Indulging in the Full English

03 June 2022 - Justin Sims

Now am I feeling patriotic this week. The Union Jacks are flying, there’s bunting appearing all over homes, shops and businesses and there’s a strong sense of community spirit as everyone makes their final preparations for the long weekend’s street parties and fêtes that will be celebrated the length and breadth of the country.

This is a chance to honour our amazing monarch and at the same time, do what we Brits love to do best. Throw a damn good party and consume plenty of Great British produce, and that obviously extends to wine too!

And if you still think that English wines can’t be taken too seriously, well then allow me to help you reconsider.

Putting ‘Great’ into British wines for a quarter of a century

Yes, it’s hard to believe that it’s already been 25 years since Nyetimber burst onto the English wine scene with a thunderous pop and swept the judges in the IWSC with their 1993 Classic Cuvée to secure the top spot. Little did they realise that they would spark a revolution from south-east coast to south-west coast to create an industry that sold over 7 million bottles of still and sparkling wines in 2020.

Today, England’s reputation, particularly for sparkling wines made by the traditional Champagne method, is highly coveted and we’re now exporting both still and sparkling wines to 30 different markets around the world as a result. And although this only represents about 5% of our annual output, this is expected to increase fivefold in the next 3 years. The Scandi’s, Americans and Far East markets like Hong Kong and Japan are currently our main foreign imbibers and give us a good shop window to the rest of the world.

Is it right that our fizz should be compared to Champagne?

This is an interesting question because whilst there are a lot of similarities between the two, not least in terms of composition, production methods, soils, climate and styles, which are largely modelled on Champagne, we’re able to be far more innovative as we don’t have the strict regulatory guidelines of the French AOC system to comply with.

It will also be more beneficial for the longer term if we focus on building our own identity, especially with the impact that climate change will inevitably have on Champagne (to their detriment) and here (possibly for our benefit). Why else do you think some of the French houses have been investing in large parcels of land over here for the past decade.

One step towards this identity was launched in October 2020 with the ‘Classic Method’ hallmark. All British sparkling wines that are made following Champagne’s traditional method will display the Classic Method words and logo. This represents the top of the quality pyramid for British fizz and creates a clear message for consumers home and abroad. The long-term goal is that all British sparkling wines will show their method of production on the label whether by Classic Method, Charmat method or Pet Nat.

Apparently, our still wines are worth a punt too

There’s growing excitement at the moment for our still wines even though they only represented about 36% of all the wines we produced in the UK in 2020. This jumped by about 8% from the previous year which shows there’s both interest amongst the growers but more importantly from consumers too.

Bacchus has established itself as our signature variety and makes a great alternative to Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc with its nervy, bracing freshness and green fruit profile flecked with English hedgerow florals. And like good quality Sauvignon, Bacchus can age gracefully thanks to its cool climate acids that keep it all tightly bound together.

Given that 75% of UK vineyards are dedicated to the three Champagne varieties; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, it’s probably no surprise that we’re seeing plenty of still wine options from these grapes too. Whilst we’re right on the climatic edge of being able to ripen grapes, we’re identifying more and more sunnier and drier microclimates that are yielding pristine fruit and crafting some seriously good wines that are making Burgundians and other cool-climate specialists around the world sit up and take note.

In short, it’s time to take English wine a lot more seriously, seriously!

The bottom line here is that right now, England is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing wine-producing countries in the world and we’ve only really just begun the journey. The next 20-30 years will see major investment and growth as well as continued innovation that will help build our reputation as a world-leader in quality wines. Be sure to watch this space.

If it’s the full English you want this weekend, can I recommend that you grab yourself a bottle of English fizz and whack it on ice, buy the best quality sausages, bacon and eggs you can afford and get stuck in. Oh, and don’t forget to raise your glass to the Queen!