England

We asked Tony Cox of Mumfords Vineyard in Bath to provide a brief background to wine growing in England.

The UK wine industry is relatively small, with 800 hectares under vine and just 300 growers producing a little over 2 million bottles a year. Most wine is white, produced from German varietals such as Reichensteiner, Schönburger, Kerner and Bacchus, with some French such as Madeleine Angevine and Seyval Blanc.An increasing number of interesting red and rosé wines from Rondo, Regent, Pinot Noir and Triomphe d’Alsace are also being produced, and some very good quality bottle-fermented sparkling wines, using the classic Champagne varieties, are being made in Southern England.’

The UK now has an official and long overdue appellation system for its wines, and the best are now labelled ‘English Vineyards Quality Wine’ or ‘English Regional Wine’.