industry's national competition, The English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition.

Judging took place Monday and Tuesday 19th and 20th June and the results were announced last night. 

Nyetimber was awarded the Gore-Browne Trophy ('The Wine of the Year') for their Nyetimber Prestige Cuvee Blanc de Blancs 1998, as well as the Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine in the Competition.  This is the fourth year in a row that Nyetimber have been awarded Wine of the Year.

There were other top award winners of the Trophies, awarded to the best wine in their class:

Sharpham's Bacchus 2005 won the Best Wine of the Previous Vintage (Jack Ward Memorial Trophy)

Chapel Down scooped three Trophies for their Chapel Down Tenterden Estate Pinot Noir 2004: Best Red wine (The Bernard Theobald Trophy), Best Varietal Wine (Tom Day Trophy) and Best Wine of Other Year's Vintage (Wine Guild Trophy).

The accolade of Best Rose (The Waitrose Rose Trophy) was awarded to Chapel Down English Rose 2005.

Two Trophies were won by Three Choirs Vineyards - Best Wine in Smaller Quantities (The President's Trophy) for their Three Choirs Noble Rot 2003, and Best Wine in Commercial Quantities (The Englsih WIne Producers Dudley Quirk Trophy) for Three Choirs Willowbrook 2005.

The Trophy for Best Oaked White Wine was retained for a second year running by Denbies Wine Estate, this year for Denbies Coopers Brook 2003.  This wine also became the first winner of the competition's newest Trophy for Best Unchaptalised Wine (The Berwick Trophy).

Camel Valley was awarded Best Presentation (The Montagu Trophy) and the prestigious Winemaker of the Year was once again awarded to Owen Elias of Chapel Down Wines, who wins it for the second year in a row.

                                          Owen Elias, Winemaker of the Year 2006

The full competition results will be posted up on the Competitions Page shortly.

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12th June

ENGLISH FIZZ FIT FOR THE QUEEN

RidgeView’s Merret Grosvenor has been chosen to accompany the very special lunch being held at the Mansion House on June 15 to mark Her Majesty the Queen's 80th birthday.  The task of choosing the wine to toast Her Majesty was given to a panel made up of Members of Common Council and included three senior wine trade representatives. A selection of English Sparkling wines were tasted blind and RidgeView came out on top. 

Merret Grosvenor is made entirely from Chardonnay grapes grown in the chalky soils under the South Downs. Winemaker Mike Roberts commented “Our wines are chosen for lots of highlight occasions in peoples lives from celebrations of great wins to weddings and christenings.  How absolutely wonderful for it to be served to celebrate Her Majesty’s 80th birthday.”

Fourteen of Britain’s top chefs competed for the honour of producing the menu for this grand occasion and public have been following their progress on the BBC’s Great British Menu series. The series has proven to be a showcase for the nationwide search of the best of British cuisine.

Lord Mayor David Brewer, host of the event said, “The city of London is proud to honour Her Majesty on behalf of the nation on this very special occasion. Food brings us all together – and through this event the whole country can take part”.

Ridgeview’s Merret is truly coming back to the City, where in the 16th century Christopher Merret was the first to record the process that today is used to make the world’s best sparkling wines. 

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6th June

FIRST UK WINE PODCAST FEATURES INTERVIEWS WITH ENGLISH WINEMAKERS

The UK’s first podcast about wine has been launched.  The UK Wine Show is the brainchild of Chris Scott, founder of ThirtyFifty, the wine tasting company, and can be . Although shows exist in the United States and Australia – two of the world’s biggest wine producing countries - wine podcasts are virgin territory in the UK.

The show's uniqueness is its focus on the UK wine scene, and the wide choice of wines available to consumers.  Each week Chris will be interviewing different winemakers, consumers, wine critics, wine bar owners – if it’s about wine in the UK he will cover it. “Almost all the good wine from around the world washes up on these shores so we’ll find out more about the people behind the wines that make a splash” says Chris Scott “A bit of knowledge can significantly improve your enjoyment of wine so I’ll be picking up and passing on some great wine tips and tricks throughout the shows”. 

The UK wine industry itself also features in two of the podcasts.  In Show 2 Chris interviews Dermot Sugrue, winemaker at Nyetimber - UK’s top sparkling wine producer. Show 3 features Owen Elias from Chapel Down.

