Wine from the United Kingdom
Vineyards are becoming common in counties such as Essex, Sussex and Kent, where more varieties of wine can be produced due to the drier and warmer climate.
[2]The chalk limestone soils of Sussex, Kent and other portions of Southern England are suitable for growing the grapes used to produce sparkling wine, and, particularly on south-facing slopes, the climate, at least in recent years, is warm enough.
Despite a slow start, by 2005, Wales had 20 vineyards, producing 100,000 bottles a year, primarily white wines, but also a few reds.
[14] The term British wine is used to describe a drink made in Britain by the fermentation of grape (or any other fruit) juice or concentrate originating from anywhere in the world.
[16] Winemaking continued at least down to the time of the Normans, with over 40 vineyards in England mentioned in the Domesday Book; much of it was communion wine for the Eucharist.
In 1860, the government, under Lord Palmerston (Liberal), supported free trade and drastically cut the tax on imported wines from 1 shilling to twopence, a decrease of 83%.
With many individuals keen to produce their own wines from home, and with equipment and methods becoming available, the government outlawed the production of homemade alcohol at the beginning of the 1960s, only to retract the law after five years as the homebrew fashion escalated considerably.
[citation needed] Other small commercial vineyards in Britain followed in the 1960s with growers such as Joy and Trevor Bates in Kent, Norman Cowderoy in West Sussex, Nigel Godden in Somerset, Gillian Pearkes in Devon and Philip Tyson-Woodcock in East Sussex.
[18] Viticulture was revived in the 1970s onwards, possibly helped by a rising local temperature due to global warming, making many parts of Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Berkshire and Cambridgeshire dry and hot enough to grow grapes of high quality.
[citation needed] From a peak of over 400 vineyards in the late 1980s, by 2000 one third of these had given up, but plantings have since accelerated, helped by the growing success of English sparkling wines.
[citation needed] Significant plantings have been made across the south of the country, with a number of farmers contract growing vines for major English producers.
Farmers are looking at the potential benefits of growing vines, as the return per tonne for grapes over more traditional crops is substantial.
One concern is that growers need to invest money for no initial return, as crops tend to come in the third or fourth year.
English wine was given added prestige when the Duchess of Cornwall became the new President of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association on 25 July 2011.
Other widely grown varieties of white grape include Chardonnay, Madeleine Angevine, Schönburger, Huxelrebe and Ortega.
PDO and PGI wines must have a full post bottling analysis and pass a tasting panel (or win an award at a recognised competition).
The moderate temperatures lead to the high acidity and low pH which is the backbone of fine sparkling wines.
