Get to know: English Wine
A selection of some of our favourite English wines from the wineries we love.
The UK is the 6th largest consumer of wine in the world, and over the last few years, our own home-grown juice has been getting more and more limelight - and deservedly so.
One of the things we love here at Reserve about English wine is that it's not mass-produced. Many of the vineyards and wineries found across the country operate on a smaller scale due to the lower yield of grapes. A lower yield means a more labour-intensive production method. Of course, this does mean English wines tend to be a little pricier. But the wine you do get is really great quality. Sparkling wine accounts for 68% of total production.
Key Wine Regions
Sussex - Sussex in the South-east of England benefits from a Sunnier climate than the rest of the country and the combination of this extra warmth needed in cool climate conditions with the chalk and limestone soils produce excellent conditions for producing Sparkling wine. Sussex earned Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status for their wine in 2022. Sussex is also home to Plumpton College, which specializes in viticulture and winemaking courses.
Kent - Kent has the largest area under vine of any county in England, with Chapel Down and Gusbourne Estate being its largest producers. It shares the relatively-warmer climate and chalk limestone soils that are found in Sussex, and the region excels in producing sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes along with producing excellent wines using grapes that thrives in cooler climates like Bacchus and Ortega.
Key Grape Varieties
The grapes that are grown here are varieties that can ripen in cooler climates, which is why there has been such success with sparkling wine varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and still varieties such as Bacchus which is the 4th most planted variety. It is also why many English wines have a high level of acidity which gives the quality examples a mouthwatering, invigorating energy.