Podcast interviews and news is available from www.thirtyfifty.co.uk/uk-wine-show.asp

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30th May

RICK STEIN AT CAMEL VALLEY TASTING

                     Sam Lindo, Rick Stein and Bob Lindo enjoy a glass of Camel Valley

Camel Valley Vineyards received a high profile visitor when they staged a tasting of their wines in Padstow as part of their English Wine Week promotion.

Rick Stein visited Camel Valley's stall at the Quay in Padstow and joined in the busy tasting that Bob and Sam Lindo set up for visitors to Stein's delicatessen.

"We were overwhelmed with visitors keen to taste our wines," commented Bob.  "It's been a very busy week so far for us, and we will be continuing to celebrate English Wine Week with other events at the vineyard."  Camel Valley's other English Wine Week event on Thursday is already sold out, but the vineyard will be open now and throughout the summer.  More information on their tours and tastings can be found on their website.

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24th May

ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE IS TOP CHOICE ON THE BRITS' WINE LIST

The popping of corks may one day replace football as the favourite cross-channel rivalry between England and France, as English sparkling wine is certainly challenging France’s dominance in the Champagne and wine market - findings from a Food from Britain (FFB) survey has revealed. 

In anticipation of English Wine Week (taking place from 27th May – 4th June), a blind tasting conducted at Roast - the Borough Market restaurant dedicated to British cooking and well-sourced seasonal produce – found that more than half of those surveyed (53%) voted sparkling English wine as a more favourable tipple than Champagne, suggesting English vineyard owners should be more optimistic than ever!

The public’s positive perception of our national wine is reflected in its buying habits, particularly in restaurants.  While a decade ago the notion of English wine was greeted with some cynicismt, 42% of people surveyed last year admitted to either having bought it or would consider buying it.

The survey was conducted in the run up to English Wine Week and commissioned by Food From Britain, the market development consultancy for British food and drink producers, to find out the nation's perception of English sparkling wine versus its foreign counterparts.  This year marks the fourth year FFB has sponsored English Wine Week, as part of its Defra funded campaign to boost awareness of British food and drink.

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16th May

CHEERS BRITANNIA!

ENGLISH WINE TASTING BY THIRTYFIFTY

You may know your Rioja from your Rhône and your Bordeaux from your Beaujolais, but how clued up are you on English wines? English wines have become very grown up over the past few years, and the sparkling varieties are developing a pretty ‘cool’ reputation as a perfect summer drink.

To celebrate, leading wine tasting party company, ThirtyFifty, is introducing an English Wine Tasting to its portfolio. As well as a great new theme for a summer party, this is a fun way to ‘gen’ up and impress friends with your knowledge – and your support things English

Thirtyfifty have gathered an eclectic range of wines from top English wineries.  You'll be introduced to new grape varieties and wine styles whilst bing coached and entertained by one of Thirtyfifty's qualified wine consultants on how to taste wine.  You'll also learn why our English climate has been surprisingly conducive to grape-growin for more than 1,000 years and how the future is shaping up.

Award-winning Nyetimber Classic Cuvee and Ridgeview Fitzrovia Sparkling Rose represent the fizz. The tasting includes several Chapel Down wines made by 2005’s UK Winemaker of the Year, Owen Elias. Also included are Denbies Yew Tree Pinot Noir, Biddenden Ortega Dry and Three Choirs Bacchus.

This year’s English Wine Week runs from Saturday 27 May to Sunday 4 June – a wine tasting party over the Bank Holiday will be a great way to celebrate the arrival of summer (as if you need an excuse!).

Fun and educational with a few myths exploded, ThirtyFifty wine tasting parties can be held at home to entertain friends with minimal planning - just invite your guests - we’ll do the rest. The English Wine Tasting is £25 per person with a minimum of 10 guests.

For more information or to make a booking call 020 8288 0314 or visit www.thirtyfifty.co.uk

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15th May

ENGLISH ORGANIC WINE CHOSEN FOR ROYAL EVENT

Two award winning wines from Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard have been selected by London caterers Gastronomes for a dinner attended by HRH Duke of York KG, KCVO, ADC at the Tower of London on May 15th.  Prince Andrew, in his capacity as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, was guest of honour at a dinner held for business leaders from over 30 countries participating in TechnologyWorld06, a two day event for the UK’s leading-edge information, communication and technology (ITC) businesses.
 
