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English wine is on the up, from Kent’s new Wine Garden of England collective to the Surrey Hills Wine Week. How English counties are racing to establish distinct regional identities
English wine is considered a collaborative rather than a competitive industry. The feeling was “a rising tide lifts all ships” as our wines began to gain respect and popularity here and internationally. Recently however there has been a push by certain counties to establish themselves as regionally different, in the same way French and Italian regions do.
In 2018 Kent formed a collective partnership between nine of the county’s top vineyards called the Wine Garden of England. The collective arranges tours and events across the estates of Balfour, Biddenden, Chapel Down, Domaine Evremond, Gusbourne, Simpsons, Squerryes, Westwell and Yotes Court.
Last week I opened a bottle of Squerryes Brut 2022 (£41, Squerryes.co.uk) and was immediately reminded of the classic good taste of the area. This award-winning Squerryes signature blend is lively and elegant with delicious toasty biscuit notes rounding it out. A superb drop from Kent.
English wine gets its first PDO
Then in 2022 Sussex took it further by becoming the UK’s first wine specific PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), similar to Champagne or Chianti. This was seen as a major milestone for premiumisation of English wine; to be recognised as PDO, Sussex sparkling wines must adhere to a more rigorous set of production rules and quality standards. Sussex seems to be vying for the title of most “old world” of the English counties, wanting to be seen as akin to a classic European wine appellation with an expansion in fine dining and boutique accommodation. They are also managing to nail red wines, something historically tricky for cool-climate UK. The Oastbrook Pinot Noir Reserve 2022 (£38, oastbrook.com) took advantage of the warm year to create a silky, fresh red with a harmony of red berry fruits and a long finish.
Now Surrey is launching Surrey Hills Wine Week from 30 May to 7June. This week-long programme will include tastings, tours and events between Albury Organic Vineyard, Chilworth Manor Vineyard, Denbies Wine Estate, Greyfriars Vineyard, High Clandon Estate Vineyard, Soloms Court Wine Estate and Tanhurst Estate Vineyard. Of these, Denbies is the most established, celebrating 40 years of vines this year.
They are only a few minutes’ walk from Dorking station and have accommodation, restaurants and year-round events, so are an easy option for those seeking a spot of wine tourism. I tried their Denbies Cubitt Blanc de Noirs 2016 (denbies.co.uk, £34.95), only released in the best vintages and aged on the lees for a whopping seven years. It is generous, aromatic, with an old school elegance that gives champagne a run for its money.
The youngest vineyard is Soloms Court Wine Estate, which will launch its first wine during the celebratory week. A tiny eco-conscious vineyard run by wife-and-husband team Elise and Peter Nichols, their first wine has been made in collaboration with Litmus Wines. Litmus is based at Denbies and themselves make four niche still wines that are unusual and innovative. Their Litmus White Pinot (Ocado, £26) is an oak-aged white wine made solely from red Pinot Noir grapes, which give a richness and structure that’s unusual in an English white wine – well worth seeking out.
As the English wine scene continues to expand it will be interesting how other counties seek to set themselves apart.