The vineyard’s Bodiam Brut 2003 vintage sparkling wine was served to the VIPs upon arrival with Sedlescombe’s 2004 vintage Dry White being the wine served with English asparagus at the dinner.  Delighted at his wines being chosen, Roy Cook – owner and wine maker of the East Sussex vineyard said that the choice “reflects the interest being shown in organics at the highest level and shows confidence in the quality of our wines to represent Britain at such important events.”

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10th May

A TRIUMPH FOR ENGLISH WINES IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Once again, Ridgeview Wine Estate has proved its world-class clout in the French International Competition Rosé du Monde, by picking up a SILVER medal for Ridgeview Merret Fitzrovia 2003.  The wine is produced from 66% Chardonnay, 22% Pinot Noir and 12% Pinot Meunier.

Other Silver medal winners, ranking alongside Merret Fitzrovia were 10 Champagnes including:

Lanson Champagne Besserat de Bellefon Brut Cuvée des Moines 

Lanson Champagne Besserat de Bellefon Brut Cuvée Extra 

Champagne Duval-Leroy  Brut Fleur de Champagne Rosé de Saignée 

Champagne Ruinart Dom Ruinart Brut 

Champagne Le Brun de Neuville Brut 

Further information on the competition can be found on

http://www.oenologuesdefrance.fr/evenement.php?id_evenement=51

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2nd April

GOOD STOCK OF ENGLISH WINES BOUGHT BY GOVERNMENT

The Independent on Sunday (2nd April) gave an insight in to the wine stock stored at Lancaster House, home of the Government’s wine cellar.

Since taking office in 1997, New Labour has spent some £1m in replenishing the Government wine cellars, by investing in a wide selection of wines, ranging from prestigious clarets to easy drinking Vin de Pays, and, it was added, a good stock of English wines.

Independent on Sunday wine correspondant Richard Ehlich commented that the store is strong on English wines, which Ehrlich called "right and proper", adding that "all the producers are good ones": Denbies, Chapel Down, Camel Valley, Ridgeview, and Three Choirs.  Also included in the line up is Breaky Bottom sparkling, who has despatched large parcels of the wine during  the past year.

Further details available here.

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30th March

                                              OBITUARY

                 DAVID STANLEY – HEART OF ENGLAND VINEYARD

It is with great sadness to announce the untimely death of David Stanley, owner of Heart of England Vineyard, near Stratford-upon-Avon.

David had been an active member of the English wine industry since he and his wife Meryl planted their first 3.5 acres of vines in 1995 with the white varieties Phoenix and Seyval Blanc, and red varieties Rondo and Triomphe.  In 2004 they trebled their vineyard size - adding other varieties including Pinots Blanc, Gris and Meunier, Chardonnay, Bacchus, Solaris, Madeleine Angevine, Ortega, Siegerrebe and Pinot Noir.

His dedication to his wines was paramount, a string of which have won awards.  Heart of England produced a first for England with a sparkling red, Bolingbroke, released last year.  One of their still red wines, Oberon, won a number of accolades, rated as among the best in the country.  In fact, the prize for the best red in the Midlands region is now known as the Heart of England Trophy. 

Heart of England also produces sparkling and still white wines.  The new plantings are to enable production of more sparkling wine, rose and late harvest dessert.  All the wines are made by Martin Fowke at Three Choirs Vineyards, working closely with David to achieve the styles he wanted.

Earlier in the month, a team of fellow vignerons from the region went to Heart of England to help prune the vineyard.  David was there, home from hospital, and got to see for himself the true support there is for each other within the industry.

Anyone who met David could straightaway see the dedication and enthusiasm he had for his wines, and the wholehearted committment he gave to furthering the quality of English wines.  Heart of England wines are a testament to this dedication and the vitality he injected in to his work.

He died peacefully, at home, on the morning of Tuesday (28th March).  He will be greatly missed.

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27th March

Saturday 27th May – Sunday 4th June 2006

English Wine Week will soon be with us!  We are updating the site regularly with all the many activities and places where English wines will be featured.  This year we are introducing a news features page, soon to be added to the site, highlighting some of the offers and events that are taking place around the country. All vineyards, wine merchants, farm shops, delicatessens, restaurants, pubs and hotels and anywhere else that is highlighting English wines over the Week will be included on the English Wine Week dedicated website www.englishwineweek.co.uk

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25th March

WINE & SPIRIT EDUCATION TRUST ENGLISH WINE PRIZE WINNER

Every year the wine trade’s educational body, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, awards prizes to their top students at Diploma level.  The UK wine industry sponsors one of the prizes, which this year was awarded to Kay Fulcher, Commercial Buying Assistant at Hallgarten Wines.

At the recent awards ceremony, earlier in March, Kay received her prize from Jilly Goolden, handed over by the UK Vineyards Association Chairman Roger Marchbank.  Her prize will span a year in an English Vineyard, and includes practical experience in pruning, vineyard management, winemaking, and attending the key events in the English and Welsh wine calendar.  Additionally she will receive a case of award-winning English wines.

                       WSET Winner Kay Fulcher, with Jilly Goolden and Roger Marchbank

“I’m delighted that we are supporting the WSET with this award,” commented Roger Marchbank.  “The advantage for any wine trade student is that they can learn about wine production right here on their doorstep.  We are very much looking forward to introducing Kay to our industry and hope that it helps her in her wine trade studies.”

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24th March

NEW WEBSITE FOR CAMEL VALLEY

Camel Valley Vineyard in Cornwall have just revamped their website. www.camelvalley.com, launched yesterday, has a more modern up-to-date feel, with plenty of information about the vineyard, the wines and the Lindo family, who set up and run the operation.

Up to date news from the vineyard, and a list of wines available to buy on line are also included.  If you are planning to visit, check out the range of tours available - and of course there are directions on how to get there, and also information on the two self catering cottages on site.

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23rd March

BUDGET 2006: CHANCELLOR ANNOUNCES FREEZE ON DUTY OF CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING WINE

... and mentions 'British Sparkling Wine'

Today’s Budget saw a welcome freeze on duty for sparkling wine at about £1.65 per bottle. 

In his speech, Gordon Brown even eluded to the domestic wine industry, stating: "In anticipation of world cup success this summer, I am freezing duty on champagne ... and on British sparkling wine."

The comment was no doubt intended to relate to English and Welsh sparkling wines, rather than 'British', which of course is an altogether different drink.  As Robert Beardsmore, General Secretary of the UK Vineyards Association, comments: "Unfortunately, his comment raises a perpetual concern to producers of quality English and Welsh wines.  British Wine is simply not British.  'British' applies to a product made from imported, concentrated grape must.

Producers of English and Welsh wines have argued for years that this causes confusion and, alas, the Chancellor is the most recent person to fall into the trap."

The freeze on duty comes as a relief to sparkling wine producers.  Still wine incurred 4p per bottle, in line with inflation.

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9th March

NEW OWNERS AT NYETIMBER

Top sparkling wine producer Nyetimber Vineyard has just been sold.  Former owner Andy Hill has sold the multi-award winning estate to Eric Heerema, who already owns a vineyard near Petworth.  A knowledgable wine enthusiast, Mr Heerema is keen to continue to build on Nyetimber's reputation at the forefront of top quality sparkling wine production.

"I am absolutely delighted to have acquired such a prestigious vnieyard that produces wine with a worldwide status," commented Mr Heerema.  "I am planning to develop and expand the existing operations.  We will be planting more vines this year to enable us to increase production." 

There will be no change to the winemaking operation at Nyetimber, led by Dermot Sugrue.  However there will be new management joining the Nyetimber team to continue to build the brand and develop sales.

Since its first vintage, Nyetimber has won a host of top national and international awards and trophies, beating wines from around the world on many occasions in international tastings.   Two wines are produced by Nyetimber: a 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs and their Classic Cuvee, made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Nyetimber has featured at numerous prestigious events, includine last summer's IOC dinner at Buckingham Palace and are on the lists of top restaurants in the UK.  Nyetimber is also available from Waitrose, Majestic and many independent retailers.

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14th February

SCREW TOPS FOR CAMEL VALLEY WINES

Camel Valley have confirmed that all their still wines from the 2005 vintage will be bottled with screw caps – taking the lead from the success of New World wine regions such as New Zealand wines.  Proprietor Bob Lindo and his son Sam, both winemakers at their wine estate in Cornwall, led extensive bottling trial.  They are confident that screw caps will minimise the risk of any faults, which increasingly occur with use of the traditional cork.  The response from their customers has also been very positive.

“We are really excited here at Camel Valley about all our still wines now moving to screw cap,” remarked Bob Lindo.  “It gives our wines a new world feel and image, which is being very well received.  We are the first in the UK to use screw caps on the whole range of wines. “

WORTHING MAYOR TAKES ENGLISH WINE TO GERMANY

Worthing Mayor, Nick John, has purchased wine from the new center for English wine at Highdown Vineyard in Ferring, West Sussex (see news item below - 20th December 2005). This will be presented as a gift to fellow mayors in Germany during his forthcoming visit. The wines chosen were the broze medal winning 'Autumn Leaves' from Bookers Vineyard in Bolney, West Sussex.

SHOPS ENJOY BUSY SALES OF ENGLISH WINES

Middle Farm, based near Lewes, East Sussex, reports very busy pre and post Christmas sales of English wines. “We have sold local English wine since the early eighties, but sales have nhever been as buoyant as they are now,” commented Director Rod Marsh. “Television programmes like Rick Stein just before Christmas featured Nyetimber, which ended up selling like it was going out of fashion.  Earlier in the year we had a similar ‘goldrush’ following the competition success of Ridgeview.  Both certainly serve to illustrate the value of such high profile media coverage.”

Additionally, Bordeaux (yes, Bordeaux!) wine merchants Vineyards of Bordeaux of Plymouth, have been overrun with enquiries for English wines and are consequently stocking English wines.  Owner Ian Curzon-Berners remarked "We were totally unprepared for the level of interest and enquiries for English wines from our customers.  In the early part of the year, normally a quiet time for trading, we were selling lots of English wine - infact of every 6 bottles that were bought, 4 were English!"

Both Middle Farm and Vineyards of Bordeaux will be taking part in English Wine Week.  Middle Farm's scheduled market on 28th May will include as many local vineyards as possible selling their wines, boosting their already broad selection from 13 producers.  They are ultimately looking to carry at least some wine from every vineyard in Sussex.  For more information visit www.middlefarm.com

Vineyards of Bordeaux are linking in with local restaurants as well as offering a free day pass at the Devonshire Health & Raquets Club for two people with every bottle of English wine sold. More information on wines and offers are available by contacting sales_vineyardsofbordeaux@hotmail.co.uk - tel: 01752 796128

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17th January

MARGARET BECKETT OPENS NEW WINERY AT BOOKERS

The Secretary of State for DEFRA, the Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP, officially opened the country’s latest new winery, at Bookers Vineyard, near Bolney, West Sussex (Tuesday January 17th 2006).

Bookers Vineyard, at Bolney Wine Estate in recent years has expanded from 6 to 22 acres of vines. When in full production some within the next 5 years, 80,000 bottles will be produced annually. 

Last year a new winery was built on site, with the help of a Processing and Marketing Grant from DEFRA. The winery has been built to specific standards and equipped with the latest state-of-the-art winemaking equipment available.  Whilst at the new Bookers winery, Mrs Beckett said: “The faith and optimism shown here by Bookers Vineyard with this investment, highlights an underlying and very real confidence shown by many within the industry that English wines have a solid economic future.

“It is a testament to the winemaking skills of those here at Bookers, and elsewhere in the industry, that the quality of English wines is now so well known and much talked about."

Bookers will be increasing their production of red wines to half of their total output – probably the first in the country to do so – as well as raise their current production of sparkling wines, a proven successful sector in the English wine industry and one that is developing significantly. 

Mrs. Samantha Linter, Managing Director and Winemaker at the Bolney Wine Estate says: “The completion of our new winery means we will be able to produce even better quality wines. We have particularly invested in the latest red-wine making equipment, to ensure future vintages of our light and fruity Dark Harvest blend are even better than our previous award winners.”

Wine supplied by Bookers Vineyard has been among a selection of English and Welsh wines served at official DEFRA functions.

Producing a range of award winning red, white and sparkling wines, the Bolney Wine Estate is open to the public Mon-Fri, 10:00 to 5:00, and can be found just off the A272, west of the A23, on the outskirts of the historic village of Bolney, or on the web at www.bookersvineyard.co.uk

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20th December

NEW VINEYARD AND WINE SHOP OPENS

A new centre for the promotion and sales of English wines has just been recently opened.  Highdown Vineyard, near Ferring, West Sussex, opened their winery building and shop just over a fortnight ago, in time for Christmas sales.

The vineyard is producing its own wine – being made by Will Davenport at Davenport Vineyards – and the new shop stocks more than 35 English and Welsh wines from a selection of England's leading vineyards including Denbies, Bookers, Chapel Down, Camel Valley, Seddlescombe, Llanerch and Three Choirs.

Visitors are welcome to taste wines in the Atrium, which also allows direct viewing into their production area.  The winery will be equipped over the coming months.  Other wine-related gifts and hampers are also on sale – ideal for Christmas presents.  A popular gift idea is rent-a-vine, which is also available from Highdown.

Since opening, proprietors Ross and Karin Hay report very busy sales.  “We have had a lot of local and regional media coverage,” comments Ross.  “I think the growing interest in English wines as well has encouraged a lot of people to come and visit us.”

Opening times are:

Mon - Sat 10am - 7pm and Sun 11am - 4pm.

Highdown Winery Ltd

Littlehampton Road, Ferring, West Sussex,

BN12 6PG

Tel: 01903 500663

wine@highdown-vineyard.co.uk

RICK STEIN FOOD HERO ACCOLADE FOR NYETIMBER

Monday night’s programme on BBC 2 saw Rick Stein visit Nyetimber Vineyard, and accompanied by Oz Clarke, tasted their 1999 Classic Cuvee blind against two other top bubblies.  Nyetimber was picked out as the best, showing once again just how good our sparkling wines are.  English sparkling wine was further mentioned as a great accompaniment  to the mouthwatering roasted salmon with salsa verde dish prepared by Mr Stein.

There’s still time to get in some English bubbly before Christmas!  Waitrose, Majestic and independent wine merchants offer a selection, along with many other retail outlets around the country.  Time to raise a glass!

www.bbc.co.uk/lifestyle/christmas/food_heroesindex.shtml

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2005 News Stories

9th December

AWARD FOR RENOWNED ENGLISH WINE WRITER

Stephen Skelton MW, author of the definitive guide ‘The Vineyards of Britain and Ireland’ (published in 2001 by Faber and Faber) was recently presented with the Noval Award for Communication at the Institute of Masters of Wine Annual Reception and Awards Ceremony on 2nd November.

The Award was given to Stephen for his contribution to the knowledge of wine enthusiasts, ranging from MW students to customers of Thameside Wines, his wine business and outlet, and also for his achievement in publicising the work of English vineyards.

ENGLISH VINEYARD SALES SUFFER UNDER NEW LICENSING LAWS

Wroxeter Roman Vineyard has fallen foul of the new licensing laws over their temporary wine shop.  For the last 12 years, David Millington, owner/winemaker at Wroxeter, has rented an empty shop site in Shrewsbury to sell his wine and other gifts in the run up to Christmas.  Until this year he has been open for sales from Monday to Saturday in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  Until now, this involved applying for and being granted an ‘occasional licence’, costing £10, to cover his sales. 

Under the new system however, invoked last month, a ‘temporary event notice’ has replaced occasional licences.  The ‘temporary event notice’ only carries a 96 hour licence permit and cannot run consecutively. which means that Wroxeter will only be able to be open for four days at a time.  Were he to apply for a full licence to operate from the premises, he needs to give adequate notice, which he is unable to do as he often does not know much in advance which premises is available for him to move in to.

David Millington commented: “We’ve had a Christmas shop in Shrewsbury every year for 12 years.  It’s very popular and accounts for about 20 per cent of the year’s trading for us.”

Source: The Telegraph 5th December.

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8th December

ENGLISH WINES AND CHEESES PAIR UP AT FESTIVE GOOD FOOD SHOW

English wines teamed up with a range of delicious British Cheeses for a series of Tasting sessions at the Festive BBC Good Food Show last weekend.  Four wines selected by English Wine Producers were tasted alongside five leading English cheeses, presented by the British Cheese Board.  Guest speakers Nigel White of the British Cheese Board, and Julia Trustram Eve of English wine producers talked to a packed theatre on each day of the Show.

“It was great to see just how well our wines go with such a range of cheeses,” commented Julia.  “The sublime combination of and English dessert wine with Stilton showed just how well  our wines stand up to these gorgeous flavours from the cheese.”

The wines on show were: Ridgeview Merret Bloomsbury 2003 (Sparkling); Biddenden Ortega 2004 (Medium Dry White); Three Choirs Premium Selection Red 2004 (Red) and Chapel Down Nectar 2003 (Dessert).  The cheeses were: Cheshire; Cornish Brie; West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, Blue Stilton and Wensleydale with Cranberries.

Also at the Show, Oz Clarke conducted an on air tasting for BBC Radio Kent, using Kentish wines, including Biddenden Ortega and Chapel Down sparkling.

English wines and British cheeses have been on tastings before – we will let you know of any other tastings coming up in the future.

      Julia Trustram Eve & Nigel White

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1st December

RIDGEVIEW BLOOMSBURY 2003 AWARDED SILVER MEDAL IN EFFERVESCENTS DU MONDE COMPETITION

Ridgeview Wine Estate has scooped yet another award for their fantastic Bloomsbury 2003 sparkling wine, with a silver medal awarded to it in the worldwide competition for sparkling wines run by Effervescents du Monde. The competition is held annually in France to assess the best sparkling wines in the world. Over 300 wines were entered for the competition (including a number of champagnes). With awards given to only a third of entries Ridgeview has proven yet again that the quality of their product is amongst the best in the world!

For more details of this competition visit the website on www.effervescents-du-monde.com

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28th November

CHAMPAGNE PRODUCER SETS UP VINEYARD IN HAMPSHIRE

A Champagne producer has planted a vineyard in England, with the intention of producing quality sparkling wine.  As reported in the Telegraph Monday 28th November, Didier Pierson from Avize has invested in land near Droxford in Hampshire.  Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were planted in spring this year, and Pinot Meunier will be planted next year.   Currently 8.75 acres have been planted (not the 28 acres as reported).  The first wine will be produced in 2008.

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17th November

ENGLISH WINES WIN IMPRESSIVE NUMBER OF MEDALS AT DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS

A terrific set of Medals was achieved by English Wines in this years Decanter World Wine Awards, with over 80% of the wines entered gaining well deserved recognition for their quality.

Decanter magazine has just published the winners in the under £10 category. Chapel Down Wines scooped 4 bronze medals for their Pinot Reserve Sparkling 2000, their Bacchus Reserve 2003, their Ortega 2003 and their Pinot Blanc 2002 and Denbies Wine Estate were awarded a Commended for their Surrey Gold 2004. Winners in the £10 and over category were published in September. A full list of the winners can be found on our competition results page - click here to view.

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3rd November

JILLY GOOLDEN VISITS CAMEL VALLEY VINEYARD

TV’s most recognizable face of wine, Jilly Goolden, visited Camel Valley Vineyard on Monday 31 October.  Jilly, who was writing an article for a new magazine, ‘turned the first sod’ of an additional 7-acre vineyard to be planted at Camel Valley.

Said Bob Lindo:  ‘It was really exciting to have the opportunity to show Jilly Goolden around Camel Valley Vineyards.  One of our most commonly asked questions by visitors to the vineyard is:  ‘Has Jilly Goolden tasted your wines?’  Now we will be able to say, ‘Actually, she helped plant the vineyard!’  Added Bob: ‘Jilly was absolutely fantastic, her enthusiasm is catching and she is a true professional.’

Jilly for her part: ‘loved the place, loved the lunch and loved the wines’.  Jilly was also pleased to taste her first 2005 wine from the Northern hemisphere which she described as 'very aromatic' and 'full of flavour'.

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20th October

OZ CLARKE 'BANGS THE DRUM' FOR ENGLISH WINE!

Oz Clarke has just published his 2006 Wine Guide with the accompanying Wine Buying Guide. Oz is a great supporter of quality English Wines which are widely available. To quote from his book:

'I bang the drum for English fizz at every possible opportunity: I use it in wine tastings and on broadcasts, I take it abroad - and the thrilling thing is, people always love it..........it can't be long before we put aside our frankly absurd belittling of things vinous and English and acclaim our top producers for what they are - producers of some of the best sparkling wines in the world. So do drink English!'

Oz particularly recommends wines from Ridgeview (2000 Cavendish Brut and 2001 Bloomsbury), Nyetimber (1996 Premier Cuvee) and Chapel Down (nv Century).

Oz Clarke's Wine Buying Guide 2006 is out now (RRP £5.00 or free with Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Book RRP £10.00)

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